Principal Reactor Fuel Engineer

Position Title:

Principal Reactor Fuel Engineer Position

Description:

Protingent Staffing has an exciting direct hire Principal Reactor Fuel Engineer opportunity.

• Qualification Statistics Strategy:
  Develop and maintain Fuel Qualification Statistics and Uncertainty Quantification Plan, including required confidence, acceptance probabilities, decision rules, and independent concurrence points.
• Sampling & Population Definition:
  Establish statistically defensible sample sizes and population definitions for kernels, TRISO particles, FCM pellets, manufacturing lots, irradiation specimens, PIE populations, and safety-test specimens.
• Defect & Failure Fractions:
  Define methods for estimating exposed-kernel, defective-SiC, particle-failure, fuel-failure, and fission-product-release fractions, including treatment of zero-failure and censored datasets.
• Measurement Uncertainty:
  Establish uncertainty budgets for characterization, irradiation conditions, PIE measurements, materials properties, safety testing, and derived qualification parameters.
• Model Validation & UQ:
  Define statistical requirements for model calibration, validation, bias evaluation, sensitivity analysis, uncertainty propagation, applicability limits, and comparison with experimental evidence.
• Manufacturing Demonstration:
  Develop design-of-experiments, process-capability, variability, sampling, and acceptance methods that demonstrate qualification lots represent repeatable production-intent fuel.
• Data Review & Regulatory Support:
  Review proposed data exclusions, outliers, missing data, anomalous observations, and extrapolations; author clear statistical conclusions and uncertainty statements for qualification and licensing documents.

• Education:
  
  Advanced degree in Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Reliability Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Materials Science, or a closely related quantitative discipline.
• Materials
  
  Qualification:
  
  5+ years of experience supporting nuclear fuel, materials qualification, reliability, manufacturing qualification, model validation, or another safety-critical technical program.
• Demonstrated expertise in design of experiments, acceptance sampling, uncertainty propagation, reliability methods, statistical inference, and model calibration or validation.
• Development of Statistical Approaches:
  Experience in developing statistical methods before data collection and defending conclusions based on sparse, censored, zero-failure, or heterogeneous datasets.
• Proficiency with controlled statistical-computing workflows and the ability to document calculations, software, data transformations, assumptions, and independent reviews.
• Technical Reporting and Documentation:
  Strong technical writing and communication skills, including the ability to translate statistical limitations into clear engineering, safety, and regulatory decisions.

• Direct experience with TRISO, FCM, HTGR, advanced nuclear fuel, or high-temperature ceramic qualification.
• Experience estimating low-probability defect or failure fractions at regulator-relevant confidence levels.
• Familiarity with ASME NQA-1, nuclear software quality assurance, configuration control, and regulator-facing technical reports.
• Experience integrating manufacturing process capability, experimental uncertainty, and model-form uncertainty into qualification decisions.

Job Type: Direct Hire Salary Range: $150-170k

Location:

Oak Ridge, TN (Onsite)

Protingent is an Award-Winning provider of top-tier Engineering and IT talent, trusted by companies at the forefront of innovation — from Software and Aerospace to AI, Clean Tech, Medical Devices, and Connected Technologies. We’re passionate about making a positive impact by connecting exceptional talent with meaningful opportunities and helping our clients build the future.