Full-Time

Balance of Plant Engineer

Updated on 9/3/2026

Ocean Atomics

Ocean Atomics

11-50 employees

Standardized nuclear electric plants for ships

Compensation Overview

$110k - $240k/yr

Bethesda, MD, USA

Hybrid

Hybrid work in Bethesda.

Bachelor's, Master's

Category
Aerospace Engineering (1)

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Requirements
  • A bachelor's degree in mechanical or nuclear engineering is required.
  • Experience designing or analyzing power conversion or balance-of-plant systems.
  • Proficiency with heat balance and thermal cycle modeling tools.
  • Strong grounding in thermodynamics, heat transfer, and rotating equipment.
  • Familiarity with steam turbine-generator systems and associated auxiliaries.
Responsibilities
  • Design and analyze balance-of-plant systems, including the turbine-generator, condenser, feedwater heaters, deaerator, and condensate/feedwater systems.
  • Develop and optimize the thermal cycle and heat balance to maximize plant efficiency, output, and ramp rates across operating conditions.
  • Size and specify balance-of-plant equipment and define system requirements, interfaces, and operating limits.
  • Coordinate with thermal-hydraulics, layout, and construction teams to integrate balance-of-plant systems within shipboard space, weight, and installation constraints.
  • Document system designs, performance analyses, and as-built configurations, and support design reviews and acceptance testing.
Desired Qualifications
  • An advanced degree in mechanical or nuclear engineering.
  • Nuclear and/or Navy experience.

Ocean Atomics designs, licenses, and assembles standardized nuclear electric power plants for the maritime industry. These plants are built to proprietary nuclear-ready vessel standards and installed on ships, with end-to-end sustainment managed through a planned nuclear lifecycle dockyard. The design repeats a single, standardized plant across vessel types and uses water-cooled reactor technology, with licensed operators trained or created by Ocean Atomics to run them at sea. Its goal is to decarbonize shipping by delivering a practical, scalable maritime nuclear propulsion system and a supporting lifecycle ecosystem.

Company Size

11-50

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

Bethesda, Maryland

Founded

2025

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • August 2026 hiring across nuclear, naval architecture, and infrastructure shows active buildout.
  • Ocean Atomics.com updated August 14, 2026, confirms continued product and sustainment development.
  • Maritime decarbonization pressure and IMO 2050 demand favor zero-emission propulsion providers.

What critics are saying

  • NRC licensing remains unresolved; dual-track marine approval slows Ocean Atomics through 2026.
  • Twenty-four August 2026 open roles signal heavy execution load before any vessel deployment.
  • Shipboard nuclear accidents or denial of port access would destroy the business model.

What makes Ocean Atomics unique

  • Ocean Atomics targets civilian shipboard reactors, led by ex-Coast Guard officer William R. Cahill.
  • Its standardized nuclear electric plant and nuclear-ready vessel standards reduce custom integration complexity.
  • Chief nuclear officer Nick Touran gives credible reactor expertise amid maritime engineering hires.

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