Lead Nuclear Engineer (Microreactors)

Location: 100% onsite at hirify.global’s headquarters in El Segundo, California, United States

Salary: $161,288–$223,650 annually, plus equity

Company

hirify.global is a startup developing mass-produced, portable nuclear microreactors, including the 1-megawatt Kaleidos reactor for reliable power at hospitals, data centers, remote sites, and military bases.

What you will do

• Lead an interdisciplinary nuclear engineering team covering reactor physics, neutron and radiation transport, shielding, activation and dose, thermal-hydraulics, safety analysis, instrumentation and controls, and reactor operations.
• Own nuclear engineering projects from requirements definition and design iteration through model development, analysis, technical review, verification, validation, testing, and final documentation.
• Guide analyses of criticality, reactivity control, shutdown margin, power distribution, depletion, temperature feedback, radiation transport, dose, activation, and shielding performance.
• Translate analytical results into design requirements and decisions affecting the reactor core, shielding, control systems, fluid systems, structures, and surrounding hardware.
• Build team priorities, schedules, budgets, resource plans, hiring plans, and technical development practices while communicating risks and recommendations to leadership.
• Support reactor testing and startup by defining analysis needs, instrumentation requirements, acceptance criteria, and methods for comparing predicted and measured performance.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering or a related technical discipline.
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in reactor design, analysis, testing, licensing, safety, or operations, including at least 1 year managing direct reports.
• Deep knowledge of neutron transport theory, Monte Carlo methods, nuclear data, statistical convergence, reactor physics, and uncertainty analysis.
• Professional experience developing and applying MCNP, OpenMC, or comparable neutron and radiation transport models.
• Experience leading complex, multidisciplinary nuclear engineering projects and translating analysis into design decisions, safety conclusions, or regulatory documentation.
• Must work 100% onsite at the El Segundo headquarters and be willing to support extended hours during critical program milestones.

Nice to have

• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in nuclear engineering or a related discipline.
• Experience with advanced reactors, microreactors, high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, or first-of-a-kind nuclear systems.
• Experience with SCALE, Serpent, Shift, Griffin, MOOSE-based applications, coupled neutronics and thermal-hydraulics, or other multiphysics analyses.
• Proficiency with Python or another language for simulation automation, model generation, and analysis post-processing.
• Experience with DOE authorization, NRC licensing, reactor testing, commissioning, startup, or operational readiness.

Culture & Benefits

• Substantial incentive stock plan for full-time employees.
• Medical, dental, vision, life, accident, hospital, critical illness, commuter, FSA, and HSA benefits.
• Eight weeks of paid parental leave for all parents, with additional paid pregnancy leave for California employees.
• Flexible PTO, remote workday allocation, catered lunches, snacks, drinks, and company and team events.
• Work at an El Segundo headquarters near the Pacific Ocean.