Senior Manager, Plant Design Integration

Kairos Power is a new nuclear energy technology and engineering company whose mission is to enable the world’s transition to clean energy, with the ultimate goal to dramatically improve people’s quality of life while protecting the environment. This goal will be accomplished through the commercialization of the fluoride-salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor (FHR) that can be deployed with robust safety, affordable costs, and flexible operation to accommodate the expansion of variable renewables.

Kairos Power is seeking a results-driven Senior Manager, Plant Design Integration with deep expertise in plant design and proven ability to lead multidisciplinary engineering teams. Reporting to the Senior Director of Engineering Integration, you will play a pivotal role in translating strategic direction into integrated programs and organizational practices, ensuring that multidisciplinary teams deliver at scale with consistency, quality, and efficiency.

As a Senior Manager, you will lead multiple teams – including Plant Layout and Process Design teams, while closely partnering with Piping Design and Analysis – ensuring seamless integration across disciples. You will be accountable for driving program execution, building organizational capability, and fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation and safety.

Responsibilities

• Drive execution of strategic direction through integrated engineering roadmaps, programs, and workflows; oversee execution across multiple complex design projects with a focus on consistency, quality, and delivery.
• Lead, mentor, and develop managers and technical leads, ensuring that multidisciplinary teams are aligned, resourced, and performing at a high level while actively promoting Kairos Power’s engineering values and culture.
• Establish and enforce plant design integration standards, tools, and processes to ensure reliable, scalable, and efficient execution across all projects.
• Identify and address program-level risks, conflicts, and bottlenecks early; resolve execution challenges and provide actionable insights to leadership for strategic decisions.
• Build organizational capability by growing engineering talent; coach managers to strengthen leadership depth within the organization.
• Drive effective collaboration across Plant Layout, Process Design, Piping, Civil, Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, and Instrumentation functions to achieve integrated outcomes.
• Champion continuous improvement, adoption of advanced design tools, and process innovations that enhance efficiency and technical quality.
• Provide leadership with data-driven recommendations on program performance, resource needs, and prioritization tradeoffs to support strategic decision-making.
• Performing administrative tasks as required.

Qualifications

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in either mechanical engineering, mechanical engineering technology, drafting and design, chemical engineering, or other related design discipline.
• 12+ years of experience in plant or process plant design facilities, such as refineries, chemical, petrochemical facilities, clean tech industries, or nuclear.
• 7+ years of leadership experience, including managing managers and scaling multidisciplinary engineering organizations.
• Demonstrated success in leading large-scale design projects, with exceptional communication, collaboration, and decision-making skills.
• Hands-on experience with 3D plant design and modeling software (e.g., AVEVA PDMS/E3D, SmartPlant 3D, AutoCAD Plant 3D, Navisworks) and plant simulation tools (e.g., APROS or other simulation platform).
• Experience designing with high-temperature molten salt or other high-temperature fluid systems is highly desired.
• Familiar with the application and scope of ASME B31.1 and B31.3 Piping Code pertaining to Power equipment and facility design.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of multidisciplinary engineering interfaces (Plant Layout, Process, Civil, Structural, Piping, Pipe Stress Analysis, Mechanical Equipment, Electrical, and Instrumentation).
• Strong understanding of plant design integration principles, codes, and safety standards.
• Ability to lead managers and senior engineers; develop talent pipelines; foster a culture of accountability and collaboration.
• Ability to structure and oversee large, complex technical programs with competing priorities and multiple stakeholders.
• Executive presence; strong verbal, written, and presentation abilities; capable of conveying complex technical concepts to executives, peers, and external stakeholders.
• Skilled at identifying risks, analyzing tradeoffs, and making data-driven decisions.
• Skilled at driving adoption of new tools, processes, and practices across an engineering organization.
• Ability to work with highly collaborative team
• Ability to solve problems quickly and efficiently
• Prioritizes and ensures safety of one self and others
• Ability to proactively collect, manage and transfer knowledge
• Ability to seek different and novel ways to create efficiencies when working on problems, challenges and issues

Physical Demands

• Remaining in a stationary position, often standing, or sitting for prolonged periods

Environmental Conditions

• General office environment
• Assessing the accuracy, neatness and thoroughness of the work assigned
• High-concentration, demanding and fast-paced

Safety and PPE

• Reading and interpreting hazardous warning signs
• Reporting issues with equipment or unsafe conditions
• Wearing proper PPE, to include face mask, face shields, gloves, safety shoes, etc.

Travel

• Some travel may be required, up to 20%

The salary range for this position is $201,300 to $251,600 for employees working onsite at our Alameda, CA headquarters. The range provided in this job posting represents the typical range or starting rate of candidates hired in California. Factors that may be used to determine your actual salary may include your education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, the market data for your work location, and a comparison to other employees already in the role.

We know that we have some of the most talented and dedicated employees, and we believe in rewarding them accordingly. If you work here, full-time employees (excludes interns) expect to have access to the benefits below:

• Competitive compensation packages
• Medical, dental and vision benefits for employees and their dependents
• Paid Vacation
• 401(k) and pre-tax health insurance, dependent care, and commuter benefits (FSA)

Kairos Power is committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects the communities where we do business. Kairos Power is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. We actively welcome people of different experiences, abilities, and perspectives.

Kairos Power participates in E-Verify.

Candidates only, no recruiters or agencies please.

Note: You are applying for a position that is located in a facility that handles information that is subject to export control restrictions by the Department of Energy under 10 CFR Part 810. To work in this facility, you need to be authorized by the Department of Energy to access Part 810-controlled information. Foreign nationals who are citizens of countries that are not on the Department of Energy’s general authorization list (link below) are not permitted to work in our facility unless the Department of Energy issues an export control license to the company to permit that individual to have access to Part 810-controlled information. The following questions are intended to determine the licensing requirements that may apply. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/10/appendix-A_to_part_810