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Kairos Power

Develops fluoride-salt cooled high-temperature reactor

Senior Manager, Engineering Operations

Engineering LeadershipConfirmed live in the last 24 hours
Full-timeNo salary listed

About the Job

Requirements

  • A bachelor's degree in Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field is required.
  • At least 8 years of progressively responsible experience in energy, nuclear, chemical, industrial, or other high-hazard or regulated operations, including at least 5 years of leadership experience managing technical or operational teams.
  • Extensive experience and familiarity with P&IDs, process control systems such as SCADA, instrumentation, or comparable industrial control systems.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain Plant Manager/SRO certification and applicable emergency-response qualifications.
  • Demonstrated experience leading or overseeing complex engineering or industrial operations, including commissioning, startup, continuous operations, or similar operational activities.
  • Knowledge of commissioning, startup, operational readiness, and transition-to-operations processes.
  • Knowledge of nuclear safety culture principles, conservative decision-making, procedural adherence, and operational discipline.
  • Ability to develop, implement, and improve operating procedures, management processes, training programs, and qualification frameworks.
  • Ability to establish and maintain data integrity, system reliability, and appropriate operational controls for test and plant systems.
  • Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams in 24/7, high-risk operational environments.
  • Strong strategic planning and organizational alignment capabilities.
  • Expertise in operational excellence, continuous improvement, and system reliability.
  • Advanced knowledge of SCADA systems, process controls, and P&ID interpretation.
  • Skill in risk identification, mitigation, and decision-making under uncertainty.
  • In-depth understanding of environmental, health, and safety standards, job hazard analysis development, and regulatory compliance.
  • Proficiency in change management and integration of new technologies into operations.
  • Project and resource management skills to oversee infrastructure investments, operational budgets, and capital planning initiatives.
  • Ability to stay current with advancements in energy systems and plant operations.
  • Ability to work collaboratively, solve problems efficiently, prioritize safety, proactively collect, manage, and transfer knowledge, and identify novel ways to create efficiencies.
  • Ability to obtain Department of Energy authorization to access Part 810-controlled information; foreign nationals from countries outside the general authorization list require a Department of Energy export control license for access.
  • Ability to work weekends occasionally, maintain schedule flexibility, work non-standard hours occasionally, and work extended hours as needed for launch and critical project timelines.
  • Ability to perform the listed physical tasks, including climbing, moving equipment or objects up to 50 pounds, operating vehicles or machinery, and working in confined spaces and varied environments.
  • Ability to work in office, laboratory, prototyping/testing, outdoor, high- and low-temperature, noisy, elevated-height, and potentially chemical or enclosed-space environments.
  • Ability to comply with Control of Hazardous Energy and LOTO programs, follow procedures in nuclear and other high-hazard environments, handle hazardous materials, report unsafe conditions, use required PPE, and work with beryllium and nuclear materials.

Responsibilities

  • Provide vision and direction for 24/7 engineering operations, ensuring alignment with company objectives and milestones.
  • Develop and execute long-term strategic plans to expand operational capabilities, streamline execution, and enhance reliability across test platforms.
  • Establish and reinforce operational standards and practices that promote continuous improvement, safety, technical rigor, and operational excellence.
  • Identify, evaluate, and mitigate operational, technical, regulatory, safety, and organizational risks.
  • Lead a diverse team of managers, operators, and engineers, and develop leaders at all levels.
  • Develop organizational capability through employee development, succession planning, performance management, and recognition programs.
  • Provide senior oversight of test campaign planning, including readiness reviews, execution protocols, and post-test analysis.
  • Establish and maintain a strong nuclear safety culture, conservative decision-making practices, procedural compliance, and operational excellence.
  • Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of site operating programs, procedures, work controls, and management processes.
  • Ensure the facility is appropriately staffed, trained, qualified, and prepared to support commissioning, initial criticality, startup, and sustained operations.
  • Oversee operational readiness activities, including organizational and procedure readiness, training and qualification, staffing, equipment readiness, and emergency preparedness.
  • Develop and implement a progressive program to staff and operate next-generation Small Modular Reactors safely, effectively, and compliantly.
  • Collaborate with Engineering, Environmental Health and Safety, R&D, Operations, Quality, and other teams to establish and refine test procedures and operating envelopes.
  • Ensure data integrity and reliability of operational and test systems, including SCADA, instrumentation, and data acquisition systems.
  • Establish and refine standard operating procedures and shift operations frameworks across testing and operational facilities.
  • Implement reliability-centered maintenance and root cause analysis methodologies for recurring issues.
  • Oversee system upgrades, change-control processes, and integration of new technologies or designs into operations.
  • Ensure operations comply with Environmental Health and Safety and Nuclear Regulatory Commission policies and licenses.
  • Collaborate with Environmental Health and Safety to develop and approve job hazard analyses, permitting procedures, risk management plans, and emergency response planning.
  • Serve as an escalation point for safety and operational incidents and ensure robust corrective actions are implemented.
  • Communicate operational readiness, risk posture, and strategic recommendations to senior leaders, program managers, and technical directors.
  • Represent engineering operations in cross-organizational working groups and governance forums.
  • Support regulatory and audit preparation efforts as required by industry standards or internal review bodies.
  • Oversee commissioning and transition to operations for new operational and experimental facilities.
  • Lead cost-efficiency and capital-planning efforts across infrastructure and operational assets.
  • Stay abreast of advancements in energy operations, plant engineering and operations, and automation relevant to testing environments.
  • Perform additional duties as required.

Desired Qualifications

  • Experience leading or overseeing 24/7 operations is highly desirable.
  • Experience in nuclear operations, advanced reactor operations, nuclear commissioning, or startup of regulated nuclear facilities is desirable.
  • Experience with radiological monitoring, radiological controls, and hazardous-material management is desirable.
  • Experience supporting Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing activities, regulatory inspections, audits, or other regulatory interfaces is desirable.
  • Experience developing or overseeing operator training and qualification programs is desirable.
  • An advanced degree (MS, MBA, or PhD) is preferred.

About the Company

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Kairos Power

Develops fluoride-salt cooled high-temperature reactor

Kairos Power develops the KP-FHR, a fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor that uses TRISO fuel to generate electricity at low pressure. Heat from the fuel moves through a single-pass molten fluoride salt loop to a power cycle, keeping the reactor at low pressure to simplify containment. The company uses a vertically integrated, iterative path by building test units and demonstration plants to de-risk licensing, manufacturing, and construction before commercial deployment. Its goal is to provide clean, reliable, cost-competitive electricity, with Hermes being demonstrated in Oak Ridge and partnerships with Google and TVA guiding early deployment.

Company size
501-1,000
Company stage
Grant
Total funding
$643M
Headquarters
Alameda, CA
Founded
2016

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