Senior Geotechnical Engineer - Nuclear Site Development

GE Vernova is seeking a Senior Geotechnical Engineer for Nuclear Site Development to join their multi-discipline Civil/Structural technical team. The role involves serving as the technical authority for ground-structure interactions related to SMR site characterization and foundation design, ensuring geological integrity and compliance with safety standards for new nuclear plant sites.

Responsibilities:

• Lead complex subsurface exploration programs, including geophysical surveys, deep borings, and cross-hole seismic testing
• Oversee the design of Seismic Category I foundations, deep soil mixing, or rock anchoring systems required below-grade containment structures
• Ensure all geotechnical lab testing and field inspections comply with NQA-1 standards
• Provide engineering input and, when needed, technical defense of the Geotechnical and Seismology section of an NRC, or similar international, license application
• Support the development of site-specific Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA) and determination of Safe Shutdown Earthquake (SSE) parameters
• Review or develop 3D hydrogeological models to ensure groundwater chemistry and flow do not impact the longevity or safety of the reactor’s concrete foundations
• Review and confirm heavy-haul paths for arrival of heavy components and modules on site
• Anticipate and develop forward-looking mitigation strategies for geotechnical risks known to impact construction schedules, such as discovery of non-capable faults/voids, heaving of excavation floors, non-conforming backfill, etc
• Contribute to an engineering team that assures proposals and early works packages for selected sites are compatible with our standard product offering
• Establish and maintain strong working relationship with internal engineering teams
• Interface with external partners, customers, and other applicable country specific regulatory agencies as required on technical issues
• Work with proposal and early works teams to build estimates, schedules, and identify risks associated with different opportunities
• Provide guidance to external partner engineering resources to ensure the quality of deliverables
• Support commercial and marketing opportunities to develop new business opportunities
• Protect the Intellectual Property rights of GEVH
• Support GEVH initiatives, corrective action, process improvement and simplification
• Ensure adherence to GEVH’s standards for nuclear safety and compliance

Requirements:

• Bachelor of Science in Geotechnical Engineering, Engineering Geology, or related discipline
• At least 10 years of progressive experience in geotechnical engineering
• At least 5 years of experience in the nuclear industry or equivalent large scale new build experience in the power generation industry
• This role requires access to U.S. export-controlled information. If applicable, final offers will be contingent on ability to obtain authorization for access to U.S. export-controlled information from the U.S. Government
• Master's or PhD in Geotechnical Engineering or Engineering Geology
• Professional Engineer registration in one or more states
• GE or CEG license
• Deep expertise in soil-structure interaction (SSI) modeling, slope stability under seismic loading, and settlement analysis for heavy modular loads
• Strong knowledge of requirements associated with building-to-building seismic interaction
• Strong knowledge of NRC RG 1.132, RG 1.138, ASCE 7, IBC, ASTM D1557, and/or ISO 9001
• Experience with nuclear site characterization and managing a split quality site
• Experience managing very large excavation projects
• Deep knowledge of soil mechanics, mass grading, and heavy excavation
• Advanced skills using Autodesk AEC Collection (Civil 3D), Bentley Infrastructure (OpenRoads), and/or equivalent site design suite
• Proven ability to be a liaison between organizations that are operating in separate geographic locations
• High performing individual with demonstrated ability to deliver results while exhibiting behaviors that promote strong team performance
• Proven interpersonal and leadership skills with the ability to think strategically, be creative and move quickly
• Demonstrated ability to lead a team of highly experienced engineers and balance multiple demands and priorities
• High performing energetic leader with demonstrated ability to deliver results while exhibiting behaviors that promote strong team performance
• Experience with project management skillset (communication, risk, planning/scheduling, change mgmt)
• EPC experience and knowledge; specifically, power plant
• Understanding of nuclear industry and technology
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to document, plan, market and manage programs that further the knowledge, understanding and capability of the business