TITLE: Senior Materials Engineer
LOCATION: Bellevue, WA
TerraPower is a nuclear technology company based in Bellevue, Washington. At its core, the company is working to raise living standards globally through a more affordable, secure and environmentally friendly form of nuclear energy along with innovations in medical isotopes to improve human health. In 2006, TerraPower originated with Bill Gates and a group of like-minded visionaries who evaluated the fundamental challenges to raising living standards around the world. They recognized energy access was crucial to the health and economic well-being of communities and decided that the private sector needed to take action and create energy sources that would advance global energy deployment. TerraPower’s mission is to be a world leader in new nuclear technologies, while developing innovators and future leaders in the nuclear field. As a result, the company’s activities in the fields of nuclear energy and related sciences are yielding significant innovations in the safety and economics of nuclear power, hybrid energy and medical applications – all for significant human health benefits.
TerraPower is seeking to hire highly motivated and forward-thinking professionals who are interested in focusing on advanced nuclear reactor research and development and influencing change within the nuclear power landscape and bringing forward the critical production of medical isotopes. TerraPower is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. In addition, as a federal contractor, TerraPower has instituted an Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) in an effort to proactively recruit, hire, and promote women, minorities, disabled persons and veterans.
Senior Materials Engineer
TerraPower, LLC is seeking a highly motivated Senior Materials Engineer to support the engineering efforts of the Materials Development & Qualification team. This role will work as part of a high functioning team of engineers focused on development and qualification for next generation material and components for sodium cooled fast reactors. You will be responsible for the development and qualification of core assembly components fabricated from ferritic-martensitic steels such as HT9. You will use fundamental metallurgical principles to drive the development of manufacturing processes for advanced reactor components. You will drive the qualification program for fuel assembly components by designing and executing complex test programs to provide key design data inputs for sodium fast reactor fuel design and licensing.
Responsibilities:
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Lead technical development of suppliers to increase technology readiness level of key fuel assembly components including fuel cladding tubes
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Apply key lessons learned in conjunction with external suppliers to develop material and component fabrication specifications for the Natrium reactor
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Use fundamental materials engineering principles to develop basic models of material performance and validate using laboratory testing
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Develop test requirements, plans, specifications and procedures for testing unique materials in a high temperature liquid sodium metal environment
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Oversee major test programs for qualification of core assembly materials such as thermal creep, creep-fatigue, irradiation, thermal aging, and sodium exposure
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Perform scientific analysis on test data and generate technical reports to document new knowledge related to reactor design and qualification
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Drive development and qualification of next generation ferritic-martensitic fuel cladding materials
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Interface with various project teams to ensure materials development and testing efforts meet programmatic objectives for a wide range of TerraPower initiatives including the Natrium reactor
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Provide materials engineering support for the procurement of engineered components and systems
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Provide material selection guidance for TerraPower’s reactor development programs
Key Qualifications and Skills
- Bachelor’s degree with minimum 5 years of related experience; or a Master’s degree and 3 years of related experience; or a PhD and 1 year of related experience. A degree in Materials Science/Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline is required
- A thorough understanding of metallurgy including fabrication and thermomechanical processing of ferrous alloys (e.g., ferritic-martensitic steels) is required
- Proficiency in experimental techniques for materials analysis, characterization, and testing is required
- Proficiency in writing and producing technical documentation including test reports and studies is required
- Experience cooperating with external project partners/collaborators and suppliers for technical scopes of work is highly desired
- Experience writing specifications for the procurement, fabrication, or testing of materials is highly desired
- Prior experience in materials development, testing, and characterization for nuclear research or industry applications is desired but not required
- Experience working to quality standards such as ASME NQA-1 is preferred
- Ability to work with minimum direction to solve challenging problems
- The successful candidate will possess a high degree of trust and integrity, communicate openly and display respect and a desire to foster teamwork.
Job Functions
Job Functions are physical actions and/or working conditions associated with the position. These functions may also constitute essential functions for the job which the employee must be able to fulfill, with or without accommodation. Information provided below is to help describe the job so that the applicant has a reasonable understanding of the job duties/expectations. An applicant's ability to perform and/or tolerate these actions and conditions will be discussed and workplace accommodations may be made on a case-by-case basis following an individualized assessment of the applicant and other considerations, including but not limited to any governing safety standards.
- Motor Abilities: Sitting and standing for extended periods, bending/stooping, grasping/gripping, fine motor control (hands).
- Physical exertion and/or requirements: Minimal, with ability to safely lift up to 25 pounds.
- Repetitive work: Prolonged.
- Special Senses: Visual and audio focused work and ability to perform role in personal protective equipment.
- Work Conditions: Stairs, typing/keyboard, standard and/or sitting working environment of >8 hrs./day.
TerraPower’s technology is controlled for export by various agencies of the U.S. Government. TerraPower must evaluate applicants who are foreign nationals (other than asylees, refugees, or lawful permanent residents) in accordance with U.S. Government export control requirements. To facilitate TerraPower’s export control reviews, you will be asked as part of the application process to identify whether you are a U.S. Citizen or national, asylee, refugee, or lawful permanent resident of the United States. Government export authorization approval times vary. Based on the business needs for a particular position, TerraPower may not consider a foreign national from a country if it is impracticable to obtain timely Government export approval.
Job details
Salary Range Level 10: $109,446 - $164,170
Salary Range Level 11: $120,672 - $201,119
*Typically, our employee salaries are within .90 – 1.0 of the mid-point of the posted salary bands. Any salary offered within the posted salary band is based on market data and commensurate with the selected candidate’s qualifications and experience. This range is specific to Washington State.
Benefits:
- Competitive Compensation
- Salary, eligible to participate in discretionary short-term incentive payments
- Comprehensive Medical and Wellness Benefits
- Medical
- Vision
- Dental
- Life
- Life and Disability
- Gender Affirmation Benefits
- Parental Leave
- 401k Plan
- Generous Paid Time Off (PTO)
- 21 days of annually accrued PTO
- Generous Holiday Schedule
- Relocation Assistance
- Professional and Educational Support Opportunities
- Flexible Work Schedule
TerraPower Career and Benefits information: https://www.terrapower.com/contact-us/careers/
