Manager, Core Thermal Hydraulic Methods and Analysis

TerraPower; Bellevue (WA); On-site; USD 154,000 - 205,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Discretionary incentive payments

Comprehensive medical and wellness

Parental leave

401k plan

Generous PTO: 21 days

Generous holidays: 10 paid

Relocation assistance

Professional and educational support

Job summary

TerraPower seeks a Manager, Core Thermal Hydraulics Methods and Analysis to lead and develop a team responsible for creating, validating, and applying thermal-hydraulic methodologies that establish core flow and heat-transfer behavior for next-generation reactor designs.

The role requires extensive CFD/THERMAL HYDRAULICS experience, leadership of technical teams, and strong collaboration across engineering disciplines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's/Master's/PhD in Mechanical, Nuclear or related engineering from an accredited university.
• 10+ years in thermal hydraulic analysis with a B.S. or 8+ years with an advanced degree.
• 3+ years coordinating technical teams and meeting project goals.
• Experience in personnel management, resource loading, and career development a plus.
• Experience interfacing with design and test disciplines.
• Proficiency in CFD and thermal hydraulics, with STAR-CCM+ emphasis.
• Solid understanding of thermal hydraulics and heat transfer; knowledge of sodium fast reactor is a plus.
• Experience under QA requirements (ASME NQA-1, MIL-Q-9858A, ISO-9000).
• Strong trust, integrity, communication, and teamwork.
• Actual position starting level and title determined by qualifications.

Responsibilities

• Manage Core TH Methods and Analysis team of analysts and code developers.
• Participate in strategy discussions on risk, budget, goals, resources, and team performance.
• Ensure compliance with procedures, standards, and regulatory criteria for safe operations.
• Perform technical approvals on team deliverables for core flow and heat-transfer analyses.
• Establish and share best practices within the team.
• Communicate status of engineering and project priorities to stakeholders and management.
• Oversee staffing, hiring decisions, performance reviews, compensation input, coaching, and succession planning.
• Apply technical knowledge and engineering judgment to execute work and resolve issues.
• Provide mentorship and support high-quality work packages.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to align designs with functional and quality requirements.
• Support development, verification, and validation of methodologies including test planning.
• Document analysis results and design solutions.

Skills

Team leadership

Project management

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Engineering judgment

Regulatory compliance

Quality assurance

CFD analysis

Thermal hydraulics

ASME NQA-1 / ISO-9000 knowledge

Education

B.S., M.S. or Ph.D. in Mechanical, Nuclear, or other relevant technical Engineering

Tools

STAR-CCM+

Job description

TerraPower is a nuclear technology company based in Bellevue, Washington. At its core, the company is working to raise living standards globally through a more affordable, secure, and environmentally friendly form of nuclear energy along with innovations in medical isotopes to improve human health. In 2006, TerraPower originated with Bill Gates and a group of like-minded visionaries who evaluated the fundamental challenges to raising living standards around the world. They recognized energy access was crucial to the health and economic well-being of communities and decided that the private sector needed to take action and create energy sources that would advance global energy deployment. TerraPower's mission is to be a world leader in new nuclear technologies, while developing innovators and future leaders in the nuclear field. As a result, the company's activities in the fields of nuclear energy and related sciences are yielding significant innovations in the safety and economics of nuclear power, hybrid energy and medical applications - all for significant human health benefits.

TerraPower is seeking to hire highly motivated and forward-thinking professionals who are interested in focusing on advanced nuclear reactor research and development and influencing change within the nuclear power landscape and bringing forward the critical production of medical isotopes. TerraPower is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Manager, Core Thermal Hydraulics Methods and Analysis

The Core Thermal Hydraulics Methods and Analysis Manager is a dedicated position focused on leading and developing the Core Thermal Hydraulics Methods & Analysis team responsible for creating, validating, and applying thermal-hydraulic methodologies that establish core flow, heat-transfer behavior, and reactor component thermal loads. This team develops analyses and methodologies using various tools ranging from Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to subchannel solvers that support reactor design, safety, and performance. This Engineering Manager will work as part of a high functioning team of engineers and scientists focused on developing the design of next generation advanced nuclear reactors, reporting to Senior Manager, System Thermal Hydraulic Analysis.

