Quality Assurance Engineer

TerraPower LLC.; United States; Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

TerraPower LLC. in the United States seeks an experienced Quality Assurance Engineer for advanced reactor programs. You will lead QA activities, audits, and process improvements to ensure regulatory compliance and supplier qualification excellence across complex projects.

The role requires deep NRC/DOE QA experience, an NQA-1 Lead Auditor certification, and the ability to mentor teams while guiding quality assurance in design, procurement, and construction environments.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent in a technical discipline, business, management, or QA.
• 8–10 years’ experience in a nuclear QA function regulated by USNRC.
• Current certification as NQA-1 Lead Auditor or NRC vendor inspector (or equivalent).

Responsibilities

• Review customer and regulatory contracts and develop baseline requirements matrices/documents.
• Interface with customer and supplier QA representatives to resolve quality and compliance issues.
• Review engineering documents to ensure QA flow-down and compliance.
• Plan and perform supplier qualification audits and surveillances as ATL.
• Lead annual evaluations and triennial audits of approved suppliers.
• Coordinate and host customer and regulator audits, surveillances, and visits.
• Develop, revise, and review QA processes and procedures.
• Plan and perform internal audits as ATL.
• Participate in CAPA, continuous improvement, lessons learned, and risk management.
• Review QA-related procedures to ensure flow-down of requirements.
• Review procurement and contract documents for QA flow-down.
• Perform internal audits of TerraPower QA policy and documentation.
• Mentor and train on NRC QA issues and licensing.

Skills

Nuclear QA experience

NQA-1 Lead Auditor

Auditing expertise

NRC regulatory knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in technical/QA

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.

Quality Assurance Engineer

This role is remote or onsite in Everett, WA with travel up to 50% within the continental U.S.

The QA Engineer reports directly to the Quality Assurance & Continuous Improvement Manager. This position is responsible for performing Quality Assurance activities for TerraPower’s advanced reactor programs. The ideal candidate will have QA experience in NRC 10 CFR 50, Appendix B, 10 CFR Part 21, ASME NQA-1-2015, and Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.28, Revision 5. The ideal candidate should be an NQA-1 Certified Lead Auditor (ATL) and have extensive experience with evaluation and qualification of NQA-1 commercial supply chain suppliers. The ideal candidate will also have extensive experience applying a graded approach to quality in environments ranging from conceptual design using collaborative environments to safety related design and construction supporting PSAR requirements and construction permits. Experience with industry codes, standards and guides such as ASME, AWS, AISC, ASTM, EPRI, NEI, ISO, NEC and IEEE are strongly desired.

Responsibilities

• Review customer and regulatory contracts and develop baseline requirements matrices/documents.
• Interface with customer and supplier QA representatives to assist with resolution of quality, technical, and complex compliance issues.
• Review internal and external engineering documents including design drawings, specifications, test plans/procedures, etc., to ensure compliance with governing procedures and appropriate flow down of applicable QA requirements.
• Plan and perform (as a Certified Audit Team Leader (ATL)) supplier qualification audits and surveillances of suppliers and partnering companies.
• Perform annual evaluations and triennial audits of approved suppliers on the TerraPower Evaluated Suppliers List (ESL).
• Coordinate and host Customer and Regulator audits, surveillances, and visits.
• Develop, revise, and/or review QA processes and procedures.
• Plan and perform (as a certified ATL) internal Audits.
• Participate in Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA), Continuous Improvement, Lessons Learned/Operational Experience, and Risk Management processes.
• Review quality affecting procedures (engineering, procurement, document control, records, testing, etc.) to ensure flow-down of applicable QA requirements.
• Review procurement specifications, purchase requisitions, purchase orders, contracts, task orders, statement of work, and quality program requirements documents to ensure flow-down of applicable quality assurance requirements.
• Perform Internal audits of TerraPower QA policy, implementing procedures, and documentation.
• Perform mentoring and training on various NRC quality assurance issues and licensing.

Key Qualifications and Skills

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent experience in a technical discipline, business, management, or quality assurance field.
• 8 - 10 years’ experience in a nuclear (NRC, DOE) Quality Assurance function regulated environment by the USNRC.
• Current certification as NQA-1 Lead Auditor or an NRC vendor inspector other industry recognized certification or the ability to