Project-Traveling Senior Pump Specialist

The Nuclear Company is the fastest growing startup in the nuclear and energy space creating a never before seen fleet-scale approach to building nuclear reactors. Through its design-once, build-many approach and coalition building across communities, regulators, and financial stakeholders, The Nuclear Company is committed to delivering safe and reliable electricity at the lowest cost, while catalyzing the nuclear industry toward rapid development in America and globally.

About the role

As a Senior Pump Specialist, you will bridge the gap between hydraulic design theory and field-proven maintenance practices. This role leads complex outage services, performs advanced vibration and failure analyses, and ensures pumps, from large Reactor Coolant Pumps (RCPs) to auxiliary feedwater systems, operate safely within design specifications and nuclear regulatory requirements.

This position supports outage execution, equipment reliability, and long-term system performance for safety-related nuclear pump systems.

PROJECT-BASED TRAVEL ROLE: This position is not based in Columbia, SC. We are collecting applications for professionals willing to travel to nuclear power plant sites nationwide as outage and project work becomes available. Work will take place at nuclear facilities across the United States as projects are awarded, and roles will be activated as project staffing needs are confirmed.

Responsibilities

Technical Authority & Field Engineering 

• Lead Outage Support: Provide on-site technical direction during planned and forced outages, overseeing the disassembly, inspection, and reassembly of safety-related pumps. 
• Hydraulic Performance Analysis: Evaluate pump performance curves, Net Positive Suction Head (NPSH) requirements, and system resistance to diagnose degraded performance. 
• Mechanical Seal Expertise: Act as the subject matter expert (SME) for high-pressure mechanical seal cartridges, ensuring proper installation and leak-off monitoring. 

Forensic Analysis & Root Cause (RCA) 

• Vibration & Diagnostics: Utilize advanced vibration analysis and diagnostic tooling to identify early-stage bearing failures, shaft misalignment, or impeller cavitation. 
• Failure Analysis: Lead Root Cause Analysis (RCA) for equipment failures, coordinating with metallurgical and structural teams to prevent recurrence. 
• Reverse Engineering: For legacy components, oversee the reverse engineering process to source or manufacture obsolete parts without compromising the design basis. 

Regulatory Compliance & Quality Assurance 

• ASME Code Compliance: Ensure all work is performed in strict accordance with ASME Section III (Construction) and Section XI (Inservice Inspection) requirements. 
• Design Basis Maintenance: Review and approve changes to maintenance procedures, ensuring they align with the plant’s Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR). 
• Vendor Oversight: Manage relationships with pump OEMs and specialized repair shops, performing quality audits on critical-path repairs.  

Experience / Required Qualifications 

• Experience: 12+ years of experience in the nuclear power or heavy industrial sector, with at least 8 years focused specifically on large-scale centrifugal and vertical pumps. 
• Education: B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. An advanced degree or Professional Engineer (PE) license is highly preferred. 
• Code Proficiency: Expert-level knowledge of ASME OM Code and ASME Section XI regarding Inservice Testing (IST) of pumps. 
• Specialized Skills: Proficiency in vibration analysis software. 
• Shop repair experience with rotating equipment, including balancing rotating elements
• Precision measurement and dimensional inspection experience
• Crew leadership or small team supervision experience
• Experience supporting DCI (Damage/Condition Inspection) and repair quoting
• Final assembly and quality control (QC) of rebuilt equipment

EEO Statement
The Nuclear Company is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an environment of inclusion in the workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We prohibit discrimination in all aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, demotion, transfer, compensation, and termination.