Senior Engineering Manager, Nuclear Projects

Location: Houston, Texas
Employment: Permanent, full-time
Working arrangement: Hybrid flexibility
Relocation assistance: Not available
Visa sponsorship: Not available

The Opportunity

A major global engineering and construction organization is looking for a senior engineering leader to oversee the delivery of complex projects across its growing nuclear portfolio.

The position requires a strong civil/structural engineering foundation alongside experience leading engineering teams, managing project performance and working directly with clients.

This is not primarily a calculation-production role. The successful person will establish and challenge the technical approach, guide the engineers preparing calculations and deliverables, review critical work and remain accountable for the overall engineering outcome.

The project portfolio covers both the existing nuclear fleet and new nuclear development, with potential involvement in plant modifications, life extension, engineering studies, uprates, safety-related infrastructure and advanced reactor programs.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the engineering delivery of medium to highly complex nuclear projects
• Manage engineering scope, budget, schedule, technical output and quality
• Establish project work plans, delivery priorities and staffing requirements
• Coordinate civil/structural, mechanical, electrical, I&C and other engineering disciplines
• Provide technical direction on complex civil and structural engineering issues
• Review critical calculations, drawings, specifications and design decisions
• Ensure compliance with applicable engineering codes, quality requirements and project procedures
• Work directly with clients to understand their key technical and project drivers
• Manage technical changes affecting scope, schedule, contracts or subcontracted work
• Coordinate engineering with procurement, project controls, construction and field execution
• Support constructability reviews, technical bid evaluations and contract administration
• Contribute to proposals, engineering estimates, staffing plans and future project pursuits
• Develop and improve engineering standards, design guidance and quality processes
• Mentor engineers and support the development of future technical and project leaders
• Manage staff performance, career development, recognition and workforce planning

Technical Scope

Civil and structural engineering will form an important part of the project portfolio, particularly around:

• Safety-related nuclear structures
• Reinforced-concrete and structural-steel facilities
• Seismic design and structural qualification
• Existing-facility modifications and retrofits
• Foundations, equipment supports and anchorage
• Structural capacity and condition assessments
• Field walkdowns and existing-condition verification
• Constructability and installation sequencing
• Engineering support during procurement and construction
• Nuclear design standards and quality-controlled project delivery

The successful person will not be expected to personally produce every calculation or design package. Routine production will sit with the engineering team, while this position provides the direction, technical oversight and project leadership needed to deliver the work successfully.

Direct involvement may still be required when resolving unusual technical problems, reviewing safety-critical decisions or supporting detailed discussions with clients.

Required Background

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering or a closely related discipline
• At least 11 years of relevant engineering experience
• Meaningful experience within nuclear power, nuclear facilities or another regulated nuclear environment
• Strong civil/structural engineering foundation across steel, reinforced concrete, foundations, seismic design or existing structures
• Previous responsibility for leading engineers or coordinating engineering teams
• Experience managing engineering budgets, schedules, staffing or quality
• Ability to coordinate effectively across multiple technical disciplines
• Direct client-facing experience, including the management of technical issues and project changes
• Understanding of procurement, construction, constructability and project controls
• Experience reviewing and approving complex technical deliverables
• Active professional registration or a clear path toward licensure

Preferred Nuclear Experience

Experience in several of the following areas would be particularly valuable:

• Commercial nuclear power plants
• Operating-fleet modifications
• Nuclear refurbishment or life-extension programs
• Small modular reactors or advanced nuclear technologies
• Nuclear enrichment or fuel-cycle facilities
• Safety-related structures, systems and components
• Engineering Change Packages
• Nuclear design control and configuration management
• Seismic qualification or structural capacity analysis
• Structural ageing management
• Nuclear field walkdowns
• Construction and installation support
• Technical proposals and nuclear project pursuits

Familiarity with some of the following codes, standards or quality frameworks would also be beneficial:

• ASME NQA-1
• 10 CFR 50 Appendix B
• 10 CFR 21
• ACI 349
• AISC N690
• ASCE 4
• ASCE 43
• NRC-regulated engineering requirements

Candidates are not expected to have experience with every listed code or framework. The broader combination of nuclear engineering judgement, structural credibility and leadership capability is more important than matching every individual technical term.

Leadership Profile

This opportunity is suited to a player-coach who can remain technically credible while leading primarily through others.

The successful person should be comfortable:

• Setting the technical and project direction
• Organizing engineering teams around project priorities
• Delegating work appropriately
• Challenging technical assumptions
• Reviewing and approving critical engineering decisions
• Developing less experienced engineers
• Managing interfaces between technical disciplines
• Representing engineering directly with clients
• Connecting technical decisions to cost, schedule, quality and construction
• Creating accountability across the engineering team

Why Consider the Opportunity?

• Permanent leadership position within a major global engineering platform
• Exposure across existing-fleet and new nuclear programs
• Opportunity to remain technically involved without returning to routine production
• Broader ownership across people, projects and client relationships
• Direct connection between engineering, procurement and construction
• Opportunity to influence technical standards and delivery processes
• Meaningful responsibility for mentoring and team development
• Long-term progression across technical, project and people leadership
• Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits
• Long-term employee ownership
• Hybrid flexibility following the initial onboarding period

Additional Requirements

The position supports a global nuclear program. Any offer will be conditional upon the successful individual satisfying all applicable requirements under 10 CFR 810, including relevant citizenship and export-control requirements.

Candidates must already be authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship.