Test Manager, Helium Test Facility

Job Description

The Test Manager for X-energy's Helium Test Facility owns the success of first-of-a-kind, full-scale system validation in the high-pressure, high-temperature helium environment of the XE-100. As the engineering authority on the project, you will drive test rig design decisions, define test campaign strategy, and orchestrate execution across a between design engineers, vendors, and facility operators. This is a critical-path role — your technical judgment and cross-functional leadership directly determine whether X-energy's advanced reactor systems prove out on schedule.

As the single point of accountability bridging design intent, vendor execution, and operational reality, you will make high-stakes go/no-go decisions that shape program outcomes and commercial deployment timelines.

• Manages the planning and execution of the test activities of assigned projects using sound engineering principles and adhering to business standards, practices, procedures, and product / program / project requirements.
• Manages testing activities and provide direction to ensure the convergence of efforts of engineering team members, partners, and suppliers to ensure the successful delivery of high-quality test engineering work products are on schedule and within budget as defined by the Project leadership.
• Engage Universities, Private Contractors, National Labs, and internal X-energy assets to perform experimentation and testing to obtain required useful information.
  • Engage Universities, Private Contractors, National Labs, and internal X-energy assets to perform experimentation and testing to obtain required useful information.
  • Manage a team who designs and operates testing facilities.
  • Create and implement test plans.
  • Procure material and facilities.
  • Review test output data.
  • Create reports based on findings.
• Manages test engineering staff by ensuring staff are meeting expectations and promoting staff professional development.
• Influences the development of strategy, methodology and technical tools for the area of responsibility, including control of resources and policy formulation.
• Interprets internal and external business challenges and recommends best practices to improve products, processes, tools, or services.
• Uses high level of judgement to make decisions and handle complex tasks or problems in areas of operations, product management, technology, or engineering.
• Assesses quality of information given and asks pertinent questions to stakeholders.
• Offers new solutions to problems outside of set parameters and can construct and provide recommendations.
• Work within a multidisciplinary engineering team to create the next generation nuclear reactor technologies.
• Ensure testing activities are performed in accordance with Quality Assurance requirements.
• Maintain professional demeanor and behavior at all times in all forms of communication.
• Perform other duties as assigned by manager.

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, electrical, or nuclear engineering or related discipline from an accredited university or college.
• Typically, ten plus years of professional experience in engineering after completion of undergraduate study. Graduate degrees typically count as two plus years of experience. Advanced degrees typically count as three years of experience.
• Experience estimating time and resources needed to execute engineering activities.
• Hands on experience with hardware development, testing and experimentation.
• Demonstrated experience with design of experiment and test planning.
• Experience working under a formal quality assurance framework such as ISO 9000, ASTM or NQA-1.
• Leadership experience on hardware and testing related projects.

• Proven track record leading industrial-scale test campaigns in high-pressure, high-temperature environments — particularly helium loops, gas-cooled systems, or similarly demanding test conditions where failure costs millions and delays programs
• Cross-disciplinary technical fluency spanning mechanical, fluid, electrical, and systems engineering — enabling you to bridge specialist silos, make informed trade‑off decisions…