LEAD / PRINCIPAL THERMAL-HYDRAULICS ENGINEER Deployable Energy Position Summary Senior, hands-on technical leader responsible for establishing and developing the thermal-hydraulics and thermal-fluids engineering capability within a growing nuclear energy organization. Provides technical leadership while remaining directly involved in engineering execution, analysis, technical problem-solving, and project delivery. This role will help establish discipline-specific standards, processes, tools, and technical practices; support multiple concurrent projects; and mentor developing engineers as the organization scales. Functional Scope • Thermal-Hydraulics - Lead analysis of fluid flow, pressure drop, heat removal, coolant behavior, and system response for reactor, power-conversion, heat-transport, and supporting systems. • Thermal-Fluids Engineering - Develop engineering approaches integrating heat transfer, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and component performance into practical design and operating decisions. • Fluid Dynamics - Evaluate internal and external flow behavior including compressible-flow effects, flow distribution, mixing, recirculation, instability, and related impacts on system performance. • Heat Transfer - Assess conduction, convection, radiation, heat-exchanger performance, thermal margins, component temperatures, and heat-rejection pathways across normal, transient, and off-normal conditions. • Thermodynamics - Apply first-principles and systems-level thermodynamic analysis to Brayton-cycle, helium, supercritical CO2, and related power-conversion applications. • Systems Analysis - Model and evaluate integrated system behavior, interfaces, operating envelopes, performance limits, and interactions between reactor, heat transport, power conversion, and supporting systems. • Engineering Modeling & Simulation - Build, maintain, and review analytical, system-level, CFD, and multiphysics models used to support design decisions, technical trade studies, and licensing-quality documentation. • Performance Analysis - Quantify component and system performance against design requirements, operating targets, safety margins, efficiency goals, and project-level technical objectives. • Steady-State and Transient Analysis - Perform analyses across normal operation, startup, shutdown, load changes, upset conditions, and design-basis scenarios to understand system response and technical risk. • Verification & Validation - Establish and apply methods for model checking, benchmarking, sensitivity studies, test-data correlation, uncertainty evaluation, and documentation of analysis credibility. • Regulatory and Licensing Support - Prepare analysis inputs, assumptions, technical bases, methods, results summaries, and supporting documentation suitable for review within highly regulated nuclear programs. Technical Leadership • Serve as the senior technical resource and subject matter expert within the assigned discipline. • Lead and personally execute complex technical work across multiple nuclear projects and programs. • Establish and maintain discipline-specific engineering standards, methodologies, procedures, and best practices. • Lead and participate in technical reviews, design reviews, and technical decision-making. • Identify and resolve complex multidisciplinary engineering issues while maintaining appropriate technical rigor. Engineering / Technical Execution • Develop, perform, and review thermal-fluid and thermal-hydraulic analyses supporting nuclear engineering programs. • Develop and maintain analytical, system-level, or computational models as appropriate to project needs. • Evaluate fluid flow, heat transfer, thermodynamic, steady-state, transient, and system-performance behavior. • Perform or oversee system-level, transient, sensitivity, benchmark, and correlation analyses against test or available operational data where applicable. • Support model verification, validation, benchmarking, uncertainty evaluation, and technical-review activities. • Apply relevant computational tools and methods, including CFD and systems-analysis tools, where appropriate to project needs. • Evaluate thermal-fluid behavior in helium-cooled and supercritical CO2 systems, including heat exchangers, turbomachinery interfaces, power-conversion systems, and related balance-of-system equipment. • Support design evaluation, technical optimization, testing, technical decision-making, and multidisciplinary engineering integration. Team & Capability Development • Help establish and grow the discipline capability within the organization. • Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior and early-career personnel. • Support technical assessment of future team members. • Develop repeatable technical practices and workflows that support continued organizational growth. • Promote knowledge transfer, accountability, and continuous technical development. Technical Governance • Ensure technical activities align with applicable nuclear-industry codes, standards, regulations, quality requirements, and company procedures. • Support engineering quality, configuration management, document control, and change-control practices. • Ensure technical work is appropriately developed, reviewed, documented, and controlled. • Incorporate technical risk management into engineering decision-making. • Support corrective actions and continuous-improvement initiatives. Cross-Functional Collaboration • Partner with engineering leadership, project leaders, systems engineering, and adjacent technical disciplines. • Collaborate with quality, safety, licensing/regulatory, testing, manufacturing, supply chain, and project-delivery functions. • Support multidisciplinary technical integration across concurrent projects. • Interface with suppliers, manufacturers, laboratories, engineering partners, and other external stakeholders as required. Safety & Quality • Champion a strong nuclear safety culture and disciplined engineering execution. • Promote quality-focused technical work and risk-informed decision-making. • Maintain technical rigor while operating effectively in a fast-moving, evolving organization. Required Qualifications • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Nuclear, Chemical, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline. • Approximately 10+ years of relevant technical experience, unless discipline-specific requirements indicate otherwise. • Demonstrated hands-on technical experience within thermal-hydraulics, thermal-fluids, systems analysis, or related engineering disciplines. • Experience leading complex technical work, projects, workstreams, or engineering teams. • Experience within nuclear or another highly regulated, safety-critical engineering environment. • Experience supporting regulatory, licensing, safety analysis, or technical documentation activities within a nuclear or similarly regulated environment. • Strong technical problem-solving, engineering judgment, and decision-making capability. • Ability to operate successfully within a growing organization where processes and capabilities are still being developed. Preferred Qualifications • Advanced engineering degree. • Experience with thermal-hydraulic systems analysis, CFD, or complex systems modeling. • Experience with helium-cooled systems, supercritical CO2 power cycles, Brayton-cycle systems, or related advanced-reactor thermal-fluid applications. • Experience with verification, validation, benchmarking, or test-data correlation. • Familiarity with regulatory-review processes, licensing methods, nuclear-quality requirements, or preparation of safety-related technical bases. • Professional Engineering registration, Chartered Engineer status, or equivalent credential where applicable. • Direct nuclear-industry experience. • Experience establishing or improving technical processes, standards, and organizational capability. • Experience mentoring or developing junior technical personnel. • Experience supporting multidisciplinary or matrixed engineering organizations. Core Competencies • Thermal-Hydraulics • Thermal-Fluids Engineering • Fluid Dynamics • Heat Transfer • Thermodynamics • Systems Performance Analysis • Computational Modeling • Verification & Validation • Regulatory / Licensing Support • Helium and Supercritical CO2 Thermal-Fluid Systems • Technical Leadership • Nuclear Safety Culture • Engineering Judgment