Sr. Mechanical Engineer, 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

Sr. Mechanical Engineer, Reactor Structures

Employment Type

Full time

Location Type

On-site

Forge Atomics

Humanity faces two critical challenges: securing reliable energy and aggressively lowering our environmental impact. At Forge, we believe nuclear fission is the key to solving both at once. Today Forge is developing the technology to rapidly scale the deployment of nuclear fission.

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. Design experiments to ground analysis, develop fixturing, and create technical reports based on results
• Work with manufacturers to understand process limitations and adapt designs for lead times and manufacturability
• Collaborate with peers from different systems to develop designs that balance cost, efficiency, and deployment logistics
• Support the assembly of your hardware in the factory, witness your designs being brought to life daily, and watch them power an abundant, clean future
• Provide training and mentorship to junior structures engineers, setting the standard for technical rigor across the team

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or a related technical discipline
• 5+ years of engineering experience designing, analyzing, and building mechanical hardware

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills, enthusiasm for problem solving, and desire to enable abundant clean energy
• 5+ years of experience designing and analyzing mechanical systems via professional work experience, project/research-based student experience, or a combination of both
• Experience acting as a technical lead — scoping work, reviewing designs and processes, and guiding other engineers to successful outcomes
• Ability to perform trade studies and make clear recommendations using first principles and engineering fundamentals even with partial information
• Experience working at a nimble engineering organization or in a highly technical position that required a scrappy, entrepreneurial manner to accomplish tasks with tight time or budget constraints
• Hands on experience designing, testing, and operating high-pressure systems and pressure vessels
• Experience with forging for large, high-pressure vessels
• Experience with welding processes, inspection, and qualification
• Experience designing to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code
• Hands-on experience with fluid, gas, or thermal systems

Additional Requirements

• Position will be based in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County and will require relocation if not already local. The position will be full-time in the office.
• Ability to work extended hours and weekends as necessary
• Ability to travel to reactor construction sites in other states as necessary

Compensation and Benefits

• Pay range:
• Senior: $140,000.00 - $190,000.00/per year + equity
• Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.
• Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at Forge. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock or stock options, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, paid vacation, paid parental leave, and various other perks. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.

Forge is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Forge is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

This position involves access to technology that is subject to U.S. export controls. Any job offer made will be contingent upon the applicant's capacity to serve in compliance with U.S. export controls.