Senior Controls Systems Engineer

Senior Controls Systems Engineer

Radiant is seeking a Senior Controls Systems Engineer to lead the design, implementation, and validation of autonomous control systems for nuclear microreactors. In this role, you will own control system development end-to-end—from requirements definition through operational deployment—including algorithm development, modeling and simulation, embedded implementation, and system validation.

You will design and integrate tightly coupled control functions spanning reactivity control, primary loop mass flow, alternator/generator speed, and multi-reactor coordination on microgrids. The ideal candidate is comfortable working within regulatory environments, developing autonomous and adaptive control strategies, and performing system-level analysis of nonlinear, coupled dynamic systems. This role requires close collaboration with multidisciplinary engineering teams responsible for hardware, software, and system integration.

Responsibilities & Duties:

• Serve as Responsible Engineer with full technical ownership of Kaleidos control systems, including generator, supervisory, and plant-level controls.
• Design and implement subsystem control architectures, including Reactor reactivity control mechanisms, Electrical power conversion and grid interface controls, Generator and alternator speed control (FOC, SVM)
• Develop control algorithms, embedded software, and analytic models to derive and flow down requirements to components and subsystems.
• Perform system-level modeling and analysis of coupled linear and nonlinear dynamics.
• Lead control system prototyping, simulation, hardware testing, validation, and verification activities.
• Develop and execute methods for analyzing control system performance, robustness, and stability.
• Review and analyze test data to validate control performance and inform design iteration.
• Author technical documentation and support regulatory review and licensing of control systems.
• Collaborate closely with mechanical, electrical, nuclear, and software engineering teams to ensure successful system integration.

Required

Qualifications & Skills:

• Bachelor's and master's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Nuclear Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in dynamic system modeling, control algorithm development, simulation, testing, and auto-code generation using MATLAB/Simulink, including deployment to embedded targets.
• 5+ years of experience designing, implementing, and calibrating controllers for linear and nonlinear dynamic systems.
• Deep expertise in classical control theory, including:
  Stability analysis, On/off and PID control, Sliding mode control, Multi-variable control, Gain scheduling, Reference tracking, bandwidth design, cont rollability, and observability analysis
• Hands-on experience designing controllers and observers for stochastic systems.
• Hands-on experience designing observers and estimators for linear and nonlinear systems.
• Experience modeling, simulating, and testing complex coupled dynamic systems.
• Expertise in Monte Carlo analysis, uncertainty quantification, and system identification.
• Familiarity with industrial and embedded communication protocols, including Ether Net/IP, EtherCAT, CANO
  
  pen, Ethernet, and RS-422/485.

Desired

Qualifications & Skills:

• PhD in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Nuclear Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 7+ years of experience in control systems engineering.
• Hands-on experience designing motor controls, battery controls, and power electronics control.
• Experience with autonomous system diagnostics, including fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR).
• Experience with permanent magnet synchronous motor control, including FOC, VSM, and sensorless techniques.
• Experience with turbo machinery control, including turbines or jet engines.
• Experience with microgrid control and multi-source power systems.

Additional Requirements:

• Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as necessary to accomplish our mission.
• Must work 100% onsite at El Segundo HQ.