Lead Fuel Performance Engineer

Oak Ridge, TN 37830

Posted:

09/18/2026

Employment Type:

Direct Hire

Job Number:

32414

Job Location:

Onsite

Industry:

ALT - Alternative Energy

JOB DESCRIPTION

Position Title:

Lead Fuel Performance Engineer

Position Description:

Protingent Staffing has an exciting direct hire Lead Fuel Performance Engineer opportunity.

Job Responsibilities:

Architectural Modeling:

Develop, execute, and iterate high-fidelityputational models of fuel behavior. These modeling efforts must scale systematically starting at the individual TRISO particle level, expanding to collections of TRISO within the ceramic matrix, scaling to integral fuel pellets, and finally epassing the full hexagonal graphite prismatic fuel blocks.

Transient Simulation:

Execute rigorous thermal and mechanical behavioral simulations for steady-state and transient events, specifically including Loss-of-Forced-Cooling (LOFC) scenarios w peak fuel temperatures rapidly approach design limits.

Experimental & Licensing Translation:

Translateplex modeling outputs into actionable technical inputs for irradiation experiment planning and author the resulting fuel performance documentation required for regulatory licensing submissions.

Verification & Validation (V&V): Drive the formal Verification and Validation of all utilizedmon fuel performance codes (e.g., BISON).

Configuration Control & QA Compliance:

Ensure strict codepliance to nuclear Quality Assurance (QA) standards by anchoring all codes, behavioral data, and modeling workflows exclusively within Siemens Teamcenter.

Qualification Model & Evidence Integration:

Establish the validated analytical basis that links manufacturing attributes, irradiation conditions, PIE and safety-test results, fuel failure mechanisms, and uncertainty to KRONOS operating limits and safety-analysis inputs.

Job Qualifications:

Education:

Degree in Nuclear Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a related highly technical discipline.

Advanced Analytical Background:

8+ years of experience in fuel-performance, multiphysics, or mechanistic materials modeling, including technical leadership of safety-significant analyses. System-oriented mindset with the capability to operate exclusively within enterprise product lifecycle management (PLM) systems (e.g., Siemens Teamcenter) for all documentation and configuration control.

TRISO Failure Mechanisms:

Demonstrated understanding of coated-particle thermochemistry, pressure-vessel failure, irradiation-induced dimensional change, coating degradation, fission-product transport, andpact or matrix interactions.

Experimental Data Interpretation:

Hands-on proficiency executingmon fuel performance codes (e.g., BISON or equivalent high-fidelityputational frameworks). Experience using irradiation histories, dosimetry, thermometry, PIE, accident-temperature testing, and fission-product release data to calibrate or validate predictive models.

Model V&V and UQ:

Proven ability to define code applicability, validation metrics, model-form uncertainty, parameter uncertainty, bias, scaling, and acceptance criteria under a controlled software-quality program.

Safety-Limit Translation:

Experience converting model results and uncertainty into defensible operating envelopes, design limits, failure-fraction estimates, source-term inputs, and licensing technical reports.

Preferred Job Qualifications:

Direct applied experience modeling TRISO fuel particles, silicon carbide (SiC) matrices, or parallel advanced ceramic matrixposites.

Familiarity with

ASME NQA-1

quality assurance requirements specifically regarding software design and control.

High-level thermal-mechanical modeling experience derived from parallel, extreme-environment industries (e.g., advanced aerospace, thermal shielding) transitioning into the nuclear sector.

Job Details:

Job Type:

Full-time

Salary Range:

TBD

Location:

Oak Ridge, TN (Onsite)