Lead Reactor Operations Engineer at Radiant in El Segundo, CA

Job description

About Radiant Radiant is an El Segundo, CA-based startup building the world’s first mass-produced, portable nuclear microreactors. Rising energy demand is straining the U.S. grid and driving up utility costs, emissions, and interconnection backlogs. Radiant decentralizes energy, producing power close to where it’s used. Its first reactor, Kaleidos, is a factory-built, 1-megawatt, fail-safe microreactor that can be transported by land, sea, or air and runs up to 5 years without refueling. Deployed locally without a decade-long build or permitting fight, Kaleidos provides independent power for critical infrastructure like military bases, data centers, hospitals, and remote sites. Founded in 2020, Radiant is under contract to deliver power to the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, and has pre-order agreements with Equinix, with deployments beginning in 2028. As the Lead Reactor Operations Engineer, you will direct the team providing operational insights to ensure the development of Kaleidos and its functionality meet the requirements for safe, efficient, and reliable reactor operations and commissioning. This position will oversee and approve the development of reactor operating interfaces, conduct of operations, and procedures. You will also go one step further and qualify as a Kaleidos Reactor Operator yourself – always remaining technically hands on. Responsibilities & Duties: • Lead, mentor, and grow a team of Reactor Operations Engineers, setting technical priorities aligned with test, commissioning, and operational milestones. • Qualify as an operator to gain firsthand experience and ensure the team's work aligns with real-world execution. • Establish the conduct of operations and fleet monitoring processes for Kaleidos reactors. • Support development of control algorithms for semi-autonomous and/or manual operations. • Support the evaluation of integrated plant response to various events, accidents, and malfunctions. • Participate in design reviews and provide feedback from an operations and maintenance perspective. • Ensure all team deliverables meet DOE and NRC standards, maintaining strict formatting, clarity, and usability in procedural documentation. • Recruit, hire, and develop engineering talent to scale the team with Radiant's growth. Required Qualifications & Skills: • 6+ years of full-time professional engineering experience, including system design, analysis, or testing, with 2+ years in a formal or informal technical leadership role. • Familiarity with the interrelationships and dependencies of reactor systems, encompassing nuclear, mechanical, I&C and electrical systems - and their response as an integrated power plant system. • Licensed as Senior Reactor Operator or Naval equivalent. • Ability to apply first principles thinking to solve problems and make decisions in uncertain or ambiguous situations. • Excellent written and verbal communication skills. • Background in highly regulated industries (e.g., nuclear, aerospace, aviation, maritime). • Demonstrated ability to lead and develop technical teams, managing and making decisions on risk, while remaining hands-on. Desired Qualifications & Skills: • Prior experience working as an operator in nuclear environments (e.g., nuclear energy, naval reactors, or radiation-controlled facilities), with familiarity in safety protocols, regulatory compliance, and high-reliability operations. • 3+ years of full-time nuclear operations experience. • Licensed as Senior Reactor Operator or Naval equivalent. • Hands-on experience in developing technical procedures, human factors engineering, or operational interface design. • Prior operations background such as mission control room operator. Additional Requirements: • Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as necessary to accomplish our mission. • Must work 100% onsite at El Segundo HQ. • Willingness to travel 50% - 60% of the time, as needed for projects. Benefits and Perks • Stock: Substantial incentive stock plan for