Principal Engineer, Safety Methods
TerraPowerBellevue, Washington, United States$168k–$252k/yr
Good fit if
- You can work a hybrid schedule.
- You have 12+ years of experience.
- You can travel 0 to 10% of the time.
Credentials that matter
Skills and tools
- RELAP
- GOTHIC
- SAS
- Thermal Hydraulics
- ASME NQA-1
- Python
- MATLAB
Required qualifications
- Degree in Mechanical, Nuclear, Chemical Engineering, or similar field
- 12+ years of experience in system-level thermal-hydraulic modeling and method development for nuclear or complex energy systems
- Demonstrated experience developing or improving analysis methods, including numerical scheme development, closure model formulation, and stability/accuracy optimization strategies
- Experience performing system-level thermal-hydraulic analyses using tools such as RELAP5-3D, GOTHIC, SAS, or equivalent
- Strong foundation in thermal-fluids and reactor system behavior, including complex thermal-hydraulic phenomena relevant to advanced reactor designs
- Experience in sensitivity analyses and model gap identification that support method development priorities
- Familiarity with NQA-1 quality assurance for modeling workflows, including documented methodologies, configuration control, and model traceability
- Strong analytical thinking, clear technical communication, and ability to support multiple method development efforts in parallel
About this role
Principal Engineer supporting the development and deployment of thermal-hydraulic analysis methods and models for TerraPower's Natrium advanced reactor. This role focuses on system-level thermal-hydraulics and computational methods to enable accurate prediction of plant behavior across operational and transient scenarios, with emphasis on method qualification, closure model integration, and licensing-support documentation.
Responsibilities
- Develop plant-scale thermal-hydraulic analysis methods, including modeling strategies, numerical approaches, and closure models
- Perform steady-state and transient system-level analyses to characterize model behavior, assess method performance, and define method fidelity requirements
- Develop and maintain method qualification plans, including numerical verification, applicability envelopes, and performance characterization
- Formulate and integrate closure models and correlations (heat transfer, pressure drop, mixing, component-level physics) into existing analysis frameworks
- Identify modeling gaps and drive method enhancement priorities using Phenomena Identification and Ranking Table (PIRT), sensitivity studies, and multi-physics needs
- Develop automated workflows and tools for model setup, execution, post-processing, and repeatable method application
- Collaborate with test engineering to define data needs that inform method development and guide model formulation
- Document modeling methodologies, assumptions, method applicability, and numerical performance for design and licensing-support activities
- Work across disciplines to ensure thermal-hydraulic methods integrate effectively with plant design, safety analysis, and coupled simulation workflows
- Apply and improve TerraPower's SQA and NQA-1 modeling practices, ensuring traceability, configuration control, and reproducibility
- Mentor junior engineers in numerical method development, system modeling, and modern computational analysis practices
Preferred qualifications
- Familiarity with scientific programming and workflow automation (Python, MATLAB)
Similar roles
Related jobs
Principal Engineer, Safety Methods
TerraPower · $168k–$252k/yr