Mechanical Engineer

About Raven-Flint

Raven-Flint Nuclear Corporation is building the first new uranium conversion plant in the U.S. in over 60 years. Today, only six facilities on Earth convert mined uranium into reactor fuel feedstock — none using our trade secret chemical process. We're changing that.

Our pilot plant,

Torch

, is a 500 metric ton uranium per year conversion facility designed from first principles using a novel, simplified process route. We have:

• 469 engineering calculations

completed and verified across 10 systems

• A complete

3D parametric CAD model

of the full plant

• AACE Class 4 cost estimates

benchmarked against existing facilities

• A completed

HAZOP study

and quantitative risk assessment

• 100% of pilot plant output contracted

via letter of intent

• Active engagement with DOE and national laboratories

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We are entering FEED (Front-End Engineering Design) and hiring our first three engineers to take this from paper to steel. You would be joining a team of two — a founder with 15 years in advanced nuclear (national labs \+ utility side) and a co-founder from Stanford with Navy and venture experience. This is not a mature organization with layers of management. This is a startup where your work directly determines whether the plant gets built.

The Role

You will design the pressure vessels, piping systems, and structural steel for a compact but demanding facility — 24 ASME-coded pressure vessels, 138 process piping lines in 8 piping classes, and structural frames supporting equipment operating from cryogenic to 500°C. Several systems involve fatigue-critical thermal cycling, high-temperature creep, and Category M (lethal service) piping per ASME B31\.3\.

A 50-page stress and strain analysis plan has been written but no analysis has been performed yet. You will execute it.

What You'll Do

• Pressure vessel design

— Perform ASME Section VIII Division 1 calculations for vessels in nickel alloys; develop U-stamp fabrication packages

• Stress analysis

— Execute the mechanical integrity program: thermal stress, fatigue (ASME VIII Div. 2 Part 5), creep assessment (Larson-Miller), nozzle load analysis (WRC 107/297), and external pressure/vacuum buckling (UG-28)

• Piping design

— Design and analyze process piping per ASME B31\.3 including thermal expansion (up to 74 mm/10m at 500°C), flexibility analysis, and support design; manage Category M (lethal service) lines requiring 100% RT \+ PT and helium leak testing

• Structural design

— Size tank support frames, equipment platforms, and building structural steel per AISC 360 and ASCE 7-22 seismic requirements (Risk Category III/IV, Importance Factor 1\.5)

• Equipment specification

— Develop mechanical datasheets and fabrication drawings for vendor bid packages (rotary kilns, heat exchangers, reactors, cold traps, autoclaves)

• 3D CAD model development

— Extend and refine a full-plant parametric Fusion 360 model including piping routing, structural steel, and equipment general arrangements

• Material selection

— Support corrosion engineering decisions across alloys serving in high-temperature oxidizing environments

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What We're Looking For

• BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering
• 3–10 years of experience in one or more of:
• Pressure vessel or heat exchanger design (ASME Section VIII)
• Process piping design and stress analysis (ASME B31\.3, Caesar II or similar)
• Structural steel design for industrial facilities
• Nuclear facility mechanical design (NRC-regulated or DOE environments)
• Strong knowledge of ASME BPVC Section VIII Division 1 (Division 2 Part 5 fatigue analysis is a significant plus)
• Experience with exotic alloys (nickel-based superalloys, Monel, Hastelloy) and their high-temperature mechanical properties
• 3D CAD proficiency (Fusion 360, SolidWorks, or Inventor — we use Fusion 360)
• FEA experience for thermal stress and fatigue analysis
• Comfort with hand calculations and first-principles engineering (not just FEA-only approaches)

Bonus Points

• PE license or EIT certification
• Experience with Category M (lethal service) piping per ASME B31\.3
• Familiarity with ASCE 7-22 seismic design for hazardous material facilities
• Experience fabricating or commissioning ASME-coded vessels
• Welding knowledge (CJP procedures for nickel alloys, NDE methods)

Why Join Now

You'd be engineer #1, #2, or #3\.

Not employee #150 at an established company — one of the first engineers at a company building critical national infrastructure. The uranium conversion market has a structural supply deficit and geopolitical importance.

The engineering is real.

We have nearly 500 completed calculations, a full 3D plant model, and a cost estimate. We're not pitching a concept — we're executing a design. You'll take it from FEED through construction and commissioning.

The impact is tangible.

Almost every nuclear reactor in the Western world (outside Canada) needs the product this plant makes. The existing supply chain was built in the 1950s–1970s and is under geopolitical strain. You would be building something the energy transition cannot happen without.

Compensation

• Competitive base salary (commensurate with experience)
• Meaningful equity (early-stage grant)
• Relocation assistance to Idaho Falls, ID or Austin, TX
• Benefits package (health, dental, vision)

To Apply

Submit a resume via LinkedIn and send a brief note on why you're interested to [email protected].

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse team.

Raven-Flint Nuclear Corporation — Idaho Falls, ID

• Building the future of uranium conversion.