Manufacturing Engineer — Fuel Handling System

Manufacturing Engineer

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.

As a Manufacturing Engineer embedded in the Fuel Handling System (FHS) team, you will help build the hardware that handles nuclear fuel in our sodium-cooled microreactor. You will be full-time on the FHS sprint team in our Austin factory, working day-to-day with welders, machinists, designers, and test engineers to take parts from drawing to working hardware.

Your day will mix fabrication planning, hands-on building, vendor coordination, and dimensional inspection. You will own the producibility of specific subassemblies while supporting the senior manufacturing engineer on broader system decisions.

This role is a great fit for an engineer or experienced technician who wants to learn quickly, work hands-on with complex mechanical hardware, and grow into a senior manufacturing role in a fast-moving hardware environment.

Responsibilities:

• Own producibility of assigned subassemblies: welded structures, machined parts, sheet metal/bent parts, and assembly fixtures
• Work directly with welders, machinists, and assembly technicians on the factory floor
• Develop and refine work instructions, fixtures, and tooling for repeatable builds
• Support dimensional inspection and metrology for critical features
• Coordinate with outside vendors when parts are sourced externally
• Help build, modify, and rework test rigs and prototype hardware on tight timelines
• Diagnose and resolve fabrication issues quickly—often by getting hands-on at the bench yourself
• Maintain organized records of as-built configurations, deviations, and inspection results
• Support on-site installation and commissioning at the reactor facility in Idaho with occasional travel

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field, OR equivalent hands-on manufacturing/technician experience
• 1–3 years of manufacturing engineering, fabrication, or shop experience
• Hands-on skills in at least one of: welding, machining, sheet metal, assembly, or inspection
• Comfortable reading mechanical drawings, GD&T callouts, and weld symbols
• Strong ownership mindset and willingness to learn by doing
• Comfortable working with ambiguity in a fast-iterating environment

Preferred Experience:

• Stainless steel TIG welding experience
• CNC machining or CNC programming experience
• Sheet metal forming, bending, or press brake experience
• Experience with metrology tools (CMM, calipers, micrometers, optical comparators, laser trackers)
• Hands-on project experience (e.g., Formula SAE, robotics, rocketry, machine shop, hardware startups)
• Shop background (machinist, welder, or fab tech) growing into engineering
• Background in nuclear, aerospace, semiconductor, or other high-reliability industries

Physical:

• Comfortable working on the factory floor alongside welders, machinists, and assembly technicians
• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs and stand for extended periods
• Willingness to perform hands-on fabrication and assembly work

Requirements:

Must be based in the United States

Must be willing to work on-site at our headquarters in Austin, Texas

What It Takes to Succeed at Aalo:

We're building technology that will help reshape the future of energy. The pace is fast, the problems are difficult, and the expectations are high. Successful team members consistently demonstrate:

• Extreme Ownership — You take responsibility for outcomes, not just tasks. You proactively identify problems, drive solutions, and follow through.
• A Passion for Solving Hard Problems — You are energized by challenges that others avoid and enjoy finding practical solutions to complex technical issues.
• A Sense of Urgency — You move quickly, make thoughtful decisions, and maintain momentum while…