Instrumentation and Controls Engineer

America's grid is only as strong as the engineers who secure it. At the Nuclear Science & Technology directorate at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), you'll be one of them.

The Regulatory Research and Plant Optimization division within Nuclear Science and Technology directorate is looking for an Instrumentation and Control (I&C) Engineer to shape the future of nuclear power plants. This position supports INL’s Research and Development (R&D) priorities directed at introducing digital technologies (e.g., instrumentation, control, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics) for use in the commercial nuclear power sector, facilitating the transformation from highly labor-intensive to a human-led, digital/automation-centric approach to plant operation and maintenance.

• Conducting digital research, development and demonstrations (RD&D) that close the technical gaps for modernizing the current fleet of nuclear power plants.
• Participating in and/or leading RD&D projects, including developing the overall technical approach, execution, budget, and all necessary resources to accomplish work.
• Coordinating R&D efforts with other researchers and with the needs, plans, and activities of plant owner-operators, vendors, suppliers, other research organizations, and regulatory organizations.
• Initiating new collaborations with industry, including developing non-disclosure agreements and cooperative research and development agreements, to support the development and deployment of digital technologies to the commercial sector or to support individual RD&D efforts.
• Communicating effectively, both verbally and in writing, with management, co-workers, and partners.
• Publishing research results in journals and conference proceedings.
• Writing and/or contributing to technical reports.
• Preparing competitive proposals for the DOE or internal INL funding opportunities.
• Giving effective presentations distilling complex technical information into easily consumable information to internal and external audiences.
• Developing intellectual property leading to patents/copyrights and facilitating technology transfer.

Optimizing the operation and maintenance of the current and future fleet of nuclear reactors is essential for the success of the ongoing nuclear renaissance. You will have a direct hand in building the digital technology that supports the modernization of the nuclear industry. You will have real ownership over high-stakes systems, the opportunity to collaborate with world-leading scientists and engineers, mentor future talent, and define what the American nuclear industry looks like.

• Work with and effectively collaborate with a multi-disciplinary team of scientists and engineers on challenging work scopes.
• Work with and effectively collaborate with internal and external partners to identify requirements and commercially available technologies that meet specific specifications.
• Collaborate and partner effectively with other government agencies, academia, and private sector companies to achieve project goals. Decompose project goals into defined and controlled design requirements.
• Use design methodologies, technologies, and processes which are best practices for the technical discipline to develop and define a design, and to validate that the design meets defined requirements.
• Develop physics-based mathematical models of mechanical, chemical, and electrical systems to support and verify design.
• Establish testing, inspection, and quality requirements to ensure technical features important to design functions are maintained.
• Oversee or otherwise ensure that fabrication, construction, assembly, and procurement are done in…