Senior/Principal Finite Element Analyst - Thermomechanical & Structural Mechanics

About The Role

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior/Principal Finite Element Analyst to lead thermomechanical and structural analysis for advanced sodium-cooled reactor systems at Aalo. In this role, you will own high-consequence finite element analysis for reactor structures, components, and supporting systems operating under demanding thermal, mechanical, seismic, fluid-coupled, and radiation environments. You will work closely with mechanical design, thermal-hydraulics, nuclear, materials, manufacturing, and licensing teams to turn complex physics into defensible engineering decisions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Civil/Structural Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related discipline
• 10+ years of professional finite element analysis experience in nuclear, aerospace, energy, pressure systems, defense, or another high-consequence engineering environment
• Deep understanding of structural mechanics, thermomechanics, heat transfer, stress analysis, and finite element methods
• Strong experience with NASTRAN for structural, thermal, modal, dynamic, or coupled analysis
• Working knowledge of ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section III
• Demonstrated ability to define load cases, boundary conditions, contacts/interfaces, mesh strategies, convergence checks, and model verification approaches
• Strong engineering judgment and ability to determine whether analysis results are physically reasonable
• Proven ability to write clear technical documentation and defend assumptions, methods, results, and conclusions in rigorous design reviews

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Structural Engineering, or related discipline
• Direct experience with nuclear reactor systems, sodium-cooled reactors, advanced reactors, reactor internals, or nuclear-grade mechanical systems
• Experience with fluid-structure interaction, flow-induced vibration, thermal striping, sloshing, acoustic loading, or coupled thermal-hydraulic/structural analysis
• Experience evaluating structures and components exposed to neutron irradiation, radiation-induced material degradation, swelling, embrittlement, irradiation creep, or other reactor-environment effects
• Experience with ASME Section III Division 1 or Division 5 design-by-analysis methods
• Experience with fatigue, creep, creep-fatigue, fracture mechanics, ratcheting, shakedown, plastic collapse, or high-temperature structural design
• Experience supporting DOE, NRC, national laboratory, or nuclear licensing projects
• Familiarity with NQA-1, quality-controlled analysis workflows, model V&V, and configuration-controlled calculation packages
• Experience with additional tools such as Abaqus, ANSYS Mechanical, LS-DYNA, COMSOL, Femap, HyperMesh, Simcenter 3D, or in-house analysis automation
• Experience developing analysis automation, post-processing scripts, or standardized workflows using AI, Python, MATLAB, or similar tools