Principal Nuclear Engineer

About the role

You will serve as the organization's foremost technical authority in your domain for a nuclear utility or vendor, setting standards that engineers across the company follow. The role spans the hardest technical problems, regulatory strategy, and industry leadership on codes and standards. You will resolve disputes between experts, guide major licensing positions, and mentor senior engineers. This role matters because principal engineers define what good looks like for an entire organization, and your technical authority underwrites the safety case for everything the company builds or operates. You will also advise executive leadership on technology strategy, translating technical realities into business decisions. Your expert testimony may be called upon in regulatory hearings where the organization's most consequential positions are defended. You will publish and present work that shapes industry thinking, extending your influence beyond your employer. Your judgment on which technical battles matter, and which do not, will save the organization from both complacency and perfectionism.

What you will achieve

• Establish technical standards and methodologies adopted across the engineering organization, measurably improving analysis consistency.
• Resolve the organization's most difficult technical disputes with analyses all parties accept as authoritative.
• Shape major licensing positions that the NRC accepts, avoiding costly redesigns or operational restrictions.
• Represent the company on industry codes and standards committees, influencing requirements in technically sound directions.
• Develop the next generation of technical leaders through sustained mentoring of senior engineers.

What you will bring

Must-haves

• 12+ years in nuclear engineering with recognized expertise across multiple technical domains.
• Demonstrated technical authority: your analyses and judgments are sought on the hardest problems.
• Track record of successful major licensing interactions with the NRC or equivalent regulators.
• Experience setting technical standards, methodologies, or design criteria for an organization.
• Ability to communicate complex technical positions clearly to executives and regulators.
• Mentoring impact: senior engineers you have developed now lead their own significant efforts.
• Professional reputation in the industry through publications, committee work, or peer recognition.

Nice-to-haves

• Professional Engineer license.
• Leadership roles in ANS, ASME, or IEEE standards committees.
• Advanced degree with research contributions to the field.
• Experience with international regulatory frameworks and cross-border projects.