Independent Contractor Nuclear Design Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Chattanooga
629 Market St
Suite 200
Chattanooga, TN 37402, USA

Chattanooga
629 Market St
Suite 200
Chattanooga, TN 37402, USA

This position is not eligible for recruiting or sourcing by outside parties.

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Mesa Associates is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to provide technical leadership for design, analysis, procurement, construction, and implementation of modifications at commercial nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities. The successful candidate will lead mechanical engineering scopes, serve as a technical point of contact, perform and oversee engineering analyses, and ensure that project deliverables satisfy applicable codes, standards, procedures, quality requirements, and client expectations.

This position is intended for an experienced engineer who can independently manage complex mechanical work, provide technical direction to engineers and designers, perform qualified reviews and checks, support proposals and project planning, and mentor less-experienced staff. The Senior Mechanical Engineer may act as the Mechanical Project Engineer for discipline-specific work and may support broader multidiscipline projects under an assigned Project Manager or Project Engineer.

Work Arrangement and Travel

• Hybrid schedule with a minimum of three days per week in the office, typically Tuesday through Thursday.
• Ability to travel to plant sites when required, normally approximately 6-8 days per month.
• Ability to support longer field assignments, implementation activities, or outage work when project needs require.
• Ability to satisfy client and site-access requirements, including unescorted nuclear plant access where applicable.

Required Education and Experience

• Active Professional Engineering registration. Candidates who are eligible and able to obtain their license within one year from active employment.
• Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from an ABET-accredited engineering program.
• Minimum of six years of relevant mechanical engineering, including at least four years supporting modifications at operating nuclear power plants.
• Demonstrated experience independently developing and coordinating mechanical engineering calculations, evaluations, specifications, drawings, reports, and design change packages.
• Demonstrated experience leading mechanical portions of projects, coordinating technical interfaces, and managing assigned scope, quality, schedule, and budget expectations.
• Strong working knowledge of applicable mechanical codes, standards, regulations, licensing-basis requirements, configuration-control practices, and accepted engineering methods.
• Experience performing or overseeing field walkdowns, evaluating existing plant configuration, defining design inputs and resolving field or constructability issues.
• Experience independently reviewing and checking mechanical calculations, specifications, drawings, and engineering change documentation in accordance with assigned qualifications.
• Effective technical writing, verbal communication, organization, leadership, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to interface professionally with clients, vendors, project managers, construction personnel, and multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Experience with one or more engineering design tools such as AutoCAD, MicroStation, Plant3D, Inventor, ANYSYS, Solidworks, ReCap, FARO Scene, Vault, or comparable software.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master of Science degree or other advanced engineering degree.
• Experience supporting multiple commercial nuclear clients; experience with Constellation Nuclear is beneficial.
• Experience with Industry Standard Design Procedure IP-ENG-001 or a comparable commercial nuclear design-change process.
• Experience performing or technically reviewing pipe stress analysis using AutoPIPE, CAESAR II or comparable software.
• Experience with piping systems, valves, pumps, pressure equipment, HVAC, heat transfer equipment, or other mechanical plant systems and components.
• Familiarity with applicable mechanical codes and standards, which may include ASME, ANSI, API and NFPA requirements depending on project scope.
• Experience reviewing vendor drawings, technical submittals, equipment data, procurement specifications and commercial or technical bid evaluations.
• Experience supporting fabrication, construction, testing, implementation, outages, and field issue resolution.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the mechanical engineering scope for commercial nuclear modification projects and support multidiscipline project execution.
• Act as the Mechanical Project Engineer for assigned projects when required, with responsibility for technical scope, interfaces, quality, schedule, budget awareness, and client communication.
• Serve as technical point of contact for clients and provide mechanical disciple expertise during planning, design, procurement, construction, testing and implementation.
• Prepare, review, and coordinate mechanical calculations, evaluations, specifications, drawings, reports, and design change documentation.
• Establish and verify design inputs using plant drawings, calculations, procedures, specifications, licensing and design‑basis documents, vendor information, field data, and applicable codes and standards.
• Prepare and coordinate engineering change packages for modifications at operating nuclear plants and associated nuclear facilities.
• Develop scoping documents, proposals, labor estimates, schedules, assumptions, exclusion, and required‑input lists for mechanical engineering and design activities.
• Conduct and lead field walkdowns to verify plant conditions, identify interfaces, obtain measurements, evaluate constructability, and support installation planning.
• Coordinated mechanical requirements and interfaces with civil, structural, electrical, instrumentation and controls, procurement, construction, project management, clients, and vendors.
• Perform or oversee qualified reviews and checks of engineering calculations, specifications, drawings, and design change packages.
• Provide technical direction, task guidance, mentoring, and constructive review feedback to engineers and designers.
• Identify and resolve technical risks, missing information, field conflicts, design‑basis concerns, constructability issues, and schedule or budget impacts.
• Review vendor drawings, technical submittals, equipment data, and procurement documentation for compliance with design and project requirements.
• Lead or support client meetings, design reviews, vendor discussions, constructability reviews, implementation support, testing, and outage activities.
• Maintain complete, accurate, and traceable engineering records in accordance with company and client procedures.

Successful Candidates Will

• Demonstrate sound engineering judgment and make technically defensible decisions using codes, standards, procedures, calculations, plant records, or field information.
• Interpret and apply codes, standards, client procedures, design criteria, regulatory requirements, licensing‑basis information, and configuration‑control requirements.
• Produce and oversee clear, accurate, organized, and traceable engineering documentation.
• Communicate expectations, status, risks, and required decisions early and professionally.
• Work effectively in a matrixed, multidisciplinary organization and communicate professionally with internal and external stakeholders.
• Adapt to changing project priorities and resolve problems in field, design, fabrication, and construction environments.
• Take ownership of technical quality and help build the capability of the mechanical engineering team.

Works well as a member of a group

Capable of carrying out a given task with all details necessary to get the task done well

Inspired to perform without outside help

Bachelors or better in Mechanical Engineering.

Masters or better in Mechanical Engineering.

six years of relevant mechanical engineering, including at least four years supporting modifications at operating nuclear power plants

Prof Engineering (PE)

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
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