Nuclear Fuels Performance Technical Leader III

Electric Power Research Institute, Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 160,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual incentive program

Medical, dental, vision benefits

401k and paid time off

Job summary

EPRI seeks a Nuclear Fuels Performance Technical Leader III to drive advanced research on fuel reliability and cladding corrosion in commercial LWRs. The role emphasizes modeling crud-induced phenomena, fuel/chemistry interactions, and developing programs to tackle near-term fuel performance challenges.

The position requires deep technical expertise, industry collaboration, and the ability to guide projects and mentor junior staff while traveling as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field or equivalent experience.
• Experience in fuel reliability, performance drivers, and mitigation approaches is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with LWR fuel design, core design, and high-temperature water chemistry is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support technical projects addressing fuel reliability and performance in commercial LWRs.
• Develop and execute R&D strategies, scopes of work, and oversee laboratory tasks.
• Present project status to utility members, leadership, and stakeholders; build consensus.
• Facilitate industry meetings, workshops, trainings, and technical webcasts.
• Travel domestically and internationally to support project execution and technology transfer.

Skills

Nuclear fuel performance

Cladding corrosion

Water chemistry interactions

LWR understanding

R&D program development

Technical leadership

Stakeholder communication

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's Degree in a technical field

Tools

Destructive & nondestructive evaluation

Hot cell capabilities

Job description

Nuclear Fuels Performance Technical Leader III

Location: Remote/Home Based

Job Summary and Description

We are seeking a highly skilled technical expert in fuel reliability and performance, with a particular focus on cladding corrosion and water chemistry interactions in LWR fuel. The ideal candidate will bring broad understanding of commercial light water reactor (LWR) fuel design, core design, thermal hydraulics, high temperature water chemistry, stainless steel and Inconel corrosion, and crud‑induced fuel performance phenomena, as well as strong familiarity with the nuclear industry and its key stakeholders.

This role requires deep technical expertise in the behavior of nuclear fuel under LWR operating conditions, including crud and crud‑induced corrosion mechanisms and modeling, fuel/chemistry interaction phenomena, fuel reliability and performance drivers, and mitigation approaches to fuel reliability/performance issues. A successful candidate will develop R&D programs to solve technical challenges related to fuel reliability and performance issues in commercial LWRs, including identification and evaluation of issues related to the industry’s near‑term transition to fuel with higher burnup and enrichment limits and longer operating cycles.

Key roles and responsibilities for this position include:

• Lead and support technical projects aimed at solving complex fuel reliability and performance challenges in commercial LWRs.
• Develop and execute R&D strategies, including project concepts, scopes of work, laboratory task oversight, and review technical deliverables in collaboration with industry experts and stakeholders.
• Present project status and results to utility members, leadership teams, and other industry stakeholder groups. This requires strong communication, presentation, and consensus‑building skills.
• Facilitate and lead industry meetings, including large workshops, trainings, technical webcasts, and collaborative forums.
• Conduct domestic and international travel to support project execution, utility engagement, and technology transfer activities.

Additional attributes that would be beneficial include:

• Knowledge of and experience with destructive and nondestructive evaluation techniques for nuclear reactor fuel and fuel assembly components
• Experience with laboratory testing and hot cell examinations
• Direct experience collaborating within multi-organization R&D environments (e.g., fuel vendors, national laboratories, research institutes, utilities, etc.)
• Fuel assembly design and manufacturing
• Core design and operation
• Non‑destructive fuel examination techniques

Key Responsibilities and Requirements:

• Works independently on technical activities without direct supervision.
• Demonstrates responsibility for highly specialized technical objectives or problems where the relationships between cause and effect are difficult to establish and little or no precedence exists, and the use of creative and imaginative thinking is required.
• Assumes responsibility for highly specialized technical objectives or problems where the relationships between cause and effect are difficult to establish and little or no precedence exists, and the use of creative and imaginative thinking is required.
• Maintains familiarity with the progress and problems in assigned technical areas and support identification of gaps.
• Provides high‑level engineering efforts to support requirements in development and design and provides guidance to junior staff.
• Provides input into configuration management and documentation for engineer related projects.
• Acts as technical specialist for projects or project tasks.

Additional Requirements:

• Has established relationships with primary advisors to a research area.
• Works alongside EPRI sales staff in Member Services and EPRI International to support member/client needs.
• Effectively communicates complex strategies and results, expressing thoughts clearly and concisely both verbally and in writing, to subject matter experts, program members and advisors.
• Adjusts communication content and format to capture attention and meet the needs of the intended audience through guidelines, reports, meetings, webcasts, workshops and conferences.
• Regularly communicates and coordinates work activities across programs and sectors.
• May provide oversight of a project team to assure technical and financial milestones are met.
• Organizes the external and interdepartmental activities ensuring completion of the project/product on schedule and within budget.
• Leads the planning and execution of complex project work within the technical department to meet member/client objectives; prepares and presents research reports.
• Significant customer interface component with ability to lead research programs.
• Manages medium level projects.
• Influences project teams in the engineering aspects of the technical work.
• Regularly interfacing and coordinating with national and international technical networks (e.g, manufacturers, consultants, academia and research organizations).
• Leads proposal efforts and new promotional work.
• Develops research or services opportunities of value to EPRI members that fit EPRI’s mission and capabilities. This will include solving customer problems, producing insights and information vital to the members, and delivering information in a manner that members and customers can and will apply.
• Continues to provide guidance and mentorship to junior staff.

Education:

Bachelor’s Degree in a technical field or equivalent experience required.

The salary range for this position is $160,000 USD to $175,000 USD annually.

This salary range is an estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on various factors, including without limitation applicant's education, experience, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data. The salary may also be adjusted based on applicant's geographic location.

This role is eligible to participate in EPRI’s annual incentive program. The amount of incentive varies and is subject to the terms and conditions of the plan.

This role is eligible to participate in EPRI’s standard employee benefit programs, which currently include the following: medical, dental, vision, 401k, STD/LTD and paid family leave, life and accident insurance, paid time off (flexible vacation, sick leave, and holiday pay).

EPRI participates in E-Verify, an online system operated jointly by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration (SSA). EPRI uses the system to check the work status of new hires by comparing information from the employee's I-9 form against SSA and Department of Homeland Security databases.

EPRI is an equal opportunity employer. EEO/AA/M/F/VETS/Disabled

Together . . . Shaping the Future of Energy.

www.epri.com