About the position
Idaho National Laboratory is seeking an Entry Level Mechanical Engineer to join our Mechanical Design and Reliability Engineering department. This position is based at our Materials and Fuels Complex, where we operate on a 4x10 schedule, allowing for every Friday off. As a leading national laboratory for the Department of Energy's Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) sector, INL plays a pivotal role in advancing nuclear research, development, and demonstration capabilities necessary for the deployment of nuclear innovations. The Materials and Fuels Complex is uniquely equipped with personnel, facilities, and infrastructure to conduct comprehensive research and development of nuclear fuels, encompassing everything from fuel development and fabrication to post-irradiation analysis. In this role, you will apply engineering principles to solve mechanical problems related to the dynamics of heat, gas, air, fluids, and solid materials. Your responsibilities will include decomposing project goals into defined design requirements, utilizing best practices in design methodologies, and developing physics-based mathematical models to support and verify designs. You will maintain a thorough understanding of applicable codes and standards, document designs to ensure compliance, and establish testing and quality requirements to uphold technical features critical to your responsibilities. You will also oversee fabrication, construction, assembly, and procurement processes to ensure adherence to design specifications. Your role will involve performing calculations related to project specifications, providing solutions to technical challenges, and recommending improvements in production activities. Additionally, you will contribute to the development of new projects, ensuring that design modifications meet technical baseline requirements and applicable regulations. You will be responsible for configuration management of assigned systems, maintaining cognizance of system status and performance, and enhancing the skills of junior engineering staff through training. Collaboration with other designers and analysts will be essential as you develop experiment requirements and support the installation and testing of experiments, ensuring that safety bases are met. This position also entails leading the design and fabrication of experiments related to nuclear safety and post-irradiation examination of test fuel, as well as directing ongoing fabrication tasks for fueled test trains.
Responsibilities
- Apply engineering principles to solve mechanical problems related to heat, gas, air, fluids, and solid materials.
- Decompose project goals into defined and controlled design requirements.
- Use best practice design methodologies and technologies to develop and validate designs.
- Develop physics-based mathematical models of mechanical, chemical, and electrical systems to support design verification.
- Maintain familiarity with and technical understanding of applicable codes and standards.
- Document designs to establish conformance with design requirements and applicable codes and standards.
- Establish testing, inspection, and quality requirements to maintain technical features important to design responsibilities.
- Oversee fabrication, construction, assembly, and procurement to ensure adherence to design specifications.
- Perform calculations related to project specifications, including analysis and evaluation of location, material resources, and mechanical design.
- Provide solutions to technical problems and recommendations for improvements in production activities.
- Help develop new projects at INL in your area of specialty, including proposals and business plans.
- Ensure design modifications meet technical baseline requirements and applicable codes and regulations.
- Develop and maintain configuration management of the technical baseline for assigned systems.
- Ensure consistency in operational characteristics among applicable documents such as drawings and technical manuals.
- Enhance technical/professional skills of junior engineering staff through training.
- Collaborate with designers, customers, and analysts to develop experiment requirements and support installation and testing of experiments.
- Lead the design and fabrication of experiments related to nuclear safety and post-irradiation examination of test fuel.
Requirements
- Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering or a directly related field from an ABET-accredited institution.
- Relevant experience commensurate with level.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a Department of Energy 'L' / 'Q' clearance, which requires US Citizenship.
Benefits
- Medical, Dental, Vision, and Flexible Spending Accounts
- 401(k) with a 4.2% employer contribution and up to 4.8% match
- Paid time off (personal leave)
- Employee Education Program (tuition assistance)
- Comprehensive Relocation Package
