Director, Engineering Enrichment Operations

Overview

Director of Engineering – Enrichment Operations role leading the engineering function for a production-ready centrifuge product and a highly automated factory capability. Responsible for engineering strategy from concept through prototype/pilot to full-rate production, establishing systems engineering and integration practices to ensure disciplined requirements management, interface control, verification/validation, and seamless subsystem integration. Focus on standing up a modern digital factory enabling high-volume production with nuclear regulatory rigor.

• Engineering Leadership & Organization – Build, scale, and lead a multidisciplinary engineering organization spanning manufacturing, process, facilities, automation, industrialization, and precision systems. Serve as the technical authority for manufacturability, scalability, risk management, and readiness.
• Systems Engineering (SE) – Establish a modern SE capability including requirements management, architecture development, interface control (ICDs), configuration management, verification/validation, and model-based systems engineering/digital thread practices. Define “Definition of Done” at each development gate and ensure complete, build-ready Product Readiness Packs (e.g., BOMs, routers, test plans).
• Systems Integration (SI) – Lead end-to-end integration of subsystems into the centrifuge product and supporting systems. Develop integration plans, lab capabilities, fixtures, and test regimes to validate subsystem and system-level performance. Collaborate with the CTO and ORNL Design Authority to align qualification evidence and change packages; support seamless integration with CMDF pilot builds and transfer to CMF industrialization.
• Factory Design, Construction & Startup – Lead design, build, and commissioning of a high-precision manufacturing facility. Integrate automation, robotics, and digital factory systems to enable high throughput, traceability, and tightly controlled processes.
• Manufacturing Excellence & DFx – Deliver engineering solutions capable of automotive-pace production with aerospace-grade quality. Drive design for manufacturability, assembly, quality, cost, and industrialization (DFM/DFA/DFQ/DFC).
• Quality, Safety & Compliance – Ensure all engineering designs and processes meet nuclear regulatory, DOE, safety, and BWXT quality requirements. Embed compliance gates, audit readiness, and pre-release checks throughout development.
• Program Controls & Schedule – Partner with Business Operations and Program Controls to maintain a resource-loaded critical path schedule. Support earned value management (EVM) discipline and weekly KPI reviews (SPI/CPI, cost variance, schedule adherence).
• Supply Chain & Technical Readiness – Define technical acceptance criteria for supplier parts, processes, tooling, and special manufacturing steps. Support supplier onboarding speed, delivery performance, and technical readiness to protect schedule-critical components.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration – Work with CMDF (prototype/pilot operations), CMF (full-rate industrialization), CTO/Technology organization, and Operations. Drive the transition from low-rate initial production (LRIP) to full-rate production (FRP) on cost and schedule.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (advanced degree preferred).
• Fifteen (15+) years of progressive engineering leadership in high-precision, highly regulated manufacturing environments (nuclear, aerospace, defense, automotive, semiconductor, or similar).
• Demonstrated experience designing, building, commissioning, and scaling a high-precision manufacturing facility to high-volume production.
• Strong expertise in advanced manufacturing, automation, precision machining, assembly, metrology, and inspection systems.
• Must be a U.S. citizen capable of obtaining and maintaining a DOE Q clearance; active clearance preferred.
• Proven ability to lead large, multidisciplinary engineering teams in a fast-paced, highly technical environment.

• Experience with automotive-scale manufacturing and assembly;
  Lean/Six Sigma leadership.
• Hands-on experience deploying Industry 4.0, digital…