Nuclear Safety & PRA Lead (SMR / MMR Programs)

BaRupOn LLC • Irvine, CA

1d

About The Position

BaRupOn LLC is seeking a highly experienced Nuclear Safety & PRA Lead to own all probabilistic risk assessment, deterministic safety analysis, and risk-informed regulatory compliance activities for its Small Modular Reactor (SMR) and Micro Modular Reactor (MMR) programs in the United States.
This is a senior technical leadership role at the core of BaRupOn’s nuclear safety organization. The Nuclear Safety & PRA Lead will be responsible for developing and maintaining the company’s full PRA program — from Level 1 and Level 2 internal events analyses through external hazards, fire PRA, and risk-informed decision-making support. The role also encompasses deterministic safety analysis, severe accident evaluation, and direct support for NRC licensing submissions. Close collaboration with engineering, licensing, and operations teams is essential to ensure safety principles are embedded into every phase of reactor design and operational planning.
The ideal candidate brings deep, hands-on PRA and nuclear safety experience for advanced or light-water reactor systems, a thorough command of NRC risk-informed regulatory frameworks, and the technical leadership to build and guide a growing safety analysis team in a mission-driven, fast-moving environment.

Requirements

• Master’s or PhD in Nuclear Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related technical field.
• 10+ years of experience in nuclear safety, PRA, or reactor risk assessment within the U.S. nuclear industry.
• Deep working knowledge of NRC regulatory requirements and risk-informed safety practices, including 10 CFR Part 50, Part 52, and the emerging Part 53 framework for advanced reactors.
• Proven, hands-on experience developing and applying full-scope PRA models for SMR, advanced reactor, or Generation IV systems.
• Demonstrated experience preparing, submitting, and defending safety analysis reports, PRA documentation, and regulatory licensing submittals.
• Proficiency with industry-standard PRA software (e.g., SAPHIRE, RiskSpectrum, or equivalent) and familiarity with associated uncertainty and sensitivity analysis methods.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and technical communication skills, including the ability to translate complex risk insights into clear guidance for engineering and executive audiences.

Nice To Haves

• Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in the U.S. – preferred.
• Direct experience with NRC pre-application engagement and formal licensing interactions on safety analysis or PRA matters.
• Active membership in recognized nuclear professional organizations, such as the American Nuclear Society (ANS) or the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA).
• Experience with thermal-hydraulic codes, severe accident analysis tools (e.g., MELCOR, MACCS), or integrated safety analysis platforms.
• Familiarity with NEPA environmental consequence assessments and external hazards PRA (seismic, flooding, fire).
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification – advantageous.
• Leadership experience managing or mentoring safety analysis teams in a nuclear regulatory environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, maintenance, and application of full-scope PRA models for BaRupOn’s SMR/MMR designs, including Level 1 (core damage frequency) and Level 2 (large early release frequency) analyses for internal events, external hazards, and fire scenarios.
• Apply risk-informed decision-making frameworks to support design choices, technical specification development, allowed outage time evaluations, and regulatory submittals.
• Perform uncertainty quantification, sensitivity analyses, and importance measures to characterize and communicate risk insights to engineering and executive leadership.
• Develop, validate, and maintain PRA models and supporting tools using industry-standard software such as SAPHIRE, RiskSpectrum, or equivalent platforms.
• Ensure PRA products meet NRC quality and peer review standards, including compliance with ASME/ANS PRA Standard requirements.
• Conduct nuclear safety analyses using both deterministic and risk-informed approaches to evaluate reactor behavior under normal, transient, and postulated accident conditions.
• Lead or support severe accident progression analyses, source term evaluations, and consequence assessments in support of the safety case and licensing documentation.
• Develop and maintain safety models, simulations, and analytical tools for reactor systems, ensuring all methods are validated and technically defensible for NRC review.
• Identify safety-significant design vulnerabilities and recommend design modifications, procedural controls, or compensatory measures to reduce risk.
• Prepare, review, and defend safety analysis reports (SAR/FSAR), PRA submittals, and risk-informed licensing documentation for NRC review.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable NRC regulations, codes, and standards, including 10 CFR Part 50, Part 52, Part 53, ASME, and IEEE requirements governing nuclear safety and PRA.
• Respond to NRC requests for additional information (RAIs) on safety analysis, PRA methodology, and risk-informed regulatory matters.
• Monitor NRC regulatory developments, proposed rulemaking, and risk-informed initiative guidance; assess impacts on BaRupOn’s safety program and licensing strategy.
• Collaborate closely with the Head of Engineering, Thermal-Hydraulics Lead, Lead Reactor Physicist, and Director of Licensing to integrate safety requirements and risk insights into all phases of reactor design and operations planning.
• Support the CNO in establishing, maintaining, and continuously improving BaRupOn’s nuclear safety culture and corrective action program.
• Represent BaRupOn in NRC regulatory interactions, industry technical forums, and national laboratory collaborations related to advanced reactor safety and risk assessment.
• Mentor, guide, and develop junior safety engineers and PRA analysts, building technical depth and a strong safety analysis capability within the organization.
• Establish team methodologies, peer review protocols, and quality assurance standards for all PRA and safety analysis work products.
• Define staffing plans and competency requirements for the safety analysis function as BaRupOn’s programs scale.

Benefits

• Build and lead the nuclear safety and PRA program for one of the most ambitious SMR/MMR initiatives in the U.S. — with founding-level influence over methodology, tooling, and safety culture.
• Work directly alongside the CNO, CTO, and licensing leadership team with real authority over safety analysis strategy and risk-informed decision-making.
• Competitive compensation and benefits, including potential equity participation tied to program and company milestones.
• Collaborate with top-tier engineers, national laboratory partners, and federal program stakeholders at the frontier of U.S. nuclear energy.
• A company that treats nuclear safety not as a regulatory obligation but as the foundation everything else is built on — and hires accordingly.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees