Nuclear Fuels Engineer

The ocean is the largest undeveloped frontier on earth — and the next chapter of abundant energy will be written at sea. We're building the infrastructure to power it. About Ocean Atomics (OA) Ocean Atomics is an American company designing, licensing, and assembling a standardized nuclear electric power plant and the surrounding support systems for maritime applications. We will install these plants on any vessel built to our nuclear-ready standards, and will provide end-to-end sustainment in our planned nuclear lifecycle dockyard. We will help develop the licensed operators to unlock this new capability for your energy intensive application at sea. To move fast and to lead the creation of this new market, we are leveraging the compact, proven systems enabled by water-cooled reactors. Our mission Scale nuclear energy. Power generations. Our vision A maritime commons thriving with abundant, economical, modern, and safe nuclear-powered activity — built, serviced, and staffed by re-industrialized American shipyards and people. Role Summary Owns the fuel design and analyzes fuel and control pellet performance under normal and transient conditions, ensuring the fuel meets thermal, mechanical, and safety requirements throughout its service life, and works with procurement and vendors to source it. What You'll Do Own the fuel and control element design, defining requirements and specifications across normal, transient, and accident conditions. Analyze fuel and control pellet performance—thermal behavior, gas production and release, swelling, cladding interaction, and burnup effects—to verify design limits are met. Establish fuel-related operating margins and safety criteria and feed results into core design and safety analyses. Work with the procurement team and fuel vendors to specify, qualify, and obtain fuel, supporting technical evaluations and supplier oversight. Document fuel designs, analyses, and performance basis, and support design reviews, qualification, and licensing deliverables. What You Bring Bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering required (advanced degree preferred). Experience in nuclear fuel design, performance analysis, or fuel qualification. Proficiency with fuel performance codes (e.g., FRAPCON/FRAPTRAN, BISON, or equivalent). Working knowledge of fuel materials behavior, neutronics interfaces, and thermal-hydraulic boundary conditions. Experience interfacing with vendors or procurement on technical specifications and qualification. Don't meet every bullet? We'd still like to hear from you. If you're excited by the mission and most of this resonates, apply. Export control notice This role involves access to information subject to U.S. export control laws, including unclassified nuclear technology governed by the U.S. Department of Energy under 10 CFR Part 810. Depending on a candidate's status, access may require DOE authorization, which Ocean Atomics may apply for. Any offer is contingent on your ability to work in compliance with these requirements. We evaluate all applicants regardless of citizenship or national origin, except where required by law. Why this matters Every industry on Earth needs scalable, clean energy, and the ocean is the ideal place to unlock it. Joining Ocean Atomics means building real, lasting infrastructure — the kind that powers generations. The world needs abundant energy. Let's make it happen. Ocean Atomics LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to a workplace free of discrimination and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations; if you need an accommodation during the application process, contact [email protected].