Senior FEA Analyst (Nuclear Fuel)

Location: Must be based in the United States and willing to work on-site in Austin, TX. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Persons in compliance with 10 CFR Part 810.

Salary: Starting at $125,000 per year.

Company

hirify.global develops factory-fabricated microreactors, including the 10 MWe hirify.global-1, to deliver scalable and reliable nuclear power.

What you will do

• Develop and run high-fidelity 2D and 3D finite element models of fuel rods, pellets, and cladding under steady-state, transient, and RIA/LOCA accident scenarios.
• Analyze Pellet-Cladding Mechanical and Thermal Interactions, including localized stresses, mechanical locking, and cladding strain.
• Model burnup- and time-dependent phenomena such as fission gas release, fuel swelling, densification, thermal conductivity degradation, cladding creep, and hydriding.
• Apply and customize BISON, FRAPCON/FRAPTRAN, ENIGMA, and commercial implicit solvers to predict fuel life-cycle behavior.
• Lead model Verification and Validation procedures in compliance with ASME NQA-1.
• Prepare, review, and authorize technical and licensing topical reports supporting nuclear safety margins before regulatory authorities such as the US NRC.

Requirements

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• At least 5–8+ years of computational mechanics experience, including at least 3 years in nuclear fuel performance modeling or core materials evaluation.
• Advanced proficiency with BISON or FRAPCON and commercial implicit solvers such as Abaqus or ANSYS Mechanical.
• Strong knowledge of high-temperature materials, radiation effects, swelling, creep, and fracture mechanics.
• Experience with Python, C++, or Fortran for workflow automation and custom material subroutines.
• Must be based in the United States, work on-site in Austin, and meet U.S. Person requirements under 10 CFR Part 810.

Nice to have

• Experience with Accident Tolerant Fuels, doped UO2, silicide fuels, or liquid metal/molten salt reactor fuel elements.
• Active or prior U.S. DOE Q-Level or DoD Secret security clearance.
• Peer-reviewed research publications or experience presenting technical findings to nuclear regulatory bodies.

Culture & Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Paid time off.
• Corporate gym membership.
• Collaborative work environment with professional growth opportunities and intellectually challenging projects.