Senior Manager, Engineering Operations (Nuclear Energy)

Location: Albuquerque, NM for approximately the first 12 months, then Oak Ridge, TN; onsite role

Company

hirify.global develops fluoride-salt-cooled, high-temperature reactors to support clean energy deployment with safe, affordable, and flexible operation.

What you will do

• Lead and scale 24/7 engineering operations, test execution, commissioning, and transition to operations for experimental systems and future small modular reactors.
• Direct multidisciplinary managers, operators, engineers, and technical staff while building organizational capability through training, succession planning, and performance management.
• Set operational standards, procedures, work controls, shift frameworks, readiness programs, and continuous-improvement practices.
• Oversee test campaign planning, operational readiness, startup, initial criticality, emergency preparedness, system upgrades, and technology integration.
• Maintain nuclear safety culture, EHS compliance, NRC compliance, risk controls, incident response, corrective actions, and regulatory readiness.
• Improve system reliability and data integrity across SCADA, instrumentation, data acquisition, maintenance, root cause analysis, infrastructure, and capital planning.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field; an MS, MBA, or PhD is preferred.
• 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in energy, nuclear, chemical, industrial, high-hazard, or regulated operations, including at least 5 years leading technical or operational teams.
• Extensive experience with P&IDs, process control systems such as SCADA, instrumentation, or comparable industrial control systems.
• Experience leading or overseeing complex engineering or industrial operations, including commissioning, startup, continuous operations, or similar activities; 24/7 operations experience is highly desirable.
• Ability to obtain and maintain Plant Manager/SRO certification and applicable emergency-response qualifications.
• Knowledge of commissioning, startup, operational readiness, transition-to-operations, nuclear safety culture, conservative decision-making, procedural adherence, and operational discipline.
• Ability to develop operating procedures, management processes, training programs, qualification frameworks, system controls, and reliability improvements.
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams in 24/7, high-risk operational environments and manage strategic planning, resources, projects, budgets, and capital initiatives.
• Strong risk identification, mitigation, communication, stakeholder engagement, change management, problem-solving, and continuous-improvement skills.

Nice to have

• Experience in nuclear operations, advanced reactor operations, nuclear commissioning, or startup of regulated nuclear facilities.
• Experience with radiological monitoring, radiological controls, hazardous-material management, NRC licensing, regulatory inspections, audits, or regulatory interfaces.
• Experience developing or overseeing operator training and qualification programs.

Culture & Benefits

• Full-time employment with medical, dental, and vision benefits for employees and dependents.
• Paid vacation, 401(k), pre-tax health insurance, dependent-care, and commuter benefits.
• Work in office, laboratory, prototyping, testing, outdoor, high-temperature, low-temperature, noisy, and confined environments with hazardous materials and PPE requirements.
• Occasional weekends, non-standard hours, extended hours during launches and critical project timelines, and schedule flexibility are required.
• Travel may be required up to 10%.

Hiring process

• Apply as a candidate only; recruiters and agencies are not accepted.
• Employment requires authorization to access DOE Part 810-controlled information; foreign-national access may require a Department of Energy export-control license.