Vice President Operations Jobs in Springfield, VA

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, Scrappiness, 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 Senior Vice President, Deployment is TNC's fleet-level owner of nuclear project execution from FEL-3 through fuel load. This role owns the company's deployment methodology, EPC contractor relationships, construction execution, and commissioning capability across all TNC projects in the pipeline. It is one of the most consequential hires TNC will make.
TNC's Build-Own-Operate model depends on a deployment capability that is repeatable, credible, and improving with each project. The SVP, Deployment is responsible for building that capability from the ground up - establishing the systems, processes, standards, and team that will allow TNC to execute nuclear construction projects at fleet scale. This is not a role for someone who wants to run one project. It is a role for someone who wants to build the operational infrastructure that makes TNC a world-class nuclear developer and operator.
TNC's development-to-operations pipeline is structured around three sequential phases with defined handoff periods. This role enters during FEL-3 - the final pre-FID development phase - working alongside the SVP, Project Development during the transition. From FID through commissioning and fuel load, this role owns the project. At fuel load, the SVP, Deployment transitions accountability to the SVP, Operations during a defined handoff period. Managing both of these transitions well is as important as managing the construction work in between.
As TNC's organizational structure matures and the company scales, reporting lines may be adjusted to reflect evolving business needs - the scope and accountabilities of this role are not contingent on any single reporting structure.
Responsibilities
Deployment Methodology & Fleet Capability
The SVP, Deployment's first and most enduring responsibility is building TNC's deployment capability as a repeatable, scalable organizational competency. Individual project performance matters; fleet-level deployment capability matters more.

• Establish TNC's deployment methodology - the standardized processes, playbooks, stage gate frameworks, and decision-making structures that govern how TNC executes nuclear construction projects. This methodology is a competitive asset; it must be built deliberately and improved with every project.

• Own the lessons learned function across deployment projects - ensuring that every project execution experience, whether successful or not, is captured, analyzed, and incorporated into the next project's execution plan. TNC's Vogtle-era experience is the starting point; the SVP, Deployment builds on it systematically.

• Develop and maintain the deployment team's organizational capability - recruiting, developing, and retaining the engineering, construction, and project management talent that TNC needs to execute at fleet scale. The team this person builds will determine what TNC can accomplish over the next decade.

• Establish TNC's quality standards for deployment activities - coordinating with the SVP, Regulatory Affairs, Quality & Training to ensure deployment execution meets NQA-1 requirements and positions TNC as a demonstrably credible nuclear constructor.

FEL-3 Entry & FID Preparation
FEL-3 is the phase where development transitions to deployment. The SVP, Deployment enters during this phase, working alongside the SVP, Project Development during the handoff period. Entering too late creates execution risk at FID; entering well creates the conditions for a strong construction start.

• Engage during FEL-3 on all active TNC projects - assessing site readiness, construction execution strategy, EPC contractor selection, and the completeness of the technical and commercial package required to support a credible FID.

• Own EPC contractor selection and contracting strategy - from pre-qualification through contract execution. The EPC contractor relationship is the single most consequential vendor relationship in TNC's deployment model; the SVP, Deployment owns it at the fleet level.

• Validate the FEL-3 package from a deployment perspective - confirming that the project schedule, cost estimate, Division of Responsibilities, and construction execution strategy are credible and executable before FID is recommended.

• Coordinate with the SVP, Project Development on the FEL-3 handoff - ensuring a complete, documented transition of project accountability from the development team to the deployment team. The handoff is not a single event; it is a managed transition with defined milestones and shared accountability during the overlap period.

Construction Execution
From FID through construction completion, the SVP, Deployment owns the project. EPC contractor performance, schedule, cost, quality, and safety are all accountability items for this role - not just oversight items.

• Own EPC contractor performance across all active construction projects - holding the contractor accountable to schedule, cost, quality, and safety standards through rigorous owner oversight. TNC is the owner; the SVP, Deployment ensures TNC acts like one.

• Maintain schedule and cost discipline across the deployment portfolio - providing the President/CNO with an accurate, current view of project status, risks, and decisions required. No surprises on cost or schedule; early warning and honest assessment are the standard.

• Own the construction quality program in coordination with the SVP, Regulatory Affairs, Quality & Training - ensuring that TNC's quality standards are implemented and enforced throughout construction. Quality failures in construction are the most expensive problems TNC can have.

• Manage regulatory interface during construction in coordination with the SVP, Regulatory Affairs, Quality & Training - ensuring NRC oversight, inspection readiness, and regulatory commitments are met throughout the construction phase. No unilateral NRC engagement without coordinating with the regulatory function.

• Ensure safety conscious work environment standards are maintained across all TNC construction sites - TNC's safety culture during construction is a direct reflection of the operating culture it intends to maintain during operations.

Commissioning & Fuel Load Handoff
Commissioning and fuel load is the deployment phase's exit transition. The SVP, Deployment owns this phase and manages the structured handoff to the SVP, Operations. A clean handoff is as important as a successful construction program.

• Own commissioning execution - managing the transition from construction completion to operational readiness, coordinating with the SVP, Operations to ensure the operating organization is ready to receive the plant at fuel load.

• Manage the fuel load handoff to the SVP, Operations - a defined transition period with shared accountability between Deployment and Operations. The handoff includes physical plant readiness, documentation completeness, staff qualification status, and regulatory authorization. Neither party declares completion unilaterally.

• Ensure all pre-operational testing, system walkdowns, and commissioning milestones are complete and documented before the fuel load handoff is executed - the SVP, Operations receives a plant that is ready to operate, not one that requires further deployment work.

Commercial & Investor Interface

• Support the President/CNO and President/CFO in investor, lender, and partner conversations that require deployment expertise - construction schedule credibility, EPC contractor strategy, cost estimates, and execution risk assessments are all areas where the SVP, Deployment's judgment directly affects TNC's financing and commercial outcomes.

• Support DOE LPO and other government financing engagements that require construction execution credibility - coordinating with the CFO organization on the technical inputs that underpin TNC's financing applications.

• Coordinate with the SVP, Project Development on project pipeline prioritization - deployment capacity constraints should inform which projects advance to FEL-3 and when. The deployment organization's bandwidth is a real constraint on TNC's growth rate.

Experience

• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in nuclear construction, with direct accountability for large-scale nuclear plant construction or major construction restart at the project director, project executive, or equivalent level.

• Direct experience managing EPC contractors as an owner's representative on a nuclear construction project - contract management, performance oversight, change order discipline, and schedule recovery experience required.

• Deep familiarity with NRC construction oversight, inspection programs, and the regulatory environment governing nuclear new build - direct NRC interface experience strongly preferred.

• Experience with AP1000 or equivalent Generation III+ reactor technology construction strongly preferred - familiarity with Westinghouse's design documentation, construction methodology, and regulatory interface is a structural advantage.

• Demonstrated ability to build and lead large, multi-disciplinary project organizations - this role requires both the technical credibility to lead engineers and construction professionals and the leadership capability to build a new organizational function from the ground up.

• Strong commercial judgment - able to engage credibly with investors, lenders, and commercial partners on construction execution strategy, cost estimates, and schedule commitments. This is not a purely technical role.

• Nuclear safety culture leader - establishes and maintains the safety conscious work environment standards that TNC intends to carry from construction through operations.

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 $300,000 - $350,000 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.
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