Modeling Simulation Engineer

Modeling Simulation Engineer

Tech Source, a Salas O'Brien company and a previous DOE Small Business of the Year recipient and ten-time Inc. 5000 winner, is a nationally recognized engineering and scientific company specializing in the management and technical delivery of large-scale nuclear and high-technology projects with numerous federal agencies, helping to advance missions of national importance for government programs, national laboratories, national security facilities, nuclear operations, and complex projects nationwide.

We provide direct access to hundreds of experts and industry leaders in the nuclear sciences, non-proliferation technologies, accelerator physics, and systems engineering arenas with offices in Washington DC, SC, TX, TN, and NM. Our outstanding technical service has earned the company a client retention rate of over 95 percent. As part of Salas O'Brien, we work to attract and retain the best talent because the best talent delivers the best results for our clients.

We are hiring a part-time Modeling Simulation Engineer to provide senior technical analysis in radiation transport, shielding analysis, and nuclear modeling and simulation. The immediate assignment supports shielding optimization for a high-energy X-ray inspection facility using an electron linear accelerator (LINAC) to inspect large aerospace components. The engineer will develop conservative bounding analyses from incomplete design information, refine computational models as equipment and facility data mature, and recommend practical shielding configurations that meet radiation-protection objectives while reducing unnecessary concrete volume, footprint, and cost.

The role works directly with architects, engineers, radiation-protection specialists, clients, and regulatory stakeholders to define data needs, evaluate alternatives, document assumptions and uncertainties, and translate technical results into defensible design recommendations. The engineer may also support other accelerator, nuclear facility, national security, and advanced modeling assignments.

Responsibilities:

• Lead or support advanced radiation transport, shielding, and dose analyses for accelerator, X-ray, nuclear facility, and other complex radiological applications.
• Serve as a recognized technical expert, providing practical direction and defensible solutions to unusually complex modeling, shielding, and radiation-protection challenges.
• Develop conservative bounding analyses when source-term, equipment, operating, or facility information is incomplete, and refine the analysis as design data mature.
• Construct, execute, review, and document Monte Carlo radiation transport models using MCNP, MCNPX, MCNP6, or comparable tools.
• Evaluate photon, electron, and neutron transport, including secondary particle production, activation, and other effects where applicable to the source energy and materials.
• Assess LINAC beam energy, current or power, duty cycle, workload, beam orientation, target characteristics, leakage, scatter, operating modes, and credible bounding conditions.
• Evaluate primary and secondary barriers, roofs, mazes, doors, joints, ducts, cable penetrations, and other streaming paths using facility drawings and equipment information.
• Compare conventional concrete, high-density concrete, steel, and layered or advanced shielding systems to reduce facility footprint and material volume while meeting dose objectives.
• Plan and execute shielding trade studies, sensitivity studies, and uncertainty analyses that clearly compare performance, constructability, cost, risk, and design margin.
• Apply appropriate verification, validation, peer-review, and quality-assurance practices to computational models, input data, calculations, and reported results.
• Define required client and vendor inputs, identify data gaps early, and communicate the effect of assumptions and uncertainties on recommended shielding configurations.
• Coordinate with architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, systems, safety, and radiation-protection personnel to integrate shielding recommendations into the facility design.
• Prepare calculation packages, technical memoranda, reports, presentations, and review responses suitable for clients, independent reviewers, qualified experts, and regulatory authorities.

Qualifications and

Experience:

• Bachelor's degree, or equivalent, in nuclear engineering, physics, health physics, engineering, mathematics, or a related technical discipline with 12 to 15 years of relevant experience; or a master's degree with 10 to 13 years of relevant experience.
• Recognized expertise in radiation transport, radiation shielding, nuclear modeling and simulation, health physics, nuclear engineering, or a closely related technical area.
• Demonstrated experience developing, applying, or independently reviewing models using MCNP, MCNPX, MCNP6, or another comparable Monte Carlo radiation transport code.
• Experience producing or reviewing defensible shielding, dose, or radiation-transport…