Senior Mechanical Engineer - Nuclear Reactor Structures

Forge Atomics Inc.; El Segundo (CA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical, vision, and dental

401(k) retirement plan

Paid vacation

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Forge Atomics is hiring a Senior Mechanical Engineer specializing in reactor structures in a full-time on-site role in the Los Angeles area. You will design, test, and iterate on pressure vessels and containment structures for Ember, with emphasis on reliability under thermal, pressure, and radiation conditions.

You will lead design reviews, conduct trade studies, and collaborate with manufacturing to ensure manufacturability and timely delivery, while mentoring junior engineers and advancing

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or related technical discipline.
• 5+ years of engineering experience designing, analyzing, and building mechanical hardware.
• Experience acting as a technical lead — scoping work, reviewing designs and guiding other engineers to successful outcomes.
• Ability to perform trade studies and make clear recommendations using first principles and engineering fundamentals.
• Hands-on experience designing, testing, and operating high-pressure systems and pressure vessels, including welding and ASME BPVC.

Responsibilities

• Design, build and test pressure vessels, containment structures, seismic isolation, and secondary structures for Ember, our pilot nuclear reactor.
• Carry out trade studies for optimal structural materials, balancing cost, mass, strength, corrosion resistance, and manufacturability.
• Validate reliability of designs with rigorous testing: thermal cycling, pressure cycling, shock, vibration, radiation embrittlement, and corrosion; create technical reports.
• Work with manufacturers to understand process limitations and adapt designs for lead times and manufacturability.
• Collaborate with peers from different systems to balance cost, efficiency, and deployment logistics.
• Support the assembly of hardware in the factory, witness designs being brought to life daily.
• Provide training and mentorship to junior structures engineers, setting the standard for technical rigor.

Skills

Pressure Vessel Design

Structural Analysis

ASME BPVC

Team Leadership

Trade Studies

Design for Manufacturability

High-Pressure Systems

Welding & Inspection

Seismic Isolation

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Job description

Forge Atomics is hiring a Senior Mechanical Engineer specializing in reactor structures in a full-time on-site role in the Los Angeles area. You will design, test, and iterate on pressure vessels and containment structures for Ember, with emphasis on reliability under thermal, pressure, and radiation conditions.

You will lead design reviews, conduct trade studies, and collaborate with manufacturing to ensure manufacturability and timely delivery, while mentoring junior engineers and advancing