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Plant Operations Director

Aalo Atomics is pioneering a new era in clean energy with factory-fabricated microreactors designed to deliver affordable, scalable, and reliable nuclear power. Our mission is to make nuclear energy globally accessible, starting with the Aalo-1, a 10 MWe reactor leveraging cutting-edge safety, modularity, and efficiency. Based in Austin, TX, we're rapidly growing as we work to deploy the world's first fleet of advanced microreactors. Join us and help revolutionize energy for a sustainable future.

About the Role

The Plant Operations Director leads integrated operational execution and readiness for CTR, Aalo-0, and Aalo-X in Idaho Falls. This leader builds the operating organization, establishes professional nuclear standards, integrates commissioning and startup with operations, and ensures each facility progresses only when objective evidence demonstrates readiness. The role reports to the Senior Vice President, Nuclear Operations and works closely with Nuclear Facility Managers, Engineering, Nuclear Safety, ES&H, Quality, Training, Maintenance, and independent oversight organizations. This is an opportunity to be a major factor in the success of the company and be a major contributor to building an organization leading to commercial fleet operations. Expectations are lead by example, have a presence on the plant floor, and most importantly, value your team.

What You'll Do

• Lead facility operations, commissioning/startup execution, operational readiness, conduct of operations, work control, maintenance interfaces, operator training and qualification, and operating-procedure implementation across CTR, Aalo-0, and Aalo-X.
• Build and staff the Aalo-X operating organization, including qualified Shift Managers, Senior Reactor Operators, operators, and operations-support personnel.
• Establish and enforce standards for procedure use and adherence, command and control, equipment status control, tagging/clearance, logkeeping, turnover, briefings, reactivity management, and conservative decision-making.
• Integrate construction completion, system turnover, acceptance testing, startup testing, open-item management, and configuration status into a single readiness process.
• Recommend graded progression through approved test and operating phases only after prerequisites are complete and objective evidence supports the decision.
• Develop personnel through structured selection, qualification, observation, coaching, and documented performance evaluation; match authority to demonstrated capability.
• Ensure operating issues, assessment findings, corrective actions, and effectiveness reviews are documented, owned, scheduled, and closed with rigor.
• Partner with Engineering while preserving clear decision rights: Operations owns execution and readiness; Engineering owns design authority.
• Provide clear status, risk, decisions, resource needs, and recovery plans to the SVP, Nuclear Operations and executive leadership.
• Exercise stop-work authority whenever safety, authorization, configuration, qualification, or readiness is inadequate.

Qualifications

• 15 or more years of progressively responsible nuclear operations experience, including substantial leadership in an operating commercial nuclear power plant.
• Five or more years leading plant operations, startup/commissioning, operational readiness, or a comparably broad nuclear facility organization at the manager or director level.
• Current or previously held NRC Senior Reactor Operator license, or equivalent DOE SRO certification combined with significant commercial nuclear plant leadership experience.
• Demonstrated success improving conduct of operations, operator training and qualification, work control, maintenance integration, configuration control, corrective action, readiness, and safety culture.
• Experience leading startup, recovery, restart, power ascension, major modification, outage, or first-of-a-kind nuclear work under formal authorization and independent oversight.
• Working knowledge of DOE nuclear safety and authorization processes, including safety basis, USQ, readiness review, quality assurance, contractor assurance, and graded authorization.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, physical science, nuclear technology, business, or a related field preferred; exceptional directly applicable experience may be accepted in lieu of a degree.

Requirements:

• Based in the United States
• Willing to work on-site in Idaho Falls, Idaho
• Able to work extended hours, travel, and respond during critical tests, startups, outages, abnormal events, and recovery periods
• Able to satisfy applicable site-access, fitness-for-duty, and emergency-response requirements

What We Offer:

• Competitive salary
• Health, Dental, Vision Insurance
• Paid Time Off
• Corporate Gym Membership

Additional Information:

Aalo Atomics provides a collaborative and supportive work environment, opportunities for professional growth, intellectually challenging careers, and competitive compensation. Aalo Atomics is an equal opportunity employer and considers all employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Persons in compliance with 10 CFR Part 810 and may not hold non-compliant foreign citizenships.

Direct applicants only. No recruiters or staffing agencies, please.