Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Fuel

TerraPower is a nuclear technology company based in Bellevue, Washington, working to raise living standards globally through affordable, secure, and environmentally friendly nuclear energy and innovations in medical isotopes. Founded in 2006 by Bill Gates and a group of visionaries, TerraPower aims to advance global energy deployment and improve human health. The company is a leader in new nuclear technologies, driving innovations in safety, economics, and medical applications.

About the role

The Fuel Manufacturing Engineer will perform work scopes for the fabrication of Natrium fuel, including construction of the fabrication facility, metallization of HALEU feedstock, and the fuel fabrication process. This role supports process development, production readiness, technical documentation, supplier coordination, and quality-driven execution for safety-critical components.

Responsibilities

• Develop processes, procedures, and scaling needed for full commercial-scale viability of fuel fabrication.
• Assess pre-production and qualification needs.
• Produce manufacturing-related documentation to support planning and execution of hardware delivery.
• Lead non-conformance evaluations and corrective actions related to fuel fabrication.
• Review engineering drawings for manufacturability to optimize designs for supplier processes, reducing complexity, cost, and cycle time.
• Coordinate and utilize input from engineering and project teams to procure and produce equipment and components.
• Generate technical documents in support of purchase requisitions.
• Review and approve supplier technical submittals.
• Ensure vendor work complies with engineering drawings, specifications, safety, quality, and other requirements.
• Work within controlled quality environments supporting configuration management, material traceability, and nuclear safety culture expectations.
• Support continuous learning and application of nuclear industry best practices to maintain high-quality engineering design and identify process improvements.

Requirements

• B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Chemistry, Nuclear, or equivalent (preferred).
• Minimum of seven years of manufacturing experience, with at least two years in fuel or fuel-adjacent areas. Relevant M.S. and Doctorate degrees may substitute for up to two or four years of experience, respectively.
• Excellent writing and communication skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; creative thinker.
• Ability to work with minimal direction to solve challenging problems.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks concurrently.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• High degree of trust, integrity, and respect for teamwork.

Skills

The ideal candidate will have:

• Demonstrated technical expertise in metallic nuclear fuels, such as alloy casting process development or fuel material characterization, especially for fast reactor metal fuel qualification.
• Experience managing or technically directing vendors for nuclear-grade component fabrication.
• Familiarity with engineering drawing standards, GD&T, material specifications, and nuclear-grade procurement documentation.
• Experience in the nuclear industry and with core assemblies.
• Experience with nuclear industry manufacturing, DOE and NRC regulations.
• Experience developing manufacturing roadmaps from material to component to assembly with scalability considerations.
• Experience with manufacturing methodology of first article productions and qualification.
• Experience with NQA-1 / QL-1 standards or other highly controlled production standards.
• Strong understanding of nuclear safety culture.

This position is subject to qualification requirements per ANSI/ANS 3.1. Candidates must meet minimum education and experience criteria, including relevant nuclear industry experience where required. Verification of data will be part of the hiring process.

Job Functions

Physical actions and working conditions associated with the position:

• Motor Abilities: Sitting for extended periods, bending/stooping, grasping/gripping, fine motor control (hands).
• Physical Exertion: Minimal, with ability to safely lift up to 25 pounds.
• Repetitive Work: Prolonged.
• Special Senses: Visual and audio-focused work.
• Work Conditions: Stairs, typing/keyboard, standard and/or sitting working environment of >8 hours/day.
• Travel: 0-10%.

TerraPower's technology is controlled for export by U.S. Government agencies. Applicants who are foreign nationals (other than asylees, refugees, or lawful permanent residents) will be evaluated in accordance with U.S. export control requirements.

Pay

Salary Range: $138,685 - $208,027 (specific to Washington State). Any salary offered within this range is based on market data and commensurate with the selected candidate's qualifications and experience.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation, including eligibility for discretionary short-term incentive payments.
• Comprehensive medical and wellness benefits:
  • Medical, vision, and dental coverage.
  • Life and disability insurance.
  • Gender affirmation benefits.
  • Parental leave.
• 401k plan.
• Generous paid time off:
  • 21 days of annually accrued PTO.
  • 10 paid holidays.
• Relocation assistance.
• Professional and educational support opportunities.