
Nuclear safety analysis engineer
Key Skills
Job Description
Your mission
Are you motivated to provide your expertise and know-how to the ongoing design studies for the Thorizon One reactor to ensure a high level of safety and security, and to play your part in obtaining the authorisations required for the construction, commissioning and operating phases of the reactor?You will be involved in the missions of the Licensing & Safety team. You will participate in the nuclear safety engineering activity (design of the Pioneer nuclear demonstrator, design of the FOAK/NOAK), in close liaison with the design studies, by developing the nuclear safety demonstration of the reactor through the identification and analysis of the postulated initiating events and the assessment of internal and external hazards. You will also contribute to the development of basics and approaches in various areas (safety objectives, defence in depth implementation, safety acceptance criteria, safety classification, deterministic safety analysis rules, probabilistic safety analysis strategy, etc.). You will work at the interface with all the other disciplines in the company, in particular with the systems design teams, the functional teams (neutronics, thermal-hydraulics, chemistry, mechanical) and the development and prototyping team. You will play a key role in ensuring that the design takes account of the safety requirements imposed by regulations or meets high-level standards. You will contribute to the various application files to be sent to the regulators and will defend the nuclear safety demonstration at review meetings.
In this environment, which combines both compliance with regulatory requirements and the development of an innovative reactor, you get the unique opportunity to put your knowledge to the best use, develop your ideas, explore many aspects and play a crucial role in the company's growth.
In this role you will:
- Contribute to the development of an ambitious and robust licensing strategy for the nuclear demonstrator and the commercial reactor, mitigating regulatory risks.
- Provide the fundamental elements of the nuclear safety demonstration (approaches, analyses supporting the demonstration, key elements of the demonstration).
- Define the high-level nuclear safety requirements to be taken into account in the design studies.
- Work closely with the design teams to ensure that the safety requirements are properly translated into appropriate provisions.
- Work closely with the functional teams to ensure that the demonstration needs are correctly reflected in the supporting studies (transient analyses, research and development programme, etc.).
- Prepare technical reports and contribute to licensing documentation, including Safety Analysis Reports (PSAR/FSAR) and regulatory submittals.
- Support interactions with regulatory bodies and contribute to maintaining an active dialogue (in particular with ANVS, FANC and ASNR).
- Participate in specifying, selecting, and managing external contractors and suppliers that support Thorizon with the safety case.
- Participate in promoting the in-house safety-security culture.
- Participate in promoting internationally the development of a shared framework for Molten Salt Reactors, in the nuclear safety field.
- Report to the Nuclear Safety Analysis Lead.
- Actual position level and title will be determined based on assessment of qualifications.
About you:
- Masters's degree in science, engineering or any relevant topic.
- You have proven experience in nuclear safety analysis, such as hazard or failure analysis, process hazard analysis, accident sequence development.
- You have in-depth knowledge of regulatory approaches, processes and experience in preparing the required documentation, preferably in the Netherlands (ANVS). Experience with Belgian (FANC) and French (ASNR) regulators is a plus .
- Experience in the field of innovative reactor safety would be an advantage.
- You are eager to learn and like challenges.
- You are creative and innovative: You rethink issues to find practical solutions to difficult problems and you demonstrate agility by minimising complexity. You have a pragmatic and constructive mindset.
- You have a good sense of judgement: you think strategically (in your field and taking into account all the dimensions of the project), and you know how to prioritise your actions according to the key issues at stake.
- You have excellent communication skills: you listen before you react, you are concise, you treