Materials Engineer, Coatings Development
TerraPowerBellevue, Washington, United States$139k–$208k/yr
Good fit if
- You can work a hybrid schedule.
- You have 6 years of experience.
- You can travel 0 to 10% of the time.
Credentials that matter
Skills and tools
- Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor
- Coatings Development
- Materials Qualification
- Neutron Irradiation
- Tribology
- ASME NQA-1
Required qualifications
- Bachelor's degree with minimum 6 years of related experience, or Master's degree with 3 years of related experience, or PhD in Materials Science/Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related technical discipline
- Demonstrated experience developing specialized metallic and cermet coatings for extreme environments
- Thorough understanding of tribology and surface engineering in non-lubricated environments
- Proficiency in writing and producing technical documentation including test reports and studies
- Ability to work with minimum direction to solve challenging problems
- High degree of trust and integrity; ability to communicate openly and foster teamwork
About this role
TerraPower seeks a Materials Engineer to lead coating qualification and development for the Natrium sodium-cooled fast reactor. You'll drive material selection, testing, and vendor scaling to meet performance requirements in extreme, high-temperature sodium environments and high neutron fluence conditions.
Responsibilities
- Lead qualification of core coatings, including material selection, testing, and vendor scaling activities
- Interface with project teams to ensure materials development and testing efforts meet programmatic objectives
- Source and screen coating materials and surface treatment technologies for improved friction, wear, and self-welding performance in sodium environments
- Lead vendor contracts to research, develop, and implement custom coatings and surface treatments for high neutron fluence, high-temperature sodium service
- Coordinate sodium testing needs with internal and external testing teams
- Work with vendors and fabricators to procure specimens and scale coatings to component applications; author statements of work and manage supplier performance
- Oversee material property test programs at external vendors for neutron irradiation performance and mechanical properties
- Collect data, develop, and maintain materials databases for design and licensing needs
- Provide material selection guidance for TerraPower's reactor development programs
- Compose technical documents including test plans, test specifications, technical reports, and scientific studies
- Maintain project schedule and ensure timely delivery of results
- Perform scientific analysis on test data and generate technical reports on materials performance and reactor design
Preferred qualifications
- Experience writing specifications for procurement, fabrication, or testing of materials
- Prior experience in materials development, testing, and characterization for nuclear research or industry applications
- Experience working to quality standards such as ASME NQA-1, AS9100, or ISO 17025
- Proficiency in experimental techniques for materials analysis: optical microscopy, microhardness, profilometry, SEM
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