VP of Engineering - Nuclear Systems (Austin Onsite)

Subcritical Systems; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental and vision insurance

Job summary

Subcritical Systems in Austin, Texas, seeks a hands-on Head/VP of Engineering to build and lead its engineering execution organization. This leader translates architecture into buildable hardware, enforces clear subsystem interfaces, and drives the program toward validated data.

Reporting to the CTO/COO, you will own the systems engineering framework, drive design reviews, manage interfaces, and scale the team in a startup focused on accelerator-driven energy solutions.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years delivering hardware-heavy systems, with at least 3 years in senior technical leadership.
• Track record delivering first-of-kind hardware in accelerator, nuclear, defense, or adjacent deep-tech domains.
• Decisions under uncertainty with cost/time tradeoffs and credible risk management.
• Comfortable partnering with a CTO and COO and sharing technical authority.
• Strong ability to translate complex technical concepts for executives, investors, and regulators.

Responsibilities

• Build & Lead the Engineering Team: recruit, structure, and set design standards for engineers and CAD designers.
• Execute Engineering Designs: translate architecture specs into detailed, fabrication-ready designs and documentation.
• Build Out & Own the Systems Engineering Framework: develop requirements traceability, interface control, configuration management, and design review governance.
• Program Execution: own the engineering schedule and resource plan; manage design-to-fabrication readiness.
• Vendor and Regulatory Integration: lead procurements evaluation and NRC pre-application artifacts.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Systems engineering

Accelerator systems

Vendor management

Design reviews

Job description

Subcritical Systems in Austin, Texas, seeks a hands-on Head/VP of Engineering to build and lead its engineering execution organization. This leader translates architecture into buildable hardware, enforces clear subsystem interfaces, and drives the program toward validated data.

Reporting to the CTO/COO, you will own the systems engineering framework, drive design reviews, manage interfaces, and scale the team in a startup focused on accelerator-driven energy solutions.