Materials Engineer, Coatings Development

TerraPower LLC.; Bellevue (WA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

TerraPower LLC in Bellevue, Washington, is seeking a highly motivated Materials Engineer to support the Core Materials Qualification team. You will focus on material selection, development, and testing for next generation coatings and surface treatments for sodium-cooled reactors.

The role requires experience in coating development for extreme environments, strong technical writing, and collaboration across project teams to meet program objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science/Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related technical discipline is required.
• Demonstrated experience developing metallic and cermet coatings for extreme environments.
• Experience with tribology and surface engineering in non-lubricated environments.
• Proficiency in writing and producing technical documentation including test reports and studies.

Responsibilities

• Lead the qualification of core coatings, including material selection, testing, and vendor scaling activities.
• Interface with project teams to ensure materials development and testing meet objectives.
• Source and screen coating materials and surface treatments for improved friction, wear, and self-welding performance.
• Lead vendor contracts to develop and implement coatings for high neutron fluence, high temperature sodium environments.
• Coordinate sodium testing needs with testing teams using in-house and external capabilities.
• Procure specimens and scale coatings to component applications; author statements of work and manage supplier performance.
• Oversee material property test programs at external vendors (neutron irradiation, mechanical properties).
• Collect data, develop, and maintain materials databases for design/licensing needs.
• Compose technical documents including test plans, test specifications, reports, and studies.
• Maintain project schedule and timely delivery of results.
• Perform scientific analysis on test data and generate reports on materials performance and behavior.

Skills

Coatings development

Tribology

Technical writing

Nuclear materials

Quality standards

Materials analysis

Problem solving

Trust and integrity

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science/Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related technical discipline

Master’s degree or PhD (preferred)

Job description

Bellevue, Washington, United States

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.

TerraPower, LLC is seeking a highly motivated Materials Engineer to support the engineering efforts of the Core Materials Qualification team. This role will work as part of a high functioning team of engineers focused on material selection, development, and testing for next generation material and components for sodium cooled fast reactors. You will be responsible for developing coatings supporting the performance requirements of the Natrium Reactor.

Responsibilities

• Lead the qualification of core coatings, including material selection, testing, and vendor scaling activities
• Interface with various project teams to ensure materials development and testing efforts meet programmatic objectives
• Source and screen potential coating materials and surface treatment technologies for improved friction, wear, and self-welding performance
• Lead vendor contracts to research, develop, and implement custom coatings and surface treatments for a high neutron fluence, high temperature sodium environment
• Coordinate in sodium testing needs with testing teams using in-house and out-of-house capabilities
• Work with vendors and fabricators to procure specimens necessary to complete testing and to scale up coatings to component applications, including authoring statements of work and managing supplier performance to plan
• Oversee material property test programs at external vendors, e.g. for neutron irradiation performance or mechanical properties
• Collect data, develop, and maintain materials databases for design and licensing needs
• Compose technical documents including test plans, test specifications, technical reports, and scientific studies related to materials and core design
• Maintain project schedule and ensure timely delivery of results
• Perform scientific analysis on test data and generate technical reports to document new knowledge related to materials performance and behavior, reactor design, and materials qualification

Key Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree with minimum 6 years of related experience or a Master’s degree and 3 years of related experience or a PhD. A degree in Materials Science/Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline is required.
• Demonstrated experience developing specialized metallic and cermet coatings for extreme environments is required
• A thorough understanding of tribology and surface engineering in non-lubricated environments is required
• Proficiency in writing and producing technical documentation including test reports and studies is requiredExperience writing specifications for the procurement, fabrication, or testing of materials is strongly desired
• Prior experience in materials development, testing, and characterization for nuclear research or industry applications is desired
• Experience working to quality standards such as ASME NQA-1, AS9100, ISO17025 or others is desired
• Proficiency in experimental techniques for materials analysis such as optical microscopy, microhardness, profilometry, and SEM is preferred
• Ability to work with minimum direction to solve challenging problems is required
• The successful candidate will possess a high degree of trust and integrity, communicate openly and display respect and a desire to foster teamwork

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.
• Special Senses: Visual and audio focused work
• Work Conditions: Stairs, typing/keyboard, standard and/or sitting working environment of >8 hours/dayTravel 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