About the Opportunity
Engaged Headhunters has been retained by a Confidential Advanced Nuclear & SMR Power Developer to recruit a Principal SMR & Nuclear Licensing Engineer (remote-flexible across the United States or hybrid near Rockville, Maryland / Washington, D.C.).
As utility and hyperscale data center off-takers accelerate clean baseload nuclear deployments, our client is advancing high-priority licensing topical reports, Construction Permit (CP), and Combined License (COL) dockets before the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). You will author and defend safety analysis chapters, manage NRC Requests for Additional Information (RAIs), and align Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) insights with reactor systems engineering.
Compensation & Package Structure
- Base Compensation: $170,000 to $220,000 annualized base salary (commensurate with NRC docket experience, SRO background, or PE licensure)
- Incentive Package: 15% to 25% annual milestone bonus tied to NRC docket acceptance and regulatory review schedules, plus long-term incentive / equity participation
- Work Arrangement: Remote across the United States or hybrid in the Maryland / D.C. corridor, with periodic travel for NRC public meetings and ACRS briefings
- Benefits: Full executive medical, dental, vision, 401(k) match, relocation assistance if desired, and ANS / NEI conference sponsorship
Core Engineering & Regulatory Responsibilities
- NRC Docket & PSAR/FSAR Authorship: Lead technical preparation and regulatory defense of Preliminary and Final Safety Analysis Report (PSAR / FSAR) chapters under 10 CFR Part 50 and 10 CFR Part 52 (and risk-informed LMP / NEI 18-04 frameworks).
- RAI Turnaround & ACRS Engagement: Coordinate cross-disciplinary thermal-hydraulics, neutronics, I&C, and severe-accident engineering responses to NRC Requests for Additional Information (RAIs) on strict docket timelines.
- 10 CFR 50.59 & Regulatory Compliance: Perform and review safety evaluations, licensing basis impact assessments, and quality assurance compliance under 10 CFR 50 Appendix B and ASME NQA-1.
- PRA & Risk-Informed Licensing: Integrate Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) models and Defense-in-Depth evaluations into design-basis and licensing basis documentation.
Required Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Nuclear Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Chemical Engineering from an ABET-accredited institution (or U.S. Navy Nuclear Propulsion Officer commissioning background).
- Licensing Experience: 6+ years of commercial nuclear regulatory affairs, NRC licensing, safety analysis (FSAR/UFSAR), or Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) experience with a reactor vendor, nuclear utility, or the U.S. NRC.
- Regulatory Mastery: Proven track record authoring or reviewing NRC topical reports, LARs, CP/COL/DC applications, or 10 CFR 50.59 evaluations.
Confidential Inquiries
All inquiries are handled confidentially by Engaged Headhunters. Our client's identity is never disclosed publicly and your current employer is never contacted without your explicit permission.