Systems Engineering Lead

ZettaJoule; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

ZettaJoule is seeking a Systems Engineering Lead in Houston to drive SE processes, requirements management, and interface management across the full design lifecycle of advanced nuclear reactors. You will translate owner and regulatory needs into system-level specs, manage interfaces between design teams, and maintain the technical baseline within a structured configuration management environment.

Ideal candidates bring 6+ years in systems engineering, strong experience with SE lifecycles and

Qualifications

• 6+ years as a systems engineer or equivalent.
• Working knowledge of a modern SE lifecycle framework.
• Hands-on experience with at least one requirements management/MBSE tool.
• Experience deploying SE processes or infrastructure on energy or large industrial projects.
• U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status required per export controls.

Responsibilities

• Develop, document, and implement SE processes and procedures (requirements management, interface management, configuration management, verification & validation, change control).
• Evaluate and administer SE tooling and MBSE platforms.
• Establish and maintain plant requirements with Owners and project teams.
• Maintain system architecture and product breakdown structure.
• Define system boundaries for technical ownership and scope.
• Oversee flow-down and decomposition of requirements to systems.
• Identify and implement system interface requirements with designers.
• Oversee integration of systems for a constructable plant.
• Define verification activities and criteria for requirements with teams.
• Establish configuration management across the plant and design baseline.
• Develop and implement change management processes at project phases.
• Ensure the design basis is appropriate, documented, and controlled.
• Manage requirements in appropriate software tools and databases.
• Support the Project Manager to define technical strategy and resource allocation.

Skills

Systems engineering

SE lifecycle framework

MBSE tool usage

Configuring SE processes

Security/export controls

US citizenship / PR

Tools

Innoslate

DOORS/DOORS Next

Polarion

Cameo/MagicDraw

Job description

Reports To: Director of Program Management

About Us

We are a next-generation nuclear technology startup pioneering the commercialization of High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs) — a proven, safe, and transformative technology for delivering ultra-high-temperature heat and enabling a carbon-neutral future.

Our mission is to deploy the world’s first global fleet of Advanced Modular Reactors, redefining how clean energy powers industries, communities, and economies.

As a fast-growing company in its early stage, every team member — whether in engineering, program management, partnerships, operations, or business development — plays a direct role in

shaping our technology, culture, and impact. You’ll join a collaborative, mission-driven team of internationally recognized experts and innovators working together to bring advanced nuclear

energy to the world.

The Role

The Systems Engineering Lead will be a key contributor to ZettaJoule’s reactor design activities, responsible for establishing processes, procedures, and best practices for systems engineering

and requirements management and managing plant-level requirements across the full design lifecycle. Working at the intersection of engineering disciplines, this role translates owner and

regulatory requirements into actionable system-level specifications, manages interface definitions across design teams, and verifies that requirements are satisfied as the design matures. The Systems Engineer Lead also supports project management by maintaining the technical baseline in a structured configuration management environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, document, and implement systems engineering (SE) processes and supporting procedures (requirements management, interface management, configuration management, verification & validation, technical reviews, change control).
• Evaluate, select, configure, and administer SE tooling such as requirements management and model-based systems engineering (MBSE) platforms.
• Establish and maintain initial plant requirements in conjunction with Owner, Engineering Group Leads, and project teams.
• Establish and maintain system architecture and product breakdown structure.
• Define system boundaries for technical ownership, hierarchy, and scope.
• Oversee proper flow-down and decomposition of requirements to systems.
• Identify and implement system interface requirements working with the various system designers.
• Oversee integration of systems to ensure a constructable, maintainable plant.
• Define and provide oversight of verification activities and criteria for requirements in conjunction with project teams.
• Establish systematic configuration management across the plant
• Maintain and control the design baseline.
• Develop and implement change management process at appropriate project phase.
• Ensure the design basis is appropriate, consistent, and documented.
• Manage requirements in a suitable software tool and database.
• Support the Project Manager to define technical strategy, resource allocation, and prioritization.

What You Bring

• Minimum 6 years of experience as a systems engineer.
• Working knowledge of a modern SE lifecycle framework.
• Hands-on experience configuring and using at least one requirements management or MBSE tool (Innoslate, DOORS/DOORS Next, Polarion, Cameo/MagicDraw, or equivalent)
• Experience deploying new SE processes or infrastructure to support energy or large industrial projects
• U.S. citizenship or U.S. permanent resident status is required. Access to EAR-controlled and 10 CFR 810-governed nuclear technology requires authorization consistent with U.S. export control
• law.

Even Better

• Experience standing up or significantly improving an SE process or toolchain for early startups
• startups