Senior Manager, Engineering Operations

The posting, as Kairos Power wrote it

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 dynamic and experienced Senior Manager, Engineering Operations to lead and scale our engineering operations and test execution capabilities within a 24/7 environment. This senior leadership role is responsible for selecting, training, developing, and directing multi-disciplinary engineering support teams, operators, and technical staff engaged in the execution of high-temperature testing campaigns and commissioning of complex experimental systems. The role will expand to include activation and operations for Kairos Powers’ operational nuclear reactors.

The ideal candidate brings a proven track record in industrial operations, nuclear or chemical plant environments, or advanced energy systems. This individual will provide strategic oversight of operations management, systems integration, process development, training, and safety compliance. The Senior Manager, Engineering Operations will be a critical voice in shaping how experimental and operational facilities are designed, operated, and evolved to support the mission of deploying transformative energy technologies.

This role will work out of our Albuquerque, NM location for approximately for the first 12 months and then transition to Oak Ridge, TN thereafter.

Responsibilities

• Provide vision and direction for 24/7 engineering operations, ensuring alignment with company objectives and milestones.
• Develop and execute long-term strategic plans to expand operations capabilities, streamline execution, and enhance reliability across test platforms.
• Establishes and reinforces operational standards, practices, and expectations that promote continuous improvement, safety, technical rigor, and operational excellence.
• Identify, evaluate, and mitigate operational, technical, regulatory, safety, and organizational risks.
• Lead a diverse team of managers, operators, and engineers; develop high-performing leaders at all levels.
• Develops organizational capability through employee development, succession planning, performance management, and recognition programs.
• Provide senior oversight of all test campaign planning, including readiness reviews, execution protocols, and post-test analysis.
• Establish and maintain a strong nuclear safety culture, conservative decision-making practices, procedural compliance, and high standards of operational excellence.
• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of site operati

[…]
requires schedule flexibility

• Occasionally requires non-standard work-week hours
• Occasionally requires extended hours to support launch and critical project timelines

#LI-Onsite

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