Nuclear Fuel Materials Transport Lead - US Based

Blykalla; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Blykalla is seeking a Fuel Materials Transport Lead to own the regulatory strategy and logistics for moving nuclear material from fabrication to reactor sites. You will coordinate with regulators, transport operators, and receiving facilities to ensure safety, compliance, and on-schedule delivery.

Based in the US or Sweden, you will establish and scale the transport framework, align with fuel qualification and licensing, and travel to partner sites as needed to support deployment.

Qualifications

• Degree in nuclear engineering, physics, chemistry, or a closely related field.
• Experience in regulatory submissions for nuclear material transport (US focus, international preferred).
• Familiarity with IAEA SSR-6 and US transport regulations.
• Ability to communicate and defend transport safety arguments with regulators.
• Willingness to travel across Europe, North America, and beyond.

Responsibilities

• Build and own the nuclear material transport capability, covering regulatory strategy through transport, supply chain engagement, to operational execution.
• Establish the transport regulatory framework across markets (US, Sweden, EU) and maintain audit-ready posture.
• Coordinate with transport operators, packaging suppliers, and facilities to align transport windows with schedules.
• Contribute transport inputs to fuel qualification and licensing documents.
• Develop internal procedures and knowledge to scale transport operations with rigour.

Skills

Nuclear transport

Regulatory submissions

Regulatory coordination

Transport safety

English fluency

Education

Degree in nuclear engineering, physics, chemistry

Job description

What we do at Blykalla

Blykalla is a global leader in advanced nuclear technology, commercialising the next generation of clean, reliable energy through its lead-cooled reactor, the SEALER. By combining decades of specialised research with world-class partners, Blykalla is building the backbone of the global AI and industrial economy. For more information, visit https://www.blykalla.com. Are you a technically grounded specialist who understands the regulatory, logistical, and safety complexity of moving nuclear material and can build the systems to do it reliably at scale? Join Blykalla and take ownership of the nuclear material transport function that underpins our entire fuel cycle. As the western world's first lead-cooled SMR moves toward deployment, this role puts you at the centre of ensuring fresh fuel reaches our reactors and spent fuel leaves them safely, legally, and on schedule. You'll establish and act as the lead for the transport capability Blykalla needs to operate commercially, coordinating with the wider fuel function across fuel suppliers, cask developers, national and international authorities, transport operators, and receiving facilities.

What you’ll get to do

You’ll build and own Blykalla's nuclear material transport capability, covering everything from national and international regulatory strategy through transport, supply chain engagement to operational execution, ensuring that the fuel cycle is never the bottleneck to reactor deployment.

Establish the transport regulatory framework

• Map and interpret the applicable transport regulations across Blykalla's target markets (Sweden, EU, US), including IAEA SSR-6, ADR/RID, IATA, and relevant national requirements
• Lead the development and submission of transport safety documentation, including package design safety reports, transport plans, and competent authority approvals
• Maintain awareness of evolving regulatory requirements and ensure Blykalla's transport posture remains compliant and audit-ready
• Represent Blykalla in discussions with transport regulators, national competent authorities, and international bodies

Design and manage the fresh and spent fuel logistics chain

• Define and implement transport routes, packaging requirements, and operational procedures for fresh uranium nitride fuel from fabrication to reactor site
• Develop equivalent capability for spent fuel and radioactive waste transport from reactor sites to interim storage or reprocessing facilities
• Qualify and manage relationships with licensed transport operators, logistics partners, and packaging suppliers
• In collaboration with Supply Chain and wider fuel and materials functions, coordinate with fuel fabricators, reactor sites, and receiving facilities to ensure transport windows align with operational schedules

Integrate transport into fuel qualification and reactor licensing

• Contribute transport assumptions and constraints to fuel qualification documentation and safety analysis
• Ensure transport-related inputs; package performance, dose assessments, accident scenarios; are consistent with reactor design, safety case, and licensing submissions
• Coordinate with the Fuel, Safety, and Licensing functions to identify transport-dependent design requirements early and resolve them before they become programme risks

Build organisational capability

• In collaboration with the Fuel and Supply Chain functions, develop internal procedures, training, and quality practices that allow Blykalla to establish and ultimately manage transport operations with appropriate rigour as the programme scales
• Track industry developments in advanced nuclear fuel transport, including nitride fuel specifics, and ensure Blykalla's approach reflects current best practice

Who you’ll get to work with

The Fuel Materials Transport Lead sits in the Fuel management team within Blykalla, and reports to the Head of Fuel. We are a diverse team that is passionate about our work and Blykalla.

Who you are

You will be part of a highly skilled team with a can-do attitude. We value personnel chemistry and strive to create a workplace where you enjoy coming to. You hold the complexity of nuclear transport regulation without losing sight of operational reality. You understand that getting this wrong has programme-level consequences, and you plan accordingly, but you don't let caution become an excuse for delay. You make assumptions explicit, document decisions, and communicate clearly with both technical teams and regulatory counterparts. You take ownership, surface risks early, and know how to move from analysis to action.

Qualifications

• Degree in nuclear engineering, physics, chemistry, or a closely related field
• Demonstrable experience in nuclear material transport, predominantly in the US but ideally internationally, including regulatory submissions, package qualification, or transport safety documentation
• Working knowledge of IAEA SSR-6 and at least one major national transport regulatory framework (US)
• Experience coordinating with competent authorities, transport operators, or international facilities on nuclear material movements
• Familiarity with uranium fuel forms and their transport classification, packaging requirements, and criticality safety considerations
• Familiarity with the transport of spent nuclear fuel from a reactor to a reprocessing facility is an advantage.
• Ability to communicate and defend transport assumptions and safety arguments in regulatory and technical settings
• Fluency in English
• Willingness to travel within Europe, North America, and occasionally beyond

Location

The position is based in the US or Sweden. Travel to partner sites and research facilities will be part of the role.

Reference & Background Checks

As part of our recruitment process, we conduct background checks on all candidates. We may also conduct reference checks to gain a well-rounded understanding of your professional experience, performance, and ways of working. This includes both references provided by you and, where relevant, conversations with other professional contacts who have worked closely with you. We strive to be transparent about our reference-checking process and handle all personal data in accordance with applicable data protection regulations. Any additional references will be sought with professional judgment and only when considered relevant to the role.

We are proud to foster an inclusive workplace free from discrimination. We strongly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and background will lead to a better environment for our employees and a better product. This is something we value deeply, and we encourage everyone to be a part of changing the way the world thinks about power supply!

We do not accept applications via email.

We are not open to external help from recruitment agencies.

Note on AI Use:

Blykalla may use AI technology to assist with certain administrative aspects of the hiring process, such as note-taking, interview documentation, and reporting. However, every resume and application is reviewed directly by our recruiting team. AI tools are used solely for operational support and do not influence candidate evaluation or hiring decisions.

We offer competitive compensation aligned with our internal salary framework and growth potential in the role.