Deputy Director of Mechanical Engineering

The Deputy Director of Mechanical Engineering will serve as a key member of the Mechanical Engineering leadership team, supporting the Director as both a technical authority and strategic leader for a specialized team designing and developing engineering solutions for critical systems, structures, and components such as the reactor and steam generator systems for X-energy's Xe-100 plant. This technical solutions-focused leader will make sound engineering judgments on complex design & analysis issues while managing critical interfaces between diverse technical disciplines. Overseeing approximately 60 to 90 engineers and their technical leads, this role requires exceptional collaborative leadership to coordinate with multidisciplinary design and analysis teams, operations personnel, and manufacturing stakeholders throughout the design process. The Deputy Director will strategically allocate resources to critical path activities, solve complex problems amid competing technical requirements, develop engineering talent, drive a culture of engineering excellence, and effectively communicate sophisticated concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences. Success in this position demands a deep understanding of mechanical systems combined with the ability to ensure designs and technical solutions meet regulatory requirements, performance specifications, and project timelines while navigating the complex interdependencies of reactor system development.

This position is responsible for providing leadership, management, and technical oversight to multiple teams of engineers responsible for performing across multiple subdisciplines of mechanical engineering across all projects and programs. This senior management role manages a team of engineering managers, leads, and mechanical engineers that provide technical expertise in one or more areas of mechanical engineering for X-energy nuclear reactor design projects. This includes directing the work of both managers and individual contributors on the team, at the discretion of projects which they are supporting, providing organizational support for the project team, and assisting with the design, analysis and drafting of systems, structures, and components for various advanced reactor plants.

Responsibilities

- Oversees the execution of the mechanical design, analysis, and evaluation of assigned projects using sound engineering principles and adhering to business standards, practices, procedures, and product / program requirements.

- Oversees the utilization of engineering resources across multiple projects and ensures qualified engineers are performing assigned work.

- Adjudicates technical differences within their area of responsibility to determine best option, while fostering a healthy engineering dialogue.

- Oversees design cycle sprints and provide direction to ensure the convergence of efforts of engineering team members, partners, and suppliers to ensure the successful delivery of high-quality engineering work products are on schedule and within budget as defined by the Project leadership.

- Manages staff by ensuring they are meeting expectations and promoting their professional development.

- Develops the strategy, methodology and technical tools for the area of responsibility, including control of resources, policy formulation, and ways in which technical work is executed.

- Interprets simple internal and external business challenges and recommends best practices to improve products, processes, tools, or services.

- Uses high level of judgement to make decisions and handle complex tasks or problems in areas of operations, product management, manufacturing, technology, or engineering.

- Uses high level of judgement to make decisions and handle complex tasks or problems in areas of operations, product management, manufacturing, technology, or engineering.

- Assesses quality of information given and asks pertinent questions to stakeholders.

- Offers new solutions to problems outside of set parameters and can construct and provide recommendations.

- Work within a multidisciplinary engineering team to create the next generation nuclear power plants.

- Perform work in accordance with design control procedures, ensuring thorough documentation of work, facilitation of internal and external design reviews, and control of product design configuration data.

- Maintain professional demeanor and behavior at all times in all forms of communication.

- Perform other duties as assigned by manager.

Job Profile Minimum Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or related discipline from an accredited university or college.

- Typically, twelve years of engineering experience. Graduate degrees typically count as two plus years of experience.

- Experience and/or knowledge in a minimum of one of the following areas:

- Structural Analysis

- Analytical experience with structural analysis hand calculations and structural FEA software programs (e.g., ANSYS, ABAQUS, NASTRAN, FEMAP, CAESAR, ROHR, LS-DYNA, PIPESTRESS).

- Thermodynamics

- Use of 1D flow-solvers performing heat/energy and mass balance (e.g., RELAP, Flownex, NPSS, SINDA/FLUINT, Flomaster, or similar).

- Thermal Hydraulics

- Use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis codes (e.g., STAR-CCM+, Fluent, or similar).

Preferred Qualifications

- Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in Mechanical Engineering or related field - 10+ years of progressive experience in mechanical engineering, with at least 5 years in a leadership role

- Experience in the nuclear industry, preferably with advanced reactor technology development

- Strong understanding of ASME codes, particularly those related to nuclear components

- Demonstrated success managing engineering teams of 25+ people

- Excellent communication skills, with ability to translate complex technical concepts for diverse audiences

- Experience with project management methodologies and budget oversight

- Knowledge of mechanical systems relevant to reactor system development (heat exchangers, pressure vessels, etc.)

- Proven track record of mentoring and developing engineering talent

- Familiarity with nuclear regulatory requirements and safety culture

Location:

530 Gaither Road, Rockville MD

Work Site Expectations:

4 days in office

Travel Expectations:

up to 10% as needed

Hours:

Standard office schedule are 8:00am-5:00pm ET, Mon-Fri