Structural Analysis Engineer

Belcan is looking for a senior level Structural Analysis Engineer to support and lead the structural analysis effort on medium to large projects for a generation IV Nuclear Power Plant. The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring the technical correctness of analysis and will work with an integrated design team on various structural design and analysis activities.

Responsibilities:

• Support structural design and analysis activities for reactor vessels and related structures (both nuclear and non-nuclear)
• Work directly with the Civil Structures, Reactor Systems, Safety Analysis, Manufacturing, and Testing teams - to ensure well-integrated design that meets functionality, manufacturability, time and cost efficiency, and other requirements
• Gather design inputs and develop load cases for applicable operating scenarios (dynamic and static) which include all physical properties of the vessels
• Develop hand calculations and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) models for analyzing structures, systems, and components (SSCs) in compliance with internal standards and guidelines, project requirements, and industrial codes and standards - such as ASME BPVC Section III Division 1/5 and Section VIII Division 1/2
• Perform verification and validation (V&V) activities, including sensitivity study and uncertainty quantification (UQ) analysis
• Support the Software Quality Assurance (SQA) activities
• Prepare organized and well-written reports and presentations to describe assumptions, steps taken, and results from work performed
• Review models, reports, and supporting documents of other engineers
• Review vendor specifications and drawings, conduct technical evaluations, and ensure manufacturing or testing aligns with project requirements and codes
• Organize and participate in reliability assessment methods (such as HAZOP, FMEA, and Fault Tree Analysis) to identify and mitigate mechanical and operational risks
• Provide leadership by learning, developing, and coordinating new techniques, standardizing procedures, and providing technical instruction and mentoring to department staff
• Mentor and train entry-level engineers in stress analysis and life assessment techniques
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements:

• 5+ years of work experience with PhD degree, or 10+ years of experience with Bachelor/Master degree in Mechanical Engineering, Structural Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Material Sciences, or related field is required
• Excellent knowledge of Finite Element Methods and other spatial and time discretization techniques for partial differential equation (PDE) systems required
• Proficiency in commercial FEA packages (Ansys or Abaqus); Ansys Workbench/APDL and LS-DYNA required
• Experience in development of scientific code and software using Python, C++, Fortran, or similar programming languages required
• Working experience with industrial codes and standards (ASME, ASCE, API, AISC, ACI, ISO, etc.); Experience with ASME BPVC Section III/VIII required
• Working knowledge of model V&V and UQ required
• Familiarity with Computer-Aided Design (CAD) modelling; Solidworks and SpaceClaim preferred
• Experience with creep and fatigue assessment methods for metallic or graphite components subject to elevated-temperature, irradiation, and/or corrosive environments preferred
• Experience with explicit dynamics analysis, including seismic, impact, and vibration simulations preferred
• Experience with heat transfer and thermal stress analysis preferred
• Experience with defending designs in front of regulators or external reviewers preferred
• Being flexible, open to new ideas, collaborative in nature with full buy-in to the KairosPower mission
• Proven team player with excellent verbal and written communication skills (particularly technical report writing), as well as great interpersonal skills preferred