Vice President Engineering Jobs in Lexington, SC

The Nuclear Company is the fastest growing AI tech-enabled startup in the nuclear and energy space, pioneering a fleet-scale approach to building the next generation of nuclear reactors. Through our design-once, build-many model, we're accelerating the deployment of safe, reliable, and affordable nuclear energy.
We operate with an AI-first mindset. Every employee is expected to leverage AI, technology, and the Nuclear Operating System (NOS) as integral components of their role to improve the quality, speed, and impact of their work. We expect every team member to continuously identify opportunities to automate workflows, enhance decision-making, improve processes, and contribute to the ongoing evolution of NOS as a strategic operating capability that enables The Nuclear Company to scale with excellence.
We hire people who are driven by purpose, thrive in ambiguity, and are energized by building what has never been built before. Our team combines intellectual curiosity with high agency, embraces candid feedback and continuous learning, and holds themselves and others to exceptional standards. Our values-Transparency, Responsibility, Unity, Scrappy, and Tenacity-guide how we hire, collaborate, and make decisions every day. They are not words on a wall; they are the standard by which we operate. TRUST is the foundation of our safety culture, fostering intellectual honesty, accountability, and open communication, while our values challenge every team member to execute with urgency, humility, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to our mission.
About the role
The Nuclear Company is seeking a Vice President, Engineering to lead the engineering organization responsible for the successful development and execution of a fleet of nuclear power plants.
This is a senior leadership role for an experienced nuclear professional who has spent significant time in the realities of the industry-design, construction, commissioning, operations, major projects, and/or asset management-and understands what it takes to move a nuclear project from engineering definition into construction and ultimately safe, reliable operation.
The VP, Engineering will build and lead an owner's engineering organization capable of integrating reactor technology, architect-engineer partners, EPC organizations, suppliers, utilities, regulators, and construction teams into a disciplined and repeatable delivery model, providing full lifecycle project support from early design through construction, commissioning, and operations.
We are looking for a builder, operator, and engineering leader-someone who combines deep nuclear judgment with the urgency and pragmatism required to build the next generation of American nuclear infrastructure.
Responsibilities
Lead the Engineering Organization

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing multidisciplinary nuclear engineering organization.

• Establish the engineering management system, organizational structure, technical authorities, design responsibilities, and decision rights required to execute multiple nuclear projects.

• Recruit and develop leaders across key disciplines including mechanical, electrical, civil/structural, I&C, systems, configuration management, design engineering, and engineering programs.

• Create a culture of technical rigor, accountability, speed, and continuous improvement.

Own Engineering Execution

• Provide executive leadership for engineering across the full project lifecycle-from site development and design through procurement, construction, commissioning, turnover, and operations.

• Establish engineering plans, priorities, schedules, deliverables, and performance metrics aligned with overall project execution.

• Ensure engineering is sufficiently mature to support procurement and construction when required, minimizing field changes, rework, and schedule disruption.

• Drive resolution of complex technical issues and ensure engineering decisions balance nuclear safety, constructability, operability, cost, schedule, and lifecycle performance.

• Establish disciplined design-change, configuration-management, technical-document, and engineering-change-control processes.

Build for Constructability and Operability

• Bring an operator's and constructor's mindset to engineering decisions.

• Ensure designs incorporate lessons learned from operating nuclear plants and recent new-build programs.

• Integrate construction sequencing, modularization, supply-chain realities, commissioning requirements, maintenance, reliability, and long-term plant operations into design decisions.

• Partner closely with Construction, Project Management, Supply Chain, Quality, Licensing, Operations, and Commissioning to eliminate organizational handoffs and solve problems as one integrated project team.

• Champion standardization and resist unnecessary project-specific customization.

Manage Engineering Partners and Suppliers

• Serve as the senior technical interface with reactor technology providers, architect-engineers, EPC partners, utilities, major equipment suppliers, and other engineering organizations.

• Establish clear scopes, interfaces, deliverables, technical requirements, and accountability across engineering partners.

• Evaluate engineering performance and intervene quickly when technical, organizational, or execution issues threaten project outcomes.

• Ensure supplier engineering and vendor technical information are integrated into the overall plant design on schedule.

Create a Repeatable Fleet Model

• Develop engineering processes that support a fleet-build strategy rather than a series of one-off projects.

• Capture and systematically incorporate lessons learned from each project into subsequent units.

• Drive design standardization, repeatability, configuration control, and reuse of engineering work products.

• Identify opportunities to use technology, data, automation, and AI to improve engineering productivity, knowledge management, design assurance, and decision-making.

• Build institutional engineering capability that compounds as the fleet grows.

Provide Executive Technical Leadership

• Serve as a trusted technical advisor to the executive leadership team on engineering risk, project readiness, technical strategy, and major project decisions.

• Clearly communicate complex engineering issues and tradeoffs to executives, boards, investors, utilities, regulators, and project partners.

• Establish an environment where issues are surfaced early, challenged constructively, and resolved decisively.

• Maintain an uncompromising commitment to nuclear safety, quality, and regulatory compliance while continuously challenging the organization to execute better and faster.

Experience

• 20+ years of engineering and leadership experience in the nuclear power industry, major power generation, or similarly complex regulated infrastructure.

• Significant experience with commercial nuclear power plants and/or nuclear new-build projects.

• Demonstrated leadership across multiple phases of the nuclear lifecycle, including engineering, construction, commissioning, operations, major projects, or asset management.

• Deep understanding of nuclear plant systems, engineering programs, configuration management, design control, and industry standards.

• Strong working knowledge of the interfaces between engineering, licensing, procurement, construction, commissioning, and operations.

• Experience leading large multidisciplinary engineering teams and external engineering organizations.

• Demonstrated ability to manage architect-engineers, OEMs, EPC organizations, utilities, and major suppliers.

• Experience resolving complex technical and project execution challenges where safety, quality, cost, and schedule must all be considered.

• Strong understanding of the lessons learned from recent U.S. and international nuclear construction programs.

• Proven ability to develop people, build organizations, establish processes, and create accountability in rapidly growing environments.

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or a related technical discipline; advanced degree and/or Professional Engineer license preferred.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation packages
• 401k with company match
• Medical, dental, vision plans
• Generous vacation policy, plus holidays

Estimated Starting Salary RangeThe estimated starting salary range for this role is $250,000 - $278,000 annually less applicable withholdings and deductions, paid on a bi-weekly basis. The actual salary offered may vary based on relevant factors as determined in the Company's discretion, which may include experience, qualifications, tenure, skill set, availability of qualified candidates, geographic location, certifications held, and other criteria deemed pertinent to the particular role.
EEO StatementThe Nuclear Company is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an environment of inclusion in the workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We prohibit discrimination in all aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, demotion, transfer, compensation, and termination.
Export Control
Certain positions at The Nuclear Company may involve access to information and technology subject to export controls under U.S. law. Compliance with these export controls may result in The Nuclear Company limiting its consideration of certain applicants.
Recruiting Fraud Alert
Your safety is our priority. We want to ensure your job search stays secure. Please note that the team at The Nuclear Company only communicates through official @thenuclearcompany.com email addresses. We will never ask for payments or sensitive financial information at any stage of our recruitment process. For your peace of mind, please verify all openings and submit your applications directly through our official careers page.