Senior 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. About the Role As a Senior Reactor Operations Engineer, you will support the broader engineering team by providing operational insights and ensuring that once built, Radiant is prepared to test, commission, and support long term operations of Kaleidos reactors. This role offers a rare opportunity to bridge engineering, operations, licensing, and human factors in a highly technical and fast-paced environment. You will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to translate complex hardware and software designs into clear, executable, and DOE or NRC compliant operations. This position goes beyond traditional systems engineering - you will also gain hands-on experience as a Reactor Operator (RO), directly participating in the testing and commissioning of future reactor designs. Responsibilities & Duties: • Qualify as an operator to gain firsthand experience and ensure the team's work aligns with real-world execution. • Implement the conduct of operations and fleet monitoring processes for Kaleidos reactors. • Develop and refine operational procedures that integrate both software and hardware-in-the-loop testing. • Support development of control algorithms for semi-automated 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. • Collaborate closely with engineers to improve operator interfaces, procedural workflows, and software tools. Required Qualifications & Skills: • 6-7+ years of full-time professional experience in engineering problem-solving, including system design, analysis, or testing. • Familiarity with the interrelationships and dependencies of complex systems, encompassing nuclear, mechanical, I&C and electrical systems - and their response as an integrated power plant system. • Proficiency in managing or optimizing complex hardware and software processes for testing and operations. • Ability to apply first principles thinking to solve problems and make decisions in uncertain or ambiguous situations. • Background in highly regulated industries (e.g., nuclear, aerospace, aviation, maritime). 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 • Licensed as a Senior Reactor Operator or Naval equivalent. • Direct experience in developing technical procedures, human factors engineering, or operational interface design. • Prior operations background such as mission control room operator. • Experience with human factors and user-centered instructions for operational workflows. 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 trave