Nuclear Licensing Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Our Mission Is Simple: Democratize Access To Clean Energy

Welcome to BlueCore Energy! We are on a relentless mission to democratize access to clean energy . By designing and building advanced floating Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) on barges right here in Long Beach, CA, we are bringing scalable, clean, and reliable power to the world. Joining our team means getting in on the ground floor of a revolution in marine small modular reactors (SMRs). If you are passionate, driven, and ready to tackle some of the most exciting challenges of our time, we want you on our team!

Our Values

• Humility — We hold strong opinions loosely, say "I don't know," ask for help early, and let the best idea win regardless of who it came from.

• Inclusivity — The best engineering comes from many perspectives. We build a team where everyone is heard, and we mean it.

• Pragmatism — We solve the real problem in front of us, reuse what already works, and value a tested answer over an elegant one.

About the Role

The Nuclear Licensing Engineer will author and manage the critical regulatory documents required to authorize and license Nautilus, BlueCore’s flagship floating nuclear power plant. Sitting within the Certification Department, you will synthesize complex engineering analyses, operating procedures, and training programs into formal submittals that the DOE and NRC approve. This is a highly cross-functional role central to four parallel regulatory campaigns: DOE demonstration authorization under the Launch Pad program, NRC commercial licensing, ABS marine classification, and USCG vessel authorization. You will work daily with engineering, operations, and leadership to translate reactor design and maritime engineering concepts into robust safety bases for INL testing, site-specific authorization packages for our Long Beach barge, and full NRC license applications.

Responsibilities  

• Author portions of the Preliminary and Documented Safety Analyses, Technical Safety Requirements, and supporting documentation for DOE authorization at Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

• Write FSAR chapters, Technical Specifications, and the Environmental Report for the NRC license application.

• Develop supplemental methodologies and targeted exemptions to make the regulatory case for a first-of-a-kind floating facility, rather than simply filling in existing templates.

• Convert the INL safety basis into the Long Beach site-specific authorization package, adapting analyses for unique site conditions, emergency planning zones, and barge-specific considerations.

• Draft, manage, and close out NRC Request for Additional Information (RAI) responses, building technical arguments for unprecedented, first-of-a-kind regulatory questions.

• Lead NRC pre-application engagement and build early working relationships with reviewers, helping to define certification pathways and coordination across the NRC, USCG, ABS, DOE, and MARAD.

• Collaborate directly with the Operations and Training Leads to integrate their procedures into licensing submittals, ensuring content is both operationally viable and regulatorily sound.

• Travel to NRC headquarters, INL, and other sites for regulatory engagement, testing support, and strategic coordination.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Substantial experience writing or contributing to an FSAR or NRC license application at a commercial reactor, reactor vendor (e.g., Westinghouse, Framatome), or NRC consulting firm; OR equivalent experience as NRC staff (writing SERs, reviewing applications, or developing staff positions).

• Working knowledge of NRC Regulatory Guides, FSAR formatting, 10 CFR 50.34 content requirements, Technical Specification formatting (NUREG-1431 or equivalent), and the NRC RAI response process.

• Exceptional technical writing ability, with a track record of communicating complex safety arguments clearly and accurately to regulatory bodies.

• Ability to rapidly understand complex reactor designs and maritime engineering concepts well enough to translate them into defensible regulatory arguments.

• Ability to travel to NRC headquarters, Idaho National Laboratory, and other locations as needed.

Desired Qualifications & Skills

• Successful completion of at least one licensing action from initial submittal through final NRC approval.

• Deep understanding of how NRC reviewers evaluate documents, including expected levels of detail, common RAI triggers, and effective argument structuring for clean regulatory closure.

• Familiarity with the June 2026 NRC and USCG Memorandum of Understanding on civilian maritime nuclear projects or general maritime regulatory environments.

Working at BlueCore Energy

On-Site Requirement: Our team works together at our Long Beach facility, right next to our barge. 

 

Highly Cross-Functional: Startups move fast! You must possess the ability to seamlessly collaborate across multiple teams to rapidly solve problems and keep production moving.

 

Physical & Machinery Requirements: Because we are a hands-on startup, this role may require the ability to perform physical labor, navigate active construction/manufacturing zones, and/or operate heavy machinery and specialized manufacturing equipment as needed.