Fuels and Ceramics Engineer (Nuclear Materials)

Location: Onsite at the Torrance, California facility in the Los Angeles area. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or nationals, lawful permanent residents, refugees, asylees, or eligible to obtain the required U.S. export authorizations.

Salary: $115,000–$185,000 per year, with the final level and package determined through technical assessments.

Company

hirify.global is a Series C startup developing inherently safe, mass-producible nuclear microreactors for terrestrial, underwater, and space applications.

What you will do

• Lead the development and qualification of ceramic materials used in reactor fuel systems.
• Design and conduct physical, thermal, mechanical, and lifetime testing that replicates reactor operating conditions.
• Use statistical methods to evaluate process variables and environmental effects on material properties.
• Perform materials characterization and root-cause investigations of failure modes.
• Collaborate with manufacturing, neutronics, mechanical, testing, quality engineers, vendors, and external institutions to integrate materials and optimize production processes.
• Define operating limits based on material properties and support qualification activities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related physics-based field.
• 2+ years of experience in materials science and engineering.
• Proficiency in optical and electron microscopy.
• Experience with mechanical property evaluation and materials testing and analysis.
• Ability to work onsite in Torrance, California, and satisfy U.S. export-control eligibility requirements.
• Ability to work long hours and weekends when required for critical milestones.

Nice to have

• Expertise in TRISO fuel characterization and manufacturing or related coating processes.
• Understanding of safety standards, testing protocols, and highly regulated industries.
• Exceptional communication skills for cross-functional collaboration and explaining technical information to non-specialists.

Culture & Benefits

• Work in a 322,000-square-foot facility supporting collaboration, R&D, and production.
• Collaborate across energy, defense, manufacturing, testing, and engineering disciplines.
• Work on advanced nuclear materials for terrestrial, underwater, and space applications.
• Culture emphasizes systems thinking, end-user focus, challenging conventional approaches, practical collaboration, and operating with nuance.
• Compensation includes salary and a significant stock option package.