Senior Civil Structural Engineer - Geotechnical

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, LLC is seeking a Senior Civil Structural Engineer to support the analysis and design of structures for a Generation IV nuclear power plant, as well as its prototype and test facilities. This role focuses on ensuring structural integrity, compliance with seismic and dynamic performance requirements, and technical accuracy throughout the construction phase interface. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in structural dynamics, soil-structure interaction (SSI), and advanced finite element modeling with a background in geotechnical engineering.

Primary Responsibilities

• Perform seismic Soil Structure Interaction (SSI) of reactor building and auxiliary facilities using computer codes SASSI and LS-Dyna.
• Develop input for dynamic SSI analysis, including input design response spectra and associated time histories.
• Perform site-specific seismic response and dynamic site response analyses.
• Collaborate with design team to establish optimum configurations for seismic isolation systems.
• Assist Engineer of Record and Geotechnical Engineer of Record with approval of construction submittals to ensure consistency with design specifications.
• Manage, review, and provide timely and conclusive responses to all contractor-initiated Requests for Information (RFIs), technical queries, and field clarifications.
• Conduct regular and rigorous verifications of design calculations in accordance with approved design criteria and industry quality standards, documenting and reporting any deviations.
• Maintain meticulous records of all site instructions, design changes, and key technical decisions. Support management and work program leadership in meeting company's licensing milestones and deliverables, including V&V (Verification and Validation) and commercial grade dedication.
• Provide leadership for junior engineers and analysts.
• Review, update and provide guidance on the structural analysis.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Structural Engineering or closely related discipline, or M.S. plus equivalent professional experience in structural engineering, with demonstrated expertise in structural dynamics and soil-structure interaction (SSI).
• Experience in geotechnical engineering, earthquake engineering, and seismic analysis.
• A minimum of 5-8 years of relevant experience with seismic analysis, earthquake engineering, and soil structure interaction.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with licensing and project management is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Structural Engineering:

  • Proven expertise in structural engineering with a focus on designing foundations and structures for diverse power generation infrastructure projects.
  • Extensive experience in conducting structural analyses, ensuring the safety, stability, and reliability of critical components.

• Soil-Structure Interaction:

  • In-depth knowledge of soil-structure interaction principles and their application in the design and analysis of power generation facilities.
  • Ability to assess and mitigate potential challenges related to soil-structure interaction.

• Advanced Computational Mechanics:

  • Proficiency in advanced computational mechanics, utilizing tools such as SASSI, LSDyna, MATLAB, PYTHON, STAAD PRO, SAP, and other finite element method (FEM) software.
  • Strong analytical skills to model and simulate complex structural behaviors.

• Project Management and Licensing Support:

  • Demonstrated ability to lead and manage projects, ensuring successful completion within established timelines and budgets.
  • Experience in providing licensing support, navigating regulatory requirements, and facilitating the approval process for power generation projects.

• Geotechnical Engineering:

  • Sound understanding of geotechnical engineering principles, with the capability to assess soil properties and their impact on structural design.
  • Application of geotechnical knowledge to enhance the stability and performance of power generation structures.

• Ability to leverage software tools for complex modeling, analysis, and optimization of structural designs

• Entrepreneurial, flexible, open to new ideas, collaborative in nature with full buy-in to the Kairos Power mission;

• Proven team player with excellent verbal, written communication/presentation, and interpersonal skills; must be able to interact and communicate effectively at all levels of the organization.

Physical Demands

• Ascending or descending ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, scissor lifts, articulated boom lifts and the like
• Remaining in a stationary position for prolonged periods
• Moving about to accomplish tasks or moving from one worksite to another
• Communicating with others to exchange information

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

Travel

• Some travel may be required (up to 10%)

Additional Requirements

• Occasionally requires working weekends
• Occasionally requires schedule flexibility
• Occasionally requires extended hours to support launch and critical project timelines

The salary range for this position is $140,600 to $165,400 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