Electrical Cognizant System Engineer

About Aalo Atomics

Aalo Atomics is pioneering a new era in clean energy with factory-fabricated microreactors designed to deliver affordable, scalable, and reliable nuclear power. Our mission is to make nuclear energy globally accessible, starting with the Aalo-1, a 10 MWe reactor leveraging cutting-edge safety, modularity, and efficiency. Based in Austin, TX, we’re rapidly growing as we work to deploy the world’s first fleet of advanced microreactors. Join us and help revolutionize energy for a sustainable future.

About the role

Aalo Atomics is seeking an Electrical Cognizant System Engineer (CSE) to provide lifecycle technical ownership of assigned electrical and instrumentation/control systems at the Critical Assembly Facility (CAF) on the Aalo-X site.

Initial assignments are expected to include the Reactor Protection System (RPS), including associated neutron monitoring instrumentation; Instrumentation and Control System (ICS) hardware; ICS software/configuration; and other assigned electrical and I&C systems.

You will be responsible for understanding how these systems are designed, how they interface with the facility and reactor, how they are configured, how they perform, and how changes are implemented, tested, and documented.

You will work closely with Operations, Maintenance, Nuclear Safety, QA, vendors, project engineers, and the Design Authority to maintain reliable and configuration-controlled electrical and I&C systems.

What you'll do

Cognizant System Engineering

• Maintain detailed knowledge of assigned system functions, design requirements, safety functions where applicable, performance criteria, interfaces, and current configuration.
• Serve as the principal engineering point of contact for assigned electrical and I&C systems.
• Maintain applicable SDDs, schematics, wiring diagrams, loop diagrams, logic diagrams, cable schedules, calculations, setpoint documentation, specifications, vendor information, and other controlled documents.
• Maintain technical understanding of interfaces among reactor protection, neutron instrumentation, control systems, power supplies, actuators, and facility electrical systems, including controlled hardware, firmware, and software configuration as applicable.

System Health & Performance Monitoring

• Review surveillance testing, calibration data, functional testing, operating data, maintenance history, alarms, and field observations.
• Trend performance to identify degradation, drift, or recurring failure mechanisms.
• Evaluate instrument drift, relay/contact performance, detector response, power-supply issues, communications issues, and other system conditions.
• Perform or support electrical/I&C system walkdowns.
• Evaluate deviations against design and performance requirements, and initiate corrective actions when system performance degrades.

Troubleshooting & Maintenance Support

• Provide technical support for instrumentation, reactor protection, controls, wiring, power supply, and electrical equipment issues.
• Support troubleshooting using appropriate electrical diagnostic and test equipment.
• Provide engineering input to calibration, maintenance, repair, and replacement activities.
• Establish or review acceptance criteria for post-maintenance and post-modification testing.
• Support root-cause and apparent-cause evaluations of electrical/I&C failures.

Configuration & Change Management

• Review physical, electrical, software/firmware, setpoint, logic, and documentation changes affecting assigned systems.
• Evaluate change impacts on system requirements, protection functions, interfaces, cybersecurity, equipment qualification, testing, and maintainability.
• Maintain consistency among installed equipment/software, controlled documentation, and approved requirements.
• Support USQ and safety-basis evaluations with accurate technical information.
• Participate in design assessments and physical configuration walkdowns.
• Support change packages through implementation, post-modification testing, document update, and closure.

Electrical / I&C Technical Scope

• Reactor protection instrumentation, neutron detectors and associated electronics, and analog instrumentation channels.
• Trip tables, relays, voting logic, PLC/DCS hardware and interfaces, and HMI/SCADA interfaces.
• Sensors and transmitters; power supplies, UPS/DC systems, and related electrical distribution; control panels, field wiring, cable routing and termination; grounding and bonding.
• Calibration and setpoint control, industrial communications and networking, configuration-controlled firmware and software, cybersecurity interfaces for digital systems, and EMI/EMC and environmental-performance considerations.

Procurement & Obsolescence

• Monitor availability and obsolescence of instrumentation, relays, detectors, controllers, power supplies, and other critical components.
• Develop or review replacement equipment technical specifications.
• Support component-equivalency and substitution evaluations.
• Maintain supplier and vendor technical information needed for sustained system support.

Modifications & Future Facilities

• Support electrical/I&C modifications from design through installation, testing, and turnover.
• Participate in Aalo-0 and Aalo-X reactor design reviews with emphasis on maintainability, reliability, surveillance, testing, access, and configuration control.
• Support commissioning and operational turnover of future systems.
• Assume additional CSE responsibilities as facilities and organizational needs grow.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or closely related discipline.
• 5+ years of relevant electrical, instrumentation, controls, or nuclear plant engineering experience.
• Experience supporting electrical or I&C systems in operating industrial facilities.
• Ability to read and develop electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, control logic, loop diagrams, cable schedules, and technical specifications.
• Strong understanding of industrial instrumentation and electrical troubleshooting.
• Familiarity with PLCs, relays, sensors, signal conditioning, industrial controls, and electrical distribution.
• Strong analytical and technical communication skills.
• Ability to independently drive technical issues through resolution.

Preferred

• 10+ years of relevant electrical or nuclear-facility engineering experience.
• Previous experience as a Cognizant System Engineer, System Engineer, Responsible System Engineer, or comparable technical owner.
• DOE nuclear-facility or commercial nuclear experience.
• Experience with reactor protection, nuclear instrumentation, safety-system I&C, or other high-reliability protection systems.
• Familiarity with DOE-STD-1073, USQ processes, nuclear configuration management, and design control.
• Experience with PLC/DCS platforms, industrial networks, SCADA, and HMI systems.
• Familiarity with applicable IEEE, ISA, NFPA 70/NEC, NFPA 79, cybersecurity, or nuclear I&C standards.
• Experience using multimeters, oscilloscopes, data loggers, calibrators, HiPot equipment, and similar electrical test equipment.
• Professional Engineer license.
• Experience with Teamcenter or comparable configuration-management tools.

Requirements:

• Based in the United States
• Willing to work on-site in Idaho Falls, Idaho

What We Offer:

• Competitive salary based on technical level
• Health, Dental, Vision Insurance
• Paid Time Off
• Corporate Gym Membership

Additional Information:

Aalo Atomics provides a collaborative and supportive work environment, opportunities for professional growth, intellectually challenging careers, and competitive compensation. Aalo Atomics is an equal opportunity employer and considers all employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Persons in compliance with 10 CFR Part 810 and may not hold non-compliant foreign citizenships.

Direct applicants only. No recruiters or staffing agencies, please.