Principal Mechanical Engineering Specialist Job Oak Ridge area,Tennessee USA,Engineering

Principal Mechanical Engineering Specialist - UF6 Separator Design & Industrialization

Key Responsibilities

Lead the design, build, scale-up, and industrialization of a specialized vacuum system at the core of our CRISLA UF6 enrichment process.
This role will own mechanical execution from concept and detailed design through vendor fabrication, integration, testing, design iteration, and production-ready release.
Experience with finite element analysis (FEA) and engineering calculations is desirable for structural, thermal, vacuum, and mechanical integrity assessments.
The role requires close collaboration with cross-functional engineering teams, operations personnel, machine shops, fabricators, and external contractors to deliver high-quality hardware that meets performance, quality, safety, schedule, and manufacturability requirements.
System Design and Scale-Up:
Lead the mechanical design and development of UF6-rated vacuum systems, translating laboratory and prototype concepts into scaled, reliable, manufacturable industrial equipment.
3D CAD and Detailed Mechanical Design:
Create and own complex 3D CAD assemblies, production drawings, mechanical interfaces, tolerances, GD&T, bills of material, and release packages for separator hardware and supporting systems.
Design for Manufacturability and Industrialization:
Develop designs for repeatable fabrication, assembly, alignment, serviceability, maintainability, and cost-effective production. Drive simplification and standardization as designs mature.
Mechanical and Structural Analysis:
Apply engineering calculations and FEA, where appropriate, to assess structural integrity, thermal effects, vibration, vacuum and pressure loading, deflection, and mechanical stability.
UF6-Service Mechanical Design:
Design components and assemblies for UF6 process service with attention to materials selection, seals, vacuum integrity, cleanliness, corrosion compatibility, containment, and maintainability.
Prototype-to-Production Development:
Build and iterate prototypes, capture lessons learned, resolve design weaknesses, and establish production-ready configurations for scaled separator systems.
Assembly, Integration, and Testing:
Lead hardware assembly, fit-up, alignment, integration, leak testing, mechanical acceptance testing, and troubleshooting of the engineered systems and supporting equipment.
Fabrication and Vendor Management:
Work directly with fabrication vendors and contractors to define requirements, resolve manufacturability issues, review shop drawings, track quality, and ensure delivered hardware meets engineering specifications.
Machine Shop Interface:
Interface closely with machine shops to bring 3D CAD designs to reality. Strong knowledge of CNC machining, precision fabrication, welding, 3D printing, and additive manufacturing is highly desirable.
Systems Integration:
Coordinate mechanical interfaces among engineered hardware, vacuum systems, gas-handling equipment, instrumentation, supports, enclosures, and facility interfaces to ensure an integrated and serviceable system.
Documentation and Configuration Control:
Prepare and maintain comprehensive engineering documentation, including specifications, drawings, bills of material, design reports, test records, change documentation, and technical presentations relevant to the nuclear industry.
Project Execution, Quality, and Safety:
Lead design reviews and mechanical work packages, manage technical priorities and schedules, close design issues, and ensure compliance with performance, quality, safety, and applicable nuclear-sector requirements.

Education, Qualifications & Required Skills

Advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field

Experience

Minimum 15-20 years in mechanical engineering, preferably involving complex industrial, vacuum, gas-handling, nuclear, or process equipment. Nuclear industry experience is desired.
The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in 3D CAD design, mechanical system development, fabrication, assembly, and transition of prototype equipment into robust, repeatable industrial hardware.

Working Conditions

Onsite role
- Oak Ridge, TN.
Monday
- Friday, Full Time;
Occasional overtime is expected for ensuring deliverables.
Ability to perform field work (stand, walk, climb stairs/ladders, don PPE, lift to ~30-50 lbs. occasionally).
Periodic off-hours support for emergencies, outages, audits, or commissioning.
Limited travel (