Modular Facility Senior Engineer

Senior Engineer

The Global Security Directorate (GSD) at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) is seeking a highly skilled Mechanical, Nuclear, or Materials Engineer to lead the continued expansion and development of mobile nuclear facility programs, including the Plutonium Removal Team facility (PRT) and Mobile Melt-Consolidate (MMC) system. These one-of-a-kind, modular, deployable facilities play a critical global role in securing weapons-grade nuclear material and supporting nuclear nonproliferation efforts. As the Senior Engineer, you will leverage your technical expertise to innovate, design, and enhance mobile nuclear systems and processes that enable rapid deployment capabilities in support of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and its international denuclearization missions.

Responsibilities

• Facility Development and Engineering Leadership :

  • Serve as the engineering lead for the design, prototyping, testing, and deployment of advanced mobile facilities, modular systems, and supporting technologies.
  • Ensure that the facilities meet or exceed the requirements of applicable federal and international standards, including ISO, MIL-STD, DOE standards, and 10 CFR regulations.
  • Innovate and advance core technologies such as gloveboxes, radiological monitoring, modular shielding systems, furnaces, criticality monitoring equipment, x-ray technologies, and radiological venting systems.
  • Leverage emergent and developing technologies to enhance current systems and futures designs of mobile facilities.
  • Oversee end-to-end technical execution of global mobile nuclear stabilization and recovery missions.

• Program Expansion :

  • Coordinate and explore with federal sponsors and other national laboratories potential applications for modular facilities in support of DOE objectives.
  • Develop and refine innovative systems to expand the footprint and versatile use cases for mobile nuclear facilities.
  • Collaborate with NNSA's Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation and the Office of Materials Management and Minimization to meet evolving national and international nuclear security challenges.
  • Advance the mission capabilities for rapid deployment to global locations, including integrating Remote Recovery and Response capabilities.

• System Engineering and Operations :

  • Oversee materials engineering and technical solutions tailored for degraded, hazardous, and emergency environments.
  • Evaluate mission-specific requirements, including nuclear material characterization, isotopic analysis, and material stabilization methods to meet safety, proliferation resistance, and transportation requirements.
  • Provide in-country leadership for stabilization, packaging, and containerization of nuclear materials, ensuring compliance with DOE Orders and federal criteria for air and ground transport.
  • Provide oversight of rigorous testing protocols for equipment readiness prior to each mission.

• Team Leadership :

  • Lead a cross-functional engineering and operations team, providing technical and project management expertise to ensure safe and efficient processes.
  • Mentor and train engineers, technicians, and scientists to develop a highly adaptable, skill-diverse technical workforce prepared for rapid response to emerging nuclear threats.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related discipline. Advanced degree strongly preferred.
• At least 10 years of engineering experience in the nuclear, defense, or related high-hazard industries, with expertise in stabilizing and handling materials under stringent safety standards.

• Experience :

  • Proven experience with modular or mobile systems used in remote operations and high-security environments.
  • Familiarity with international, DOE, and NNSA standards for nuclear safety and material accountability.

• Technical Expertise :

  • Proficient in nuclear materials science, thermal systems (furnaces, calorimetry, thermal analysis), radiological hazard mitigation, shielding systems, and other high-hazard facility systems.
  • Knowledge of radioactive material characterization techniques such as gamma/neutron detection, X-ray imaging, criticality control, and non-destructive assay (NDA) methods.
  • Comprehensive understanding of regulatory environments, including 10 CFR 830, 10 CFR 835, ISO certification for global transport, as well as NQA-1.

• General:

  • For ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance, US Citizenship is Legally Required
  • Highly effective communication and interpersonal skills
  • Must be able to communicate effectively to government agencies and facility resources

• Travel Requirements : This position requires availability for global travel, with potential deployment to mission sites on short notice (3–7 days) and durations of weeks to several months based on mission requirements.

Preferred Qualifications :

• Professional Engineer (PE) accreditation or equivalent certification in Mechanical, Nuclear, or Materials Engineering.
• Experience working with gloveboxes, HEPA systems, radiation detection systems, or similar high-security engineered systems of significant complexity.
• Active Q clearance
• Active SCI clearance y
• Extensive knowledge of the people, mission, and activities of the NNSA's Office of Materials Management and Minimization (NA-23)
• Demonstrated ability to successfully propose new work to federal sponsors and/or work with same
• Experience in developing proposals for new mission support