Radioisotope Power System Mechanical Engineer

Idaho National Laboratory seeks Radioisotope Power System Mechanical Engineer to shape the future of nuclear energy by pioneering solutions for motion, heat, and fluid dynamics that secure America's energy infrastructure while advancing critical technologies. This position is located at our Materials and Fuels Complex, which hosts the core of the U.S. nuclear research and development capabilities with a diverse array of facilities designed for remote work on highly irradiated fuels and materials. A new fuel idea can be designed, fabricated, tested, and analyzed at MFC to better understand the effects of irradiation. Many groups, such as universities, industry partners, other national laboratories, international research organizations, and other federal agencies are working at MFC. Our team works a 4x10 schedule with every Friday off.

 Essential Job Functions:

• Decompose project goals into defined and controlled design requirements.
• Use best practices in design methodologies to develop and validate designs.
• Develop physics-based mathematical models of mechanical, chemical, and electrical systems.
• Maintain familiarity with codes and standards applicable to the discipline.
• Document designs to establish conformance with requirements and standards.
• Establish testing, inspection, and quality requirements.
• Ensure fabrication, construction, assembly, and procurement align with design specifications.
• Develop and maintain systems/equipment, perform calculations, and evaluate design specifications.
• Provide solutions to technical problems and recommendations for production improvements.
• Monitor and evaluate plant systems, recommend maintenance and repair standards, and identify vendor data and spare parts.
• Support and lead new project development, including proposals and business plans.
• Ensure design modifications meet technical baseline requirements and applicable codes.
• Maintain configuration management of the technical baseline and assigned systems.
• Ensure consistency in operational characteristics across documentation.
• Mentor and train junior engineering staff.
• Develop experiment requirements, perform designs, and support fabrication, inspection, assembly, and testing.
• Lead the design and development of experimental setups and support post-irradiation examination (PIE) of irradiated test fuel.
• Serve as design engineer for fueled test train fabrication tasks.
• Develop project-specific documentation and check drawings.

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or a directly related field from a program accredited by ABET and 9 years of experience. Master's and 6 years of experience.  PhD and 4 years of experience.
• Must have mission integration experience with NASA

• Must have experience Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) 

• Must have experience leading cross-agency engineering integration among NASA, DOE, INL, APL, and JPL.

• Must have demonstrated experience developing DOE Operability index used to evaluate infrastructure risk across multiple laboratories. 

• This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a Department of Energy "Q" clearance, which requires US Citizenship.

This role requires strong technical skills in mechanical engineering, including design, modeling, and problem-solving. Effective communication and the ability to mentor junior staff are also essential. Familiarity with applicable codes, standards, and safety requirements is crucial.

Physical Requirements:

While performing the duties of this classification, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, stoop, kneel, bend, and work in an office and field/laboratory environment. The job requires hand/finger dexterity to keyboard or type, handle materials, manipulate tools, and reach with hands and arms. The job requires operation of job-related equipment and driving a vehicle. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 35 pounds without assistance. Sufficient visual acuity and hearing capacity to perform the essential functions and interact with the public is required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

 Job Information:

Idaho National Laboratory is hiring a Radioisotope Power System Mechanical Engineer to work on our RPS Department   team. Our team works a 4x10 schedule located out of the Materials and Fuels Complex with every Friday off. 

• The pay range for this position is $114,360 – $234,336. At Idaho National Laboratory compensation decisions are determined using factors such as education, relevant experience, and other credentials.
• TDP: This is a testing designated position; you will be required to submit to a pre-employment drug screen and periodic drug testing throughout the term of your employment.