Nuclear Methods Engineer

Our client , an advanced energy technology organization developing next-generation nuclear power systems, is looking for a Nuclear Methods Engineer . This role supports the development, validation, and continuous improvement of advanced reactor physics methodologies and simulation software used to design, analyze, and license next-generation nuclear reactors.

Location: United States - Remote
Duration: 12 months
Compensation: $52 - $85 per hour.
Additional Compensation: This position is not eligible for bonus or incentive compensation.
Benefits: Benefits available to eligible employees or consultants may include medical, dental, and vision insurance, paid sick leave, retirement savings plans, and other employer-sponsored programs.

US citizens and those authorized to work in the US are encouraged to apply.
Work sponsorship is not available currently.
Summary:
The Nuclear Methods Engineer will support the development, validation, and documentation of advanced reactor physics methodologies and software used for reactor design and licensing activities. This role combines reactor physics expertise with scientific software development to improve simulation capabilities, automate engineering workflows, and support verification and validation (V&V) activities within a highly regulated engineering environment. The ideal candidate brings deep technical knowledge of fast reactor physics, strong computational and programming skills, and experience applying advanced nuclear analysis methods to complex engineering challenges.
Key Responsibilities:

• Develop, document, and maintain nuclear methods software requirements, design documentation, implementation details, and verification and validation (V&V) artifacts supporting reactor licensing.
• Enhance and maintain scientific software used for advanced reactor design and analysis while ensuring compliance with quality and licensing requirements.
• Develop, integrate, and automate simulation workflows, including incorporation of third-party analysis tools into the engineering software ecosystem.
• Perform reactor physics analyses including criticality calculations, flux and power distribution analysis, fuel management optimization, shielding, activation, reactivity coefficients, detector response, and uncertainty quantification.
• Design and execute sensitivity studies to evaluate modeling assumptions, physics methods, transport options, cross-section generation, kinetics, and other simulation parameters.
• Develop methods to evaluate uncertainty propagation and its impact on reactor safety margins and engineering decisions.
• Improve engineering productivity through software automation, visualization tools, reporting capabilities, and simulation workflow enhancements.
• Train and support engineering teams in the effective use of reactor physics software and analysis tools.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams to continuously improve modeling methodologies, software quality, and technical documentation.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering with relevant industry, national laboratory, academic, or commercial reactor experience.
• Typical experience includes:
  
  
  • B.S. with 5-20 years of experience.
  • M.S. with 3-15 years of experience.
  • Ph.D. with 2-10 years of experience.
• Strong understanding of fast reactor physics and reactor design principles.
• Experience developing and executing nuclear design and analysis methodologies, including criticality, flux and power distributions, fuel management optimization, reactivity coefficients, shielding, activation, control rod worth, detector response, and uncertainty analysis.
• Deep understanding of reactor physics methods, including deterministic and stochastic particle transport, isotopic depletion, perturbation theory, reactor kinetics, and nuclear data.
• Strong computational background with programming experience supporting scientific or engineering software.
• Experience integrating, automating, and improving simulation workflows.
• Proficiency with modern software development practices, including version control, IDEs, debuggers, profilers, documentation tools, and packaging frameworks.
• Strong knowledge of numerical methods, applied mathematics, statistics, and computational analysis techniques.
• Excellent technical writing, documentation, and communication skills.
• Self-motivated with the ability to manage multiple technical priorities in a collaborative engineering environment.

Nice to Have:

• Experience with reactor physics and nuclear analysis software such as DIF3D, MC2, PARTISN, MCNP, Serpent, SCALE, PARCS, APA, CASMO, DRAGON, ARMI, or similar tools.
• Programming experience with Python, C++, Fortran, or other scientific computing languages.
• Experience supporting fast-spectrum reactor design and analysis.
• Experience working within ASME NQA-1 quality assurance environments.
• Experience supporting NRC licensing activities, nuclear methodology reviews, or regulatory interactions.
• Experience supporting advanced reactor development, national laboratories, or commercial nuclear reactor programs.

About Hansell Tierney:
Hansell Tierney is one of the premier staffing and recruiting companies in the Pacific Northwest. Launched in 2001, we are a woman-owned business that serves and staffs Northwest organizations by doing things the right way, not just the easiest way. Hansell Tierney partners with candidates and clients to match the best candidates with interesting local opportunities. We navigate every relationship with the highest level of discretion and service while holding ourselves accountable to our promises. Our business thrives on our deep understanding of the job market and our ability to skillfully tailor our recruitment process to meet our clients' unique needs.
This Organization Participates in E-Verify
This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact the Department of Homeland Security or Social Security Administration so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9.
Compensation and Benefits Disclosure
The compensation range listed above represents the expected range for this position. Actual compensation may vary based on factors including experience, skills, internal equity, and geographic location.
Benefits available to eligible employees or consultants may include medical, dental, and vision insurance, paid sick leave, retirement savings plans, paid time off, and other employer-sponsored programs.