Technical Leader - Nuclear Risk Assessment and Applications at Electric Power Research Institute

Job Title

Technical Leader II - Nuclear Risk Assessment and Applications

Location

Charlotte, NC, Remote/Home Based

Job Summary and Description

EPRI seeks an experienced engineer with expertise in Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA), risk-informed applications, and nuclear safety analysis to support research and member programs within the Nuclear Risk and Safety Management area.

The successful candidate will contribute to research involving internal events, internal flooding, external hazards, and emerging PRA applications for existing and advanced nuclear power plants. The position will serve as a technical contributor and project manager supporting PRA research initiatives, member support activities, technology transfer, and future development of risk-informed methods and analytical tools.

This role provides an opportunity to work across a broad range of PRA disciplines while helping shape the next generation of risk-informed decision support capabilities for the nuclear industry.

EPRI encourages the use of modern engineering, analytical, automation, and AI-enabled tools to improve technical quality, productivity, knowledge transfer, and member value. Candidates should demonstrate curiosity and willingness to adopt emerging technologies that enhance engineering effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities

• Support and lead research projects involving probabilistic risk assessment, risk-informed applications, and nuclear safety analysis.

• Contribute to EPRI's internal flooding PRA research program, including member support, technology transfer, methodology development, and application of industry guidance.

• Support development, maintenance, quantification, and application of PRA models addressing internal events, flooding, external hazards, and integrated risk assessments.

• Utilize EPRI's Integrated Risk Toolkit (IRT) and other PRA software tools to support member applications and research initiatives.

• Apply PRA insights to support risk-informed decision making, online maintenance, configuration risk management, operational risk assessments, and emerging applications.

• Collaborate with utilities, regulators, vendors, consultants, and industry organizations to identify emerging technical needs and develop practical research solutions.

• Support technical workshops, training activities, and knowledge transfer initiatives.

• Contribute to proposals, business development activities, and strategic planning for future PRA research programs.

• Evaluate and apply modern analytical, automation, and AI-enabled tools to improve engineering productivity, technical communication, knowledge management, and member value.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Nuclear Engineering preferred).

• Approximately 5–10 years of experience supporting PRA model development, PRA applications, nuclear safety analysis, or risk-informed engineering activities.

• Working knowledge of PRA methods, including fault tree analysis, event tree analysis, risk quantification, and PRA applications.

• Familiarity with one or more PRA technical areas, including internal events, internal flooding, fire PRA, seismic PRA, external hazards, reliability analysis, or risk-informed applications.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.

• Ability to work independently and effectively engage with technical stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with internal flooding PRA methodologies and applications.

• Familiarity with the ASME/ANS PRA Standard and PRA peer review processes.

• Experience using EPRI's Integrated Risk Toolkit (IRT), CAFTA, RiskSpectrum, SAPHIRE, or equivalent PRA tools.

• Experience supporting risk-informed applications, configuration risk management, online maintenance, operational risk assessments, or risk-informed decision making.

• Experience supporting advanced reactor or SMR safety assessments.

• Experience using modern analytical and productivity tools, including Python, data analytics, automation tools, generative AI platforms, engineering knowledge management tools, or digital engineering environments.

• Demonstrated ability to improve engineering productivity, technical communication, or technical workflows through effective use of analytical, automation, or AI-assisted tools.

• Experience supporting technical training, technology transfer, mentoring, or workforce development activities.

Desired Characteristics

The ideal candidate will:

• Possess strong PRA fundamentals while demonstrating interest in developing expertise across multiple PRA disciplines.

• Be capable of translating complex technical analyses into practical solutions for utilities and industry stakeholders.

• Demonstrate curiosity, initiative, and interest in emerging technologies and methodologies.

• Be comfortable working across technical disciplines and collaborating with diverse stakeholder groups.

• Demonstrate a growth mindset and willingness to adopt emerging engineering technologies, including AI-enabled tools, data analytics, automation, and digital engineering methods.

• Have a track record of improving engineering effectiveness through innovative application of analytical, computational, or AI-assisted tools.

• Have the potential to grow into a technical leadership role supporting future PRA methods, member programs, technology transfer, and industry initiatives.

Why This Role Matters

This position will help advance risk-informed engineering methods supporting the safe, reliable, and economical operation of existing nuclear plants and the deployment of advanced reactors. The successful candidate will contribute directly to research, technology transfer, and industry initiatives that shape the future application of PRA and risk-informed decision making across the nuclear industry.

The role offers a unique opportunity to combine strong engineering fundamentals with emerging analytical and digital technologies while helping preserve and advance critical industry knowledge for the next generation of nuclear professionals.

Key Responsibilities and Requirements:

• Works independently on technical activities without direct supervision.
• Regularly demonstrates responsibility for highly specialized technical objectives or problems where the relationships between cause and effect are difficult to establish and little or no precedence exists, and the use of creative and imaginative thinking is required.
• Maintains familiarity with the progress and problems in assigned technical areas.

Additional Requirements:

• Has developed relationships with primary advisors to a research area.
• Provides assistance to the EPRI sales staff in Member Services and EPRI International.
• Effectively communicates strategies and results, expressing thoughts clearly and concisely both verbally and in writing, to subject matter experts, program members and advisors through guidelines, reports, meetings, webcasts, workshops and conferences.
• Regularly communicates and coordinates work activities across programs.
• May provide oversight of a project team to assure technical and financial milestones are met.
• Organizes the external and interdepartmental activities ensuring completion of the project/product on schedule and within budget.
• Supports the planning and execution of complex project work within the technical department to meet member/client objectives; prepares and presents research reports.
• Manages small or medium (less complex) projects including budgets and resources without direct people management responsibilities.
• Influences project teams in the engineering aspects of the technical work.
• Increased interactions and coordination of EPRI work with national and international technical networks (e.g, manufacturers, consultants, academia and research organizations)
• Begins to lead proposal efforts and new promotional work.
• Develops research or services opportunities of value to EPRI members that fit EPRI’s mission and capabilities. This will include solving customer problems, producing insights and information vital to the members, and delivering information in a manner that members and customers can and will apply.
• Continues to provide guidance and mentorship to junior staff.

The salary range for this position is $138,000 USD to $150,000 USD annually.

This salary range is an estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on various factors, including without limitation applicant's education, experience, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data. The salary may also be adjusted based on applicant's geographic location.

This role is eligible to participate in EPRI’s annual incentive program. The amount of incentive varies and is subject to the terms and conditions of the plan.

This role is eligible to participate in EPRI’s standard employee benefit programs, which currently include the following: medical, dental, vision, 401k, STD/LTD and paid family leave, life and accident insurance, paid time off (flexible vacation, sick leave, and holiday pay).

EPRI participates in E-Verify, an online system operated jointly by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration (SSA). EPRI uses the system to check the work status of new hires by comparing information from the employee's I-9 form against SSA and Department of Homeland Security databases.

EPRI is an equal opportunity employer. EEO/AA/M/F/VETS/Disabled

Together . . . Shaping the Future of Energy.

www.epri.com