PWR Fuel Engineering Manager
Summary: Southern Nuclear Operating Company's Nuclear Fuel and Analysis Department supports the Southern Nuclear fleet in nuclear fuel, reload analysis, and reactor engineering. As a member of the leadership team, the PWR Fuel Engineering Manager will develop and manage a team of engineers responsible for fuel design, core loading strategies, and reload licensing for PWR units. This role involves delivering engineering products related to nuclear fuel and core design, core management, operational support, reload safety analysis, and reload licensing for six PWR nuclear units which include AP-1000 designs. The team also performs fuel performance evaluations and spent fuel characterization for long-term dry storage. This position offers a challenging and rewarding opportunity to provide strategic direction, staff development, and performance management to ensure effective delivery of engineering products and advancements in nuclear fuel innovations.
Major Job Responsibilities:
- Supervise assigned personnel, including training, coaching, development, and performance management.
- Provide technical direction for nuclear fuel and core designs, reactor core operations support, and reload licensing, including issuing nuclear assembly designs, cycle core designs, core loading plans, core monitoring model updates, and Core Operating Limits Reports with related safety evaluations.
- Oversee fuel performance and risk assessment of nuclear fuel and reactor core designs, including chemistry impacts on nuclear fuel and inspection planning.
- Manage spent nuclear fuel, including spent fuel pool management and selection and characterization of spent fuel for dry storage.
- Provide technical oversight of engineering deliverables from suppliers, including nuclear fuel fabricators.
- Support site Reactor Engineering organizations operationally.
- Engage with industry groups such as EPRI and PWROG.
Job Requirements:
Education:
- Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering from an ABET accredited college (preferred) OR Professional Engineer (P.E.) license/certification required.
- Degree(s) in Nuclear Engineering is preferred but not required.
Experience:
- Eight or more years of experience in fuel design, core design, safety analysis, fuel performance, or fuel characterization with demonstrated in-depth knowledge of and proficiency in nuclear fuel codes.
- Knowledge of nuclear and thermal-hydraulic engineering analyses.
- Knowledge of nuclear fuel-related FSAR and Technical Specifications and site procedures for fuel-related operational support.
- Knowledge of fuel engineering industry experience, including operation of nuclear fuel, problems encountered, trends in innovations, and new product implementations.
- Experience in fuel engineering applications of reload design, safety analysis, or reactor engineering is desired.
Skills and Behavioral Attributes:
- Demonstrates Our Values (Safety First, Intentional Inclusion, Act with Integrity, and Superior Performance)
- Ability to lead, motivate, and develop employees as future leaders, attract top candidates, and shape high-performing teams.
- Team player with a collaborative approach to cultivate solutions for the benefit of Southern Nuclear and the nuclear industry.
- Recognized as an outstanding people leader with the ability to delegate responsibility while building excellent and high-performing teams.
- Ability to lead and develop through change and be recognized as a change agent.
- Strong analytical and thinking skills to understand and provide solutions to a wide array of technical problems associated with nuclear fuel engineering.
- Outstanding credibility and ability to build excellent relationships within the company, industry, and with vendors/suppliers.
- High level of written and verbal communication skills and interpersonal skills to relate precise technical recommendations and issues with others within the Southern Nuclear fleet, regulatory agencies, nuclear fuel suppliers, other utility personnel, and various technical industry organizations.