Fire Protection Engineer

Overview

Centrus Energy is seeking a Fire Protection Engineer to develop, implement, and sustain the site fire protection and life-safety program at the American Centrifuge Plant (ACP) on the DOE Portsmouth reservation in Piketon, Ohio. You will serve as the site subject-matter expert in a highly regulated DOE environment, overseeing design review, code compliance, system testing/acceptance, impairment management, and overall program governance. The role will report to the Systems Engineering Manager and will require close coordination with Design Engineering, Operations, Maintenance, ESH, EPC partners, and DOE stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a compliant Fire Protection Program aligned with applicable DOE directives and company procedures; establish processes, metrics, and assurance activities to verify continued compliance; analyze performance indicators and events, lead causal analysis, and drive corrective/preventive actions.
• Lead or oversee fire hazard analyses and related risk evaluations; recommend engineered and administrative controls and verify their implementation in the field.
• Interpret and apply relevant fire protection and life-safety codes and standards across design and operations; ensure appropriate interfaces with electrical safety, worker safety, and property-protection requirements.
• Review and approve fire protection system designs and calculations; define design inputs and acceptance criteria for construction packages; review vendor submittals and ensure accurate as-built records.
• Establish and oversee inspection, testing, and maintenance strategies and frequencies; integrate impairment control, compensatory measures, return-to-service testing, reliability improvements, spares/obsolescence planning, and continuous improvement with Maintenance and Operations.
• Define acceptance tests and witness on-site testing; support startup and commissioning of fire protection and life-safety systems; manage configuration updates and as-built documentation at turnover.
• Coordinate with site emergency response and local agencies on pre-incident plans, drills, and lessons learned; support hot-work, fire-watch, and related permitting programs.
• Provide training and mentorship on program expectations, impairment handling, and code requirements; serve as a technical point of contact for EPCs and vendors.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Fire Protection Engineering, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, or a closely related discipline from an accredited institution.
• Professional licensure (PE) in Fire Protection or relevant professional certifications are a plus.
• 6+ years of fire protection engineering experience for industrial/process or regulated facilities (e.g., DOE, nuclear, chemical, or large manufacturing).
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and apply fire protection and life-safety codes/standards and integrate them with site procedures and worker-safety programs.
• Proficiency reviewing hydraulic and alarm/detection calculations, drawings, and submittals; experience establishing ITM programs and executing system acceptance testing.
• Strong risk-based decision-making, technical writing, and field presence; effective collaboration with multi-discipline teams, contractors, and regulators.
• Experience with special hazards (e.g., clean agents, flammable liquids/gases, high-energy electrical spaces, energy storage) is a plus.
• The ability to obtain and maintain a “Q” clearance.

A Successful Candidate Brings:

• Manufacturing/Assembly experience and/or aptitude
• Experience with high vacuum systems and equipment
• Lean manufacturing or Six Sigma experience 
• An active “Q” level security clearance