Full-Time

Lead Mechanical Engineer

Spent Fuel Storage

Posted on 6/23/2025

Kairos Power

Kairos Power

501-1,000 employees

Designs, licenses, and demonstrates advanced reactors

Compensation Overview

$140.6k - $165.4k/yr

Alameda, CA, USA

In Person

Some travel may be required (up to 20%).

Category
Mechanical Engineering (1)
Required Skills
Assembly
SolidWorks
Requirements
  • BS degree in Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent with industry fuel handling equipment experience.
  • 8+ years of experience.
  • Experience leading a team of engineers.
  • Experience designing in high radiation environments, including building layout considerations, shielding, material selection, and sensor selection.
  • Experience with ASME BPVC design codes
  • Experience working in a conceptual design space, developing system requirements, operations, mechanical envelopes, and interfaces.
  • Experience interfacing with manufacturing teams and an understanding of manufacturing processes.
  • Experience designing for Nuclear, Energy, Defense, or Aerospace applications.
  • SolidWorks experience required.
  • Ability to work collaboratively with others including, but not limited to Technicians, Engineers and Designers in a multi-discipline project team environment to resolve design, drawing, test, or manufacturing issues as appropriate to accomplish objectives.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, and attention to detail.
Responsibilities
  • Lead the resolution of system wide challenges, engaging with subject matter experts across Kairos Power to deliver solutions.
  • Support building layout decisions including sizing estimation, conceptual operations, interface definitions and design envelope development.
  • Contribute to make/buy analysis, supplier selections and the development of manufacturing plans.
  • Mentor Spent Fuel Storage team members on technical challenges, testing strategies, and conceptual designs.
  • Manage external interfaces, both internal and external to Kairos, to meet delivery schedules to support company objectives.
  • Support the design and prototyping of critical subsystems of the KP-FHR storage system equipment.
  • Engage with manufacturing and operations at the KP-SW campus to support the manufacturing, assembly, and operation of high fidelity and full scall fuel handling equipment.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience with high temperature systems is desired

Kairos Power designs, licenses, and demonstrates advanced nuclear reactors, headed by the KP-FHR which uses fluoride salt coolant and high operating temperatures to generate electricity. The system focuses on low water use and near-zero carbon emissions, pursuing an integrated path from design to regulatory licensing and demonstration to prove safety and economics. The company distinguishes itself by aiming to beat natural gas on cost and by a clear licensing/demo program coupled with environmental and grid-resilience performance. Its goal is to scale safe, affordable nuclear technology through government support, investments, licensing deals, and long-term service agreements to help decarbonize electricity.

Company Size

501-1,000

Company Stage

Grant

Total Funding

$20K

Headquarters

Alameda, California

Founded

2016

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Google-TVA deal secures 50 MWe offtake for Hermes 2 by 2030.
  • DOE Nuclear Dominance program accelerates TRISO fuel supply by 2033.
  • BWXT partnership scales commercial TRISO production for deployments.

What critics are saying

  • Hermes 1 completion slips to 2029, delaying Hermes 2 operations.
  • TerraPower's 42-month Wyoming reactor steals Google data center contracts.
  • NRG PALLAS tests expose TRISO cracking, forcing NRC redesigns.

What makes Kairos Power unique

  • KP-FHR uses TRISO pebble fuel and Flibe salt coolant from Oak Ridge origins.
  • First NRC-permitted power-producing Gen IV reactor with Hermes 2.
  • Factory-built modules from Albuquerque campus enable modular SMR assembly.

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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

Headcount

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

2%

2 year growth

1%
NucNet
Sep 3rd, 2025
Kairos And BWXT To Collaborate On Commercial Production Of Triso Nuclear Fuel

Kairos is developing Generation IV fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (KP-FHR) technology.

Chattanooga Times Free Press
Aug 18th, 2025
TVA, Google team up on advanced nuclear reactor project

Kairos Power will sell electricity to the Tennessee Valley Authority through an agreement announced Monday, and TVA will pass clean energy credits to its customer Google, which operates two data centers in the region.

Teknovation.biz
Jun 3rd, 2025
Ornl And Elementl Power Collaborate On A Data-Driven Approach For New Nuclear

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Elementl Power have teamed up to advance a data-driven siting approach for advanced nuclear projects. The work started through a U.S. Department of Energy... The post ORNL and Elementl Power collaborate on a data-driven approach for new nuclear appeared first on Teknovation.biz.

Teknovation.biz
May 8th, 2025
Kairos Power Completes First Installation Of Nuclear Safety-Related Concrete For The Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor

Kairos Power announced on Thursday that the company has completed the first installation of nuclear safety-related concrete for the Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor, marking the start of “nuclear construction” on... The post Kairos Power completes first installation of nuclear safety-related concrete for the Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor appeared first on Teknovation.biz.

NEI Magazine
Mar 28th, 2025
NRG PALLAS to test fuel for Kairos SMR

Netherlands research institute NRG PALLAS has signed a contract with US-based Kairos Power to assess materials and fuels that will be used in the small modular reactors (SMRs) Kairos is developing to power Google data centres.

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