CAE Plant Design System Application Engineer

TerraPower is a nuclear technology company based in Bellevue, Washington. At its core, the company is working to raise living standards globally through a more affordable, secure, and environmentally friendly form of nuclear energy along with innovations in medical isotopes to improve human health. In 2006, TerraPower originated with Bill Gates and a group of like-minded visionaries who evaluated the fundamental challenges to raising living standards around the world. They recognized energy access was crucial to the health and economic well-being of communities and decided that the private sector needed to take action and create energy sources that would advance global energy deployment. TerraPower’s mission is to be a world leader in new nuclear technologies, while developing innovators and future leaders in the nuclear field. As a result, the company’s activities in the fields of nuclear energy and related sciences are yielding significant innovations in the safety and economics of nuclear power, hybrid energy and medical applications – all for significant human health benefits.

TerraPower is seeking to hire highly motivated and forward-thinking professionals who are interested in focusing on advanced nuclear reactor research and development and influencing change within the nuclear power landscape and bringing forward the critical production of medical isotopes. TerraPower is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. 

CAE Plant Design System Application Engineer

TerraPower, LLC is seeking to hire a highly motivated Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) System Application Engineer to support the Natrium team. The CAE Plant Design System Application Engineer is responsible for configuring, administering, and optimizing plant design platforms, including but not limited to 3D CAD, piping, electrical, and integrated plant layout systems. This role supports nuclear engineering projects by ensuring design tools, data structures, and workflows align with engineering standards, regulatory requirements, and simulation-based analysis needs. The engineer develops and implements processes that enable efficient model integration, automation, and downstream analysis, supporting the full lifecycle of plant design and operational planning. While the role includes hands-on work in the design tools, it is not purely hands-on: the engineer will also provide oversight of, guidance for, and collaboration with external EPC counterparts and system users.

Responsibilities

• Configuration & Administration:
• Configure and maintain plant design platforms, ensuring proper setup for nuclear engineering applications (e.g., integrated layout systems, 3D CAD, and piping design).
• Administer system modules, licenses, and data structures to support project and organizational needs.
• Tool Optimization & Integration:
• Optimize workflows and tool configurations for efficient integration of design models across disciplines.
• Enable automation processes for piping, electrical layout, and 3D model generation to improve design efficiency.
• Data Management:
• Develop and maintain robust data structures that support engineering standards and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure data integrity and compatibility with CAE simulation tools for downstream analysis.
• Regulatory Compliance:
• Collaborate with engineering and regulatory teams to ensure plant design systems meet nuclear safety and compliance standards.
• Maintain adherence to applicable codes, such as ASME BPVC, ACI 349, and ASCE 43.
• Support & Training:
• Provide technical support to engineering teams using plant design systems.
• Develop training materials and conduct workshops to enable users to effectively utilize design tools and workflows.
• Engineering Support Execution
• Hands-on use of Intergraph Smart 3D, Smart P&ID, AutoCAD, and other design and analysis tools to help achieve project goals.
• Coaching project employees in the use of Smart 3D, Smart P&ID, and other design and analysis tools.
• EPC Oversight & Collaboration:
• Provide oversight of and technical guidance to external EPC counterparts and other external users on the use of plant design systems, helping ensure their models, data, and deliverables conform to TerraPower standards, configurations, and workflows.
• Collaborate with EPC counterparts to align on tool configuration, data exchange, and model integration, and serve as a point of contact for resolving system and data issues across organizational boundaries.

Key Qualifications and Skills

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field or equivalent experience.
• Experience:
• Minimum of 8 years of experience with plant design systems, preferably Intergraph Smart 3D or alternatively AVEVA E3D, AutoCAD Plant 3D or similar.
• Experience with data integration between SQL-based plant design applications, preferably Intergraph Smart 3D with other Smart applications, alternatively AVEVA Unified Engineering or similar.
• Experience utilizing different 3D platforms across different project phases with migration path to intelligent, data-centric plant design.
• Experience with CAE simulation tools and engineering workflows in the nuclear or energy sector is preferred.
• Technical Skills:
• Proficient in plant design platforms, data structures, and integration workflows.
• Familiarity with programming or scripting for automation (e.g., Python, VBA, or similar).
• Hands-on experience with 3D plant design platform, preferably Intergraph Smart 3D, alternatively AVEVA E3D, AutoCAD Plant 3D, or similar.
• Hands-on experience with 2D CAD platform, preferably AutoCAD, alternatively MicroStation or similar.
• Knowledge of regulatory compliance requirements (e.g., NRC guidelines, DOE standards).
• Soft Skills:
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary teams effectively.
• Ability to provide oversight, guidance, and constructive feedback to external EPC counterparts and users, and to build effective working relationships with them.

This position is subject to qualification requirements in accordance with ANSI/ANS 3.1. Candidates must meet the minimum education and experience criteria applicable to the role, including relevant nuclear industry experience where required. Verification of data will be part of the hiring process.

Job Functions:

Job Functions are physical actions and/or working conditions associated with the position. These functions may also constitute essential functions for the job which the employee must be able to fulfill, with or without accommodation.  Information provided below is to help describe the job so that the applicant has a reasonable understanding of the job duties/expectations.  An applicant's ability to perform and/or tolerate these actions and conditions will be discussed and workplace accommodations may be made on a case-by-case basis following an individualized assessment of the applicant and other considerations, including but not limited to any governing safety standards.

• Motor Abilities: Sitting for extended periods, bending/stooping, grasping/gripping, fine motor control (hands)
• Physical exertion and/or requirements: Minimal, with ability to safely lift up to 25 pounds.
• Repetitive work: Prolonged
• Special Senses: Visual and audio focused work
• Work Conditions: Stairs, typing/keyboard, standard and/or sitting working environment of >8 hours/day
• Travel required 0-10%

TerraPower’s technology is controlled for export by various agencies of the U.S. Government.  TerraPower must evaluate applicants who are foreign nationals (other than asylees, refugees, or lawful permanent residents) in accordance with U.S. Government export control requirements.  To facilitate TerraPower’s export control reviews, you will be asked as part of the application process to identify whether you are a U.S. Citizen or national, asylee, refugee, or lawful permanent resident of the United States.  Government export authorization approval times vary.  Based on the business needs for a particular position, TerraPower may not consider a foreign national from a country if it is impracticable to obtain timely Government export approval.

Job details

Salary Range: $143,101 - $185,846

Any salary offered within the posted salary band is based on market data and commensurate with the selected candidate’s qualifications and experience. This range is specific to Bellevue, WA.

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• Competitive Compensation
• Salary, eligible to participate in discretionary short-term incentive payments
• Comprehensive Medical and Wellness Benefits
  • Medical
  • Vision
  • Dental
  • Life and Disability
  • Gender Affirmation Benefits
• Parental Leave
• 401k Plan
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO)
  • 21 days of annually accrued PTO
• Generous Holiday Schedule
  • 10 paid holidays
• Relocation Assistance
• Professional and Educational Support Opportunities

TerraPower Career and Benefits information:  https://www.terrapower.com/contact-us/careers/