Nuclear Operations Lead/Manager
Antares
About Us At Antares, our long-term mission is to make clean energy abundant from Earth to the Asteroid Belt. We’re fueled by the belief that advanced nuclear energy can strengthen our military, solve the climate crisis, elevate global living standards, and expand humanity's presence in outer space. To achieve our mission, we’re building mass-producible, inherently safe, deployable microreactors that can be used terrestrially, underwater, and in space. Formed in 2023, the Antares team hails from SpaceX, The White House, MIT, Rigetti Computing, The Air Force, General Atomics, Relativity Space, Ursa Major, and National Laboratories like Los Alamos, Idaho, and Oak Ridge. Antares has raised over $600M in venture capital from top-tier investors and has over $13M in government funding. About The Role We are seeking a Nuclear Operations Lead to ensure Antares’ nuclear programs and systems are translated into executable, deployable approaches. This role sits at tip of nuclear operations, and is responsible for ensuring that reactors can be successfully deployed, started, and operated as complete systems in a manner tightly coupled to the design basis, safety basis and plant programs. This role will serve as the leader of the Nuclear Operations organization with responsibility for identifying and developing reactor operating personnel as well as the development and deployment of the operational programs necessary for ensuring that operational requirements are aligned and achievable in real-world environments. This position is ideal for someone who is comfortable operating across boundaries both technical, organizational, as well as coordinating with external stakeholders, and who can drive clarity and execution in complex, ambiguous environments with a high degree or precision and rigor. Roles and Responsibilities: - Oversee the safe and efficient operation of reactor experiments and plant facilities in order to maximize plant availability and customer expectations. - Responsible for nuclear training programs for operators and maintenance personnel. - Responsible for identification of required staffing and development of procedures, personnel and programs necessary for successful operation. - Set and maintain high standards for performance and operational excellence. - Ensure the effective operation of nuclear activities for Antares test and deployed reactors. - Participate in and drive technical discussions, reviews, and working groups with internal and external stakeholders - Provide feedback to engineering and program teams to improve the scalability and repeatability of reactor deployments Basic Qualifications - 4+ years of experience in nuclear, aerospace, defense, or other highly regulated technical environments - Experience working across multiple disciplines to deliver complex systems or projects - Demonstrated ability to connect technical, regulatory, and operational requirements into executable plans - Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-paced environments - Demonstrated technical communication skills, with the ability to engage both internal teams and external stakeholders Preferred Skills & Experience: - BS, MS, or PHD engineering (nuclear, mechanical, chemical, aerospace, or related field) - Experience supporting reactor operations, startup, commissioning, or deployment - Familiarity with nuclear safety and compliance programs - Experience working with customers, regulators, or external partners in technical settings - Prior experience in the U.S. Navy nuclear program, national laboratories, or commercial nuclear industry Culture At Antares, we like to specifically tie each role to our founding document’s set of values–here are the top five cultural values we think you should believe at your core to be successful: - Think in Systems - Energy and Defense are complex ecosystems with numerous stakeholders with competing priorities, conflicting policies, perverse incentives, and emergent and path-depe