Site Design Engineering Lead Mechanical Engineer

TerraPower; Kemmerer (WY); On-site; USD 143,000 - 191,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Incentive programs

Medical & wellness

Parental leave

401k

PTO 21 days

Holidays 10

Relocation assistance

Professional development

Job summary

TerraPower, headquartered in Bellevue, WA, is advancing the Natrium Demonstration Project near Kemmerer, Wyoming. We seek a Site Design Engineering Lead Mechanical Engineer to head the onsite mechanical design team and align with construction, testing, startup, and turnover activities under nuclear safety standards.

You will manage design deliverables, coordinate with regulators and stakeholders, and mentor engineers to build a high‑performing team on a complex nuclear project.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering; PE preferred.
• 10–15 years in engineering with 5–7 years in leadership.
• Experience in nuclear facility design, construction support, or field engineering.
• Familiarity with sodium-cooled fast reactor tech or DOE projects is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead onsite Mechanical Engineering team overseeing design follow and field engineering activities.
• Serve as primary onsite interface for mechanical issues with stakeholders (construction, licensing, QA, regulators).
• Manage priority conflicts and allocate resources across engineering tasks; escalate as needed.
• Support Project Controls, Field Engineering, Construction, and Home Office to prioritize work for schedule.
• Mentor engineers; identify training opportunities and growth tasks.
• Support recruitment and onboarding of onsite mechanical engineers; ensure compliance with safety and regulatory standards.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Conflict Resolution

Mentoring

Stakeholder Interface

Education

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering

PE license preferred

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.

Site Design Engineering Lead Mechanical Engineer

The Site Design Engineering Lead Mechanical Engineer will lead and oversee the onsite mechanical engineering design team for the Natrium Demonstration Project, TerraPower's groundbreaking advanced sodium‑cooled fast reactor plant under construction near Kemmerer, Wyoming. This role is critical in ensuring that engineering support aligns with construction, testing, startup, and turnover activities while maintaining compliance with the design and licensing basis, nuclear safety standards, and project requirements.

This position is based onsite at the Natrium Demonstration Project in Kemmerer, Wyoming, and reports to the Site Design Engineering Manager.

Responsibilities:

• Lead onsite Mechanical Engineering team. The team comprises TerraPower employees and subcontracted resources.
• Oversee execution of all mechanical design follow and field engineering activities in direct support of construction, testing, system startup, commissioning, and turnover to operations. This includes technical review, approval, and issuance of drawing and design deliverables to ensure they conform to the approved design basis, licensing commitments, and regulatory requirements.
• Serve as the primary onsite engineering interface for mechanical issues with key stakeholders, including construction management, field engineering teams, licensing and regulatory affairs, quality assurance, the utility owner/operator, procurement, suppliers, and external regulators (e.g., NRC). Resolve technical and engineering issues arising in the field efficiently and collaboratively.
• Manage priority conflicts and resource allocation when competing demands emerge across engineering tasks. Partner with other team leads to resolve issues at the working level; escalate unresolved or high‑impact conflicts to senior leadership for timely decisions.
• Support Project Controls organization, Field Engineering, Construction, Home Office, to prioritize work activities to support the construction schedule.
• Foster employee development by mentoring engineers, identifying and facilitating relevant training opportunities, and assigning challenging, growth‑oriented tasks within the Natrium program scope.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and indoctrination processes for new engineers joining the onsite mechanical team, ensuring alignment with project standards, nuclear quality programs, and site‑specific safety and security protocols.
• Ensure all work processes, technical outputs, and deliverables within the group's scope adhere to contract requirements, TerraPower project standards, industry standards, and nuclear regulatory expectations for quality, configuration management, and design control.

Key Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor's degree (or higher) in Mechanical Engineering from an accredited institution. Advanced degree or professional engineering registration (PE) preferred.
• Minimum 10–15 years of progressive engineering experience, with at least 5–7 years in a leadership or supervisory role leading engineering teams.
• Significant experience in nuclear facility design, construction support, or field engineering, preferably on large‑scale nuclear new‑build, demonstration, or advanced reactor projects. Familiarity with sodium‑cooled fast reactor technology, advanced nuclear systems, or DOE‑funded demonstration projects is highly desirable.
• Proven track record of interfacing with construction, procurement, quality, licensing, and regulatory entities to resolve complex onsite technical issues while maintaining schedule and safety priorities.
• Strong understanding of nuclear design and licensing basis requirements, configuration management, and quality assurance programs in regulated nuclear environments (e.g., 10 CFR 50, 10 CFR 52, NRC guidance).
• Excellent leadership, communication, and conflict‑resolution skills, with experience mentoring engineers and building high‑performing teams in high‑stakes environments.
• Ability to obtain and maintain site access and any required security clearances for work at a nuclear construction site.
• Familiarization with codes used in nuclear construction. For instance, NQA‑1, ASME Section III, VIII, B31.1, B31.3, ACI‑349, 318, AISC N690, 360, IEEE 603.

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:

• 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.
• Repetitive work: Prolonged
• Special Senses: Visual and audio focused work
• Work Conditions: Stairs, typing/keyboard, standard and/or sitting working environment of >8 hours/day
• Travel 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 identify whether you are a U.S. Citizen or national, asylee, refugee, or lawful permanent resident of the United States. Government export authorization approval times vary. Based on the business needs for a particular position, TerraPower may not consider a foreign national from a country if it is impracticable to obtain timely Government export approval.

Job details

Salary Range: $142,995 - $190,661

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• Competitive Compensation
• Salary, eligible to participate in discretionary short‑term incentive payments
• Comprehensive Medical and Wellness Benefits
  • Medical
  • Vision
  • Dental
  • Life and Disability
  • Gender Affiration Benefits
• Parental Leave
• 401k Plan
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO)
  • 21 days of annually accrued PTO
• Generous Holiday Schedule
  • 10 paid holidays
• Relocation Assistance
• Professional and Educational Support Opportunities

TerraPower Career and Benefits information: https://www.terrapower.com/contact-us/careers/