Senior Welding Engineer

Aalo Atomics Welding EngineerAalo Atomics is pioneering a new era in clean energy with factory-fabricated microreactors designed to deliver affordable, scalable, and reliable nuclear power. Our mission is to make nuclear energy globally accessible, starting with the Aalo-1, a 10 MWe reactor leveraging cutting-edge safety, modularity, and efficiency. Based in Austin, TX, we're rapidly growing as we work to deploy the world's first fleet of advanced microreactors. Join us and help revolutionize energy for a sustainable future.About the RoleYou'll be a founding member of our welding engineering function. You'll own process development and qualification, drive automation and cost reduction, and lead R&D into advanced welding modalities — laser beam, electron beam, and others — that unlock performance and throughput conventional arc welding can't. You'll also develop our zirconium welding capability from scratch, a rare technical challenge outside national labs. This is a hands-on role. You'll be on the shop floor as much as at your desk.What You'll DoProcess Development & QualificationDevelop, qualify, and optimize GTAW, GMAW, spray MIG, and emerging processes for stainless steel pressure vessels and pipingOwn WPS/PQR documentation to ASME Section IX, AWS D1.6, or applicable codesLead zirconium welding procedure development: inert atmosphere GTAW, shielding gas optimization, contamination control, and full mechanical qualificationDevelop and document PWHT cycles; interpret metallurgical outcomesAdvanced Welding R&DEvaluate and qualify laser beam (LBW), electron beam (EBW), plasma arc (PAW), and hybrid laser-arc processes for vessel and pressure system applicationsDesign parametric studies to characterize process windows and build qualification datasetsDevelop solutions for difficult joint configurations — dissimilar materials, thin-wall closures, complex penetrationsCollaborate with vendors, equipment suppliers, and national lab partners to stay at the front edge of nuclear-relevant welding technologyBuild internal IP and documentation to support future procedure qualifications and regulatory submittalsAutomation & Cost ReductionIdentify and implement orbital GTAW, mechanized MIG, and robotic welding to drive consistency and reduce labor costDevelop parametric programs for automated systems including seam tracking, adaptive fill, and multi-pass sequencingInstrument in-process monitoring (voltage, travel speed, heat input) to enable closed-loop quality controlTrack weld cycle times, consumable costs, and rework rates; use data to justify capital investmentsQuality & Continuous ImprovementPartner with design engineers on joint weldability — distortion control, access, inspection compatibilityWork with NDE personnel (RT, PT, UT, PAUT) to interpret results and close nonconformancesDrive root cause analysis on weld defects using metallography, fractography, hardness, and chemical analysisBuild and maintain weld quality metrics; use them to focus engineering effort where it has the highest returnMaintain documentation infrastructure: travelers, hold points, NCRs, lessons learnedProduction SupportProvide real-time direction to welders on the floor; troubleshoot defects and maintain build paceMentor welders on technique, procedure compliance, and quality standardsSupport welder qualification and certification as the team scalesQualificationsBS in Materials Science, Metallurgical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field5+ years of welding engineering experience including process development and qualificationHands-on GTAW experience on stainless steel pressure-boundary applicationsWorking knowledge of ASME BPVC Section IX or equivalent pressure systems codeComfortable on the shop floor — able to evaluate welds in progress, not just on paperPreferred QualificationsAWS CWE or CWI certificationExperience with LBW or EBW process development or production supportExperience welding zirconium, titanium, or Inconel under inert-atmosphere conditionsExperience deploying orbital or robotic welding in production, including program developmentBackground in weld process monitoring and correlating in-process signals to quality outcomesFamiliarity with nuclear QA requirements (NQA-1, 10 CFR 50 Appendix B) or equivalent regulated-industry QA (aerospace, defense)Hands-on fabrication ability — picking up a torch and demonstrating technique is a plusWhy This RoleYou'll develop zirconium welding procedures few U.S. engineers have touched outside national labs, qualify laser and electron beam processes for nuclear vessel applications, and build the weld program from the ground up at a company moving from prototype to production at unprecedented speed. Every improvement you make means faster builds, lower cost, and more clean energy in the world. Candidates only, no recruiters or agencies please.