Senior Engineer, Instrumentation & Controls Test

Company Overview

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.

Job Summary

Kairos Power is seeking a Senior Engineer specializing in Instrumentation and Controls (I&C) to lead development and deployment of automation and control systems for R&D test platforms. This individual will be a subject matter expert in I&C design, test execution, and modeling across high-complexity systems supporting KP-FHR development.

This role demands deep expertise in I&C engineering, a proven track record of success in complex R&D environments, and a demonstrated ability to lead multi-phase technical efforts with minimal supervision. The successful candidate will play a central role in cross-functional team leadership, model-based control strategy development, and institutional knowledge sharing.

Responsibilities

- Develop and review electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and one-line drawings to guide system integration and troubleshooting.

- Specify and validate system components such as sensors, signal conditioners, data acquisition hardware, and control interfaces, ensuring alignment with test and system-level requirements.

- Oversee and support the installation, commissioning, and troubleshooting of I&C systems, collaborating with technicians, engineers, and cross-functional teams.

- Provide technical leadership for multidisciplinary instrumentation efforts, bridging mechanical, electrical, and controls engineering.

- Mentor early career engineers and technicians, developing best practices for panel wiring, instrumentation setup, and data integrity.

- Subject Matter Expert (SME) for I&C scope on major test campaigns, ensuring system readiness and test execution quality.

- Identify and resolve technical challenges involving electromechanical systems, instrumentation reliability, and control stability.

- Collaborate across departments to align test platforms with evolving design, safety, and control architecture requirements.

- Promote a culture of safety, quality, and innovation, incorporating lessons learned into future system designs and test planning.

- Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

- BS in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline with 10+ years of relevant engineering experience, or MS with 8+ years.

- Proven track record delivering I&C solutions in complex test, R&D, or high-reliability industries (e.g., nuclear, aerospace, automotive).

- Extensive experience in controls system design, sensor integration, DAQ systems, and industrial instrumentation.

- Demonstrated ability to operate independently and lead without close supervision.

- Experience mentoring engineers and driving technical collaboration across teams.

- Experience using Simulink, MATLAB, or similar tools for control modeling and test planning is a plus

- Experience with LabVIEW

- Familiarity with SolidWorks Electrical or CAD tools is a plus.

- PE license in CA (Electrical) is a plus.

- Experience using Simulink, MATLAB, or similar tools for control modeling and test planning is a plus.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

- Proficiency with electrical schematic creation and control panel design.

- Strong troubleshooting skills for electromechanical and automation systems.

- Makes strategic technical decisions and leads trade-off evaluations across cross-functional test, control, and instrumentation requirements.

- Expert understanding of sensor technologies, signal conditioning, and system integration for transient, real-time, and safety-critical environments.

- Applies cross-disciplinary knowledge to bridge electrical, controls, and mechanical systems in support of system-level performance and test fidelity.

- Leads collaboration across departments, mentors junior team members, and aligns teams on test strategy and execution.

- Solves complex, ambiguous technical problems involving multi-system interactions, control dynamics, and instrumentation constraints.

- Promotes structured knowledge sharing, documents modeling/test strategies, and codifies lessons learned to inform future system development.

- Ability to develop and apply modeling and testing methods, leveraging tools like Simulink to optimize test architecture is preferred.

- Develops and applies innovative modeling and testing methods, leveraging Simulink and system-level insight to optimize test architecture.

- Leads safety-first design reviews, proactively identifies system risks, and ensures instrumentation and controls comply with safety and operational standards.

- Ability to work with highly collaborative team

- Ability to problem solve quickly and efficiently

- 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

- Prioritizes and ensures safety of oneself and others

Physical Demands

- Adjusting, moving, transporting, installing, positioning, or removing objects up to 20 pounds in all directions

- Communicating with others to exchange information

Environmental Conditions

- Accessing 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

Travel

- Some travel may be required, up to 10%

Certification

- Electrical Engineering (EE) Professional Engineering license is a plus but not required

Additional Requirements

- Requires occasional working weekends

- Requires occasional schedule flexibility

- Requires occasional 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 maybe used to determine your actual salary may include your education, experience, knowledge, skills, ability and the market data for your work location, and a comparison to other employees already in the role.

About Our Benefits

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