Responsibilities

• Manage the Core Thermal Hydraulics Methods and Analysis team, consisting of analysts and code developers.
• Participate in management discussions on strategy, risk, budget, goals, resources, and team performance.
• Assure compliance with procedures, standards, and regulatory criteria to ensure a safe working environment.
• Perform technical approvals on team deliverables, including thermal-hydraulic methods and analyses determining flow and heat-transfer performance within the core.
• Establish, reinforce, and leverage best practices within the team.
• Communicate the status of engineering and project priorities to the team, stakeholders, and management.
• Owns staffing plans, hiring decisions, performance reviews, compensation input, coaching, and succession planning for the Core TH Methods & Analysis team.
• Apply strong technical knowledge, analytical thinking, and engineering judgment to execute work and resolve issues.
• Provide technical insights, mentorship, and support high-quality, clear work packages.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary engineering teams to establish and optimize nuclear component designs consistent with functional and quality requirements.
• Support development, verification, and validation of methodologies, including associated test planning and execution.
• Establish scope, review, approve, and maintain documentation of analysis results and design solutions.

Key Qualifications and Skills

• B.S, M.S. or Ph.D. in Mechanical, Nuclear, or other relevant technical Engineering area from an accredited university.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in thermal hydraulic analysis with a B.S. degree, or 8+ years with an M.S. or Ph.D. degree with a demonstrated ability to produce a high-quality work product.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in coordination of technical teams with a demonstrated ability to meet project goals.
• Experience in management of personnel, including resource loading, work planning, and career development a plus.
• Experience interfacing with other engineering disciplines including design and test.
• Proficient in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, thermal hydraulics methods and commercial CFD tools with emphasis on STAR-CCM+.
• Strong understanding of thermal hydraulic principles and heat transfer.
• Knowledge of thermal hydraulic phenomena involved in sodium fast reactor a plus.
• Candidate should have demonstrated experience in thermal hydraulic analysis using CFD or other analysis tools.
• Experience working under stringent quality assurance requirements such as ASME NQA-1, MIL-Q-9858A, or ISO-9000.
• The successful candidate will possess a high degree of trust and integrity, communicate openly and display respect and a desire to foster teamwork.
• Actual position starting level and title will be determined based on assessment of qualifications.

This position is subject to qualification requirements in accordance with ANSI/ANS 3.1. Candidates must meet the minimum education and experience criteria applicable to the role, including relevant nuclear industry experience where required. Verification of data will be part of the hiring process.

Job Functions:

Job Functions are physical actions and/or working conditions associated with the position. These functions may also constitute essential functions for the job which the employee must be able to fulfill, with or without accommodation. Information provided below is to help describe the job so that the applicant has a reasonable understanding of the job duties/expectations. An applicant's ability to perform and/or tolerate these actions and conditions will be discussed and workplace accommodations may be made on a case-by-case basis following an individualized assessment of the applicant and other considerations, including but not limited to any governing safety standards.

• Motor Abilities: Sitting for extended periods, bending/stooping, grasping/gripping, fine motor control (hands)
• Physical exertion and/or requirements: Minimal, with ability to safely lift up to 25 pounds.
• Repetitive work: Prolonged
• Special Senses: Visual and audio focused work
• Work Conditions: Stairs, typing/keyboard, standard and/or sitting working environment of >8 hours/day
• Travel required 0-10%

TerraPower's technology is controlled for export by various agencies of the U.S. Government. TerraPower must evaluate applicants who are foreign nationals (other than asylees, refugees, or lawful permanent residents) in accordance with U.S. Government export control requirements. To facilitate TerraPower's export control reviews, you will be asked as part of the application process to identify whether you are a U.S. Citizen or national, asylee, refugee, or lawful permanent resident of the United States. Government export authorization approval times vary. Based on the business needs for a particular position, TerraPower may not consider a foreign national from a country if it is impracticable to obtain timely Government export approval.

Job details

Salary Range: $153,862 - $205,149

Any salary offered within the posted salary band is based on market data and commensurate with the selected candidate's qualifications and experience. This range is specific to Washington State.

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• Competitive Compensation
• Salary, eligible to participate in discretionary short-term incentive payments
• Comprehensive Medical and Wellness Benefits
  • Medical
  • Vision
  • Dental
  • Life and Disability
  • Gender Affim. Benefits
• Parental Leave
• 401k Plan
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO)
  • 21 days of annually accrued PTO
• Generous Holiday Schedule
  • 10 paid holidays
• Relocation Assistance
• Professional and Educational Support Opportunities

TerraPower Career and Benefits information: https://www.terrapower.com/contact-us/careers/