Principal Nuclear I&C Engineer – Hardware

Location: Onsite in Torrance, California, United States. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States as a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.

Salary: $196,000–$240,000 USD annually.

Company

hirify.global develops scalable, high-temperature nuclear power systems for industrial energy, hydrogen, and next-generation manufacturing. The company is developing a pilot plant in Orangeville, Utah.

What you will do

• Define the reactor measurement architecture for neutron flux, radiation monitoring, reactor protection systems, and primary-loop process variables in high-temperature helium service.
• Own instrumentation design bases, signal-chain philosophy, setpoint and uncertainty methodology, and environmental and radiation qualification strategies.
• Set the application strategy for vendor-supplied detectors and sensors, including technology selection, qualification, standardization, supply continuity, and obsolescence planning.
• Serve as design authority for safety-significant instrumentation designs, qualification bases, deviations, concessions, and technical disputes.
• Lead major design, safety, licensing, qualification, and instrumentation readiness reviews, and direct investigations into significant failures and anomalies.
• Represent the instrumentation discipline with regulators, licensing bodies, standards organizations, and strategic vendors while mentoring and developing senior engineers.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in nuclear, electrical, computer, or mechanical engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in nuclear instrumentation, radiation detection systems, or reactor I&C, including substantial nuclear applications.
• Experience owning nuclear instrumentation or detection-system scope from concept or requirements through qualification, deployment, and initial operation.
• Architecture-level technical leadership and recognized authority in an area such as neutron flux instrumentation, detector physics, signal chains, qualification, or protection-system instrumentation.
• Hands-on knowledge of detector physics, wide-range channel design, analog signal chains, IEEE 323/344 qualification methods, and IEEE 603, IEEE 497, and IEC 61513 standards.
• Experience with formal approval or independent-review authority, engineering-team development, and external representation to regulators, standards organizations, vendors, or design authorities.

Nice to have

• Professional Engineer license or an advanced degree in nuclear engineering, physics, or a related field.
• NRC licensing, safety-analysis instrumentation, or regulator-facing design-basis experience.
• Experience with first-of-a-kind, advanced, test, high-temperature gas-cooled, or other non-LWR reactor designs.
• Experience with harsh-environment installations, MI cable systems, vessel or containment penetrations, ISA-67.04, IEEE NPEC, IEC SC45A, NQA-1, or 10 CFR 50 Appendix B.

Culture & Benefits

• High-impact startup environment with significant ownership and autonomy.
• Equity ownership and opportunities for rapid career growth and internal advancement.
• Comprehensive medical benefits and unlimited paid time off.
• Free daily lunch and dinner provided onsite, plus a generous PPE stipend.
• Direct collaboration with experienced operators, engineers, and industry leaders.