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Kairos Power

Develops fluoride-salt cooled high-temperature reactor

IT Systems Administrator 2

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/23/2026
$108.7k - $127.9k
Senior
Bachelor's
Albuquerque, NM, USA+1 moreMore locations: Alameda, CA, USA
In PersonOnsite at Alameda headquarters; role may be located in Alameda, CA or Albuquerque, NM. Travel up to 5% may be required.
IT OperationsSystem Administration

About the job

Requirements
  • At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience as a Systems Administrator, Cloud Administrator, Site Reliability Engineer, or similar role in a complex enterprise environment.
  • Strong experience administering Microsoft Windows Server environments, Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft 365 services, identity management, and Single Sign-On integrations.
  • Working knowledge of Linux server administration in AWS and hybrid-cloud environments.
  • Demonstrated experience administering AWS infrastructure, including EC2, IAM, VPC, Route 53, Systems Manager, FSx, CloudWatch, and related AWS technologies.
  • Strong scripting and automation experience using PowerShell and AWS CLI.
  • Experience supporting SaaS, cloud-native, hybrid-cloud, and on-premises applications and infrastructure.
  • Working knowledge of networking, databases, backup and recovery, and disaster recovery concepts.
  • Strong understanding of cybersecurity principles, vulnerability management, patch management, and security best practices.
  • Knowledge of cloud and hybrid infrastructure administration principles, including AWS, Microsoft, SaaS, and on-premises environments.
  • Knowledge of Infrastructure as Code, configuration management, scripting, and systems automation practices.
  • Knowledge of identity and access management principles, including Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID, Single Sign-On, and least-privilege access.
  • Ability to monitor and assess system health, performance, availability, and capacity across enterprise infrastructure and services.
  • Knowledge of change management practices related to infrastructure and application deployments, migrations, upgrades, and production changes.
  • Ability to support and coordinate application integrations, implementations, and upgrades across internal stakeholders and third-party vendors.
  • Ability to develop and maintain technical standards, procedures, and system administration documentation.
  • Ability to provide technical guidance and knowledge sharing to employees and less-experienced IT staff.
  • Occasionally requires working weekends and extended hours to support system maintenance, deployments, upgrades, and critical incidents.
  • A bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field is preferred, rather than required.
Responsibilities
  • Install, configure, administer, maintain, and optimize infrastructure, services, and applications across AWS, SaaS, and on-premises environments.
  • Administer and support Microsoft Windows Server, Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft 365, DNS, DHCP, file services, identity management, and Single Sign-On integrations.
  • Develop, maintain, and improve automation and Infrastructure as Code solutions using Terraform, Ansible, CloudFormation, PowerShell, or similar technologies.
  • Monitor system health, performance, security, and availability, and investigate and troubleshoot complex infrastructure, cloud, identity, and application issues.
  • Implement and maintain security controls, patch management, vulnerability remediation, and least-privilege access practices.
  • Provide technical support for business-critical enterprise applications and collaborate with business stakeholders and software vendors to support operations, integrations, upgrades, and implementations.
  • Participate in change management activities and support application and infrastructure deployments, migrations, testing, upgrades, and production changes.
  • Create and maintain technical documentation, standards, procedures, and knowledge base articles.
  • Provide technical guidance and knowledge sharing to employees and junior IT staff.
Desired Qualifications
  • At least 8 years of overall IT experience.
  • Experience with Terraform and Ansible.
  • Nutanix AHV administration experience.
  • Advanced Microsoft Windows Server and Active Directory administration experience.
  • Experience supporting application integrations, APIs, SQL databases, and reporting platforms.
  • Experience working with software vendors during upgrades, implementations, and troubleshooting efforts.
  • Experience supporting engineering, manufacturing, laboratory, or quality-focused organizations.
  • Experience working in high-growth organizations undergoing technology transformation.
  • Prior work experience in a fast-paced, high-growth startup.

About the company

Kairos Power develops the KP-FHR, a low-pressure fluoride-salt–cooled high-temperature reactor that uses TRISO fuel to produce electricity. Heat is transferred with a high-temperature, single-pass molten fluoride salt loop to a conventional power cycle, while the reactor stays at low pressure for safety. The company builds test units and Hermes demonstration reactors to de-risk licensing, manufacturing, and construction before deploying fleets of commercial reactors. It has a 500 MW agreement with Google and a TVA power purchase agreement, targets first power around 2030, and is backed by DOE cost-share funds and private investors, with Samsung C&T collaborating on deployment.

Company Size

501-1,000

Company Stage

Late Stage VC

Total Funding

$643M

Headquarters

Alameda, California

Founded

2016

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Samsung C&T pledged up to $100 million plus EPC support on September 21, 2026.
  • NuCAMP, launched August 18, 2026, expands Oak Ridge manufacturing and workforce capacity.
  • DOE ARDP funding and ORNL's $27 million partnership strengthen technical de-risking.

What critics are saying

  • Hermes 1's completion slipped to April 2029 after a 2026 license amendment request.
  • Hermes 2 must still hit 2030, leaving little slack for construction delays.
  • Any TRISO, salt-supply, or licensing failure kills Google's 500-megawatt commercialization plan.

What makes Kairos Power unique

  • Kairos won NRC Hermes 2 approval and broke ground in April 2026.
  • Its KP-FHR pairs TRISO fuel with fluoride salt cooling for low-pressure operation.
  • Google and TVA committed 500 megawatts, validating Kairos's commercial path.

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Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • Paid Vacation
  • 401(k) Company Match
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

2%

1 year growth

2%

2 year growth

1%
Oak Ridge Today
Oct 19th, 2026
Oak Ridge hosts Nuclear Science Week 2026 events.

Oak Ridge hosts Nuclear Science Week 2026 events. Free admission to AMSE Saturday; other activities this week. The Oak Ridger Updated Oct. 19, 2026, 2:56 p.m. ET The American Museum of Science and Energy (AMSE) and the Oak Ridge Discovery Foundation invite the community to celebrate Nuclear Science Week 2026, Oct. 19-24. The week covers the science, careers and future of nuclear energy in the birthplace of the Manhattan Project and home of the nation's largest national laboratory. Nuclear Science Week 2026 is presented by Kairos Power, according to an AMSE news release.

Energy Central
Oct 15th, 2026
Kairos Power raises $643M for advanced nuclear reactors to power Google data centres

Kairos Power has raised $643M to fund advanced nuclear technology slated to power Google data centres. The money will support Hermes 2, a 50MW molten salt demonstration reactor planned to switch on in 2030. Investors including Google Ventures and Samsung C&T are providing $368M, while the US Department of Energy (DOE) is supplying $275M. In 2024, Kairos announced a partnership with Google to build 500MW of advanced nuclear reactors by 2035. First, the company must prove its technology is ready for wide use.

Interesting Engineering
Oct 15th, 2026
Automated inspection checks each fuel pebble.

Automated inspection checks each fuel pebble. Kairos Power is developing fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor technology that uses spherical fuel elements, commonly called pebbles. Before the pebbles enter testing platforms or are prepared for transport, the new automated line subjects them to a series of quality checks. The system measures each pebble's diameter, geometry, and density in real time to confirm it meets manufacturing specifications. High-precision lasers then scan the exterior surface at the micron level to assess its structural integrity. Automating these checks allows the company to process pebbles while collecting standardized measurements for individual records. The resulting data can help engineers identify manufacturing variations and improve subsequent production campaigns. Rather than relying solely on batch-level records, the system links inspection results to each pebble, providing more detailed information about the fuel elements entering tests. Laser codes create individual fuel records. After inspection, each pebble moves to an infrared laser engraving station. The system etches three redundant data matrix codes, similar to QR codes, into the graphite surface, with markings approximately half a millimeter deep, according to the company. Each code links the pebble to an individual record containing its dimensions, density measurements, production batch, and inspection status. Additional markings around the codes let optical systems identify different pebble types if a data matrix is damaged. That traceability could become increasingly important as Kairos Power expands its fuel development and testing activities. By linking physical fuel elements to manufacturing and inspection data, engineers can track individual pebbles through downstream handling and testing. The company also expects the markings to help distinguish different pebble types, improve fuel-consumption measurements, and strengthen material accountability during reactor operations. "By automating our quality control and laser-engraving processes in-house, we are building the foundational capabilities and traceability required to support our iterative approach to fuel development," said Kirby Boone, a senior engineer on Kairos Power's fuel team. Boone added that the system will generate data to inform future manufacturing and handling systems, from Hermes 2 to the company's planned commercial fleet. Supporting Hermes 2 and future fuel production. The automated line is currently processing pebbles for upcoming hardware demonstrations, with a near-term target of 70,000 inspected fuel elements for testing platforms that include the second ETU. The system is also intended to support Hermes 2, the company's planned demonstration plant in Oak Ridge. Kairos Power is developing the inspection infrastructure in-house so it can use lessons from each production campaign to refine manufacturing processes and prepare for larger-scale fuel production.

Bloomberg Law
Oct 14th, 2026
Nuclear Startup Kairos Raises $643 Million for Tennessee Project

Kairos Power LLC, a nuclear-energy startup, lined up $643 million in private and government funding to support construction of its demonstration reactor in Tennessee.

Bloomberg
Oct 14th, 2026
Nuclear startup Kairos raises $643 million for Tennessee project.

Nuclear startup Kairos raises $643 million for Tennessee project. October 14, 2026 at 12:53 PM PDT Kairos Power LLC, a nuclear-energy startup, lined up $643 million in private and government funding to support construction of its demonstration reactor in Tennessee. The funding comprises $368 million from backers including Google Ventures and DCVC, as well as $275 million in financing from the US Energy Department, according to Kairos Chief Executive Officer Mike Laufer. The private investment includes $70 million from Samsung C&T Corp. through a partnership announced last month.