Build Reliability Engineer

About this position

About Aalo Atomics

Aalo Atomics is pioneering a new era in clean energy with factory-fabricated microreactors designed to deliver affordable, scalable, and reliable nuclear power. Our mission is to make nuclear energy globally accessible, starting with the Aalo-1, a 10 MWe reactor leveraging cutting-edge safety, modularity, and efficiency. Based in Austin, TX, we're rapidly growing as we work to deploy the world's first fleet of advanced microreactors.

Join us and help revolutionize energy for a sustainable future.

About the Role

As a Build Reliability Engineer at Aalo Atomics, you will own build-induced risk across the design, fabrication, assembly, inspection, and testing of reactor hardware. You will work hands-on with design engineers, manufacturing engineers, technicians, inspectors, test engineers, and suppliers to ensure that hardware is built correctly, performs as intended, and becomes more reliable with every build.

This role bridges design intent and factory execution. You will develop production and inspection strategies, identify manufacturing risks before hardware reaches the floor, investigate failures and nonconformances, and drive durable corrective actions into both designs and processes. Your scope will include welded structures, machined parts, pressure and fluid-system components, tooling, and complex mechanical assemblies. Success means reducing defects and escapes without slowing the pace of learning or production.

Key Responsibilities

• Own build-reliability risks for assigned hardware from design release through fabrication, assembly, inspection, test, and production ramp-up.
• Partner with Design, Manufacturing, Quality, Test, Production, and Supply Chain to develop quality plans that identify key characteristics, process controls, inspection points, and acceptance evidence.
• Lead process failure mode and effects analyses (PFMEAs), build-readiness reviews, first-article planning, and production prove-outs for new or changed hardware.
• Develop and improve manufacturing, integration, assembly, welding, cleanliness, pressure-testing, and checkout processes; ensure critical processes are executed consistently across work centers and suppliers.
• Review designs for manufacturability, inspectability, and testability; identify unnecessary complexity and drive design or requirement changes that improve reliability and production readiness.
• Define clear work instructions, inspection strategies, tooling requirements, training needs, inspection processes, and data-collection plans for critical build processes.
• Monitor first-pass yield, defect and escape trends, rework, process capability, and other production data to identify emerging risks and prioritize improvements.
• Lead cross-functional investigations of production, inspection, and test failures using disciplined root-cause methods; implement and verify corrective actions that prevent recurrence.
• Coordinate immediate containment of suspect or nonconforming hardware with Quality and Production while preserving Quality Control's independent inspection and acceptance authority.
• Conduct recurring build-quality reviews to identify high-impact and repeat issues, communicate risk, and drive actions to closure.
• Support the qualification and control of special processes, measurement systems, tooling, and suppliers as applicable to assigned hardware.
• Maintain accurate, traceable engineering and production records in accordance with the Aalo Quality Manual and applicable nuclear quality requirements.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent hands-on technical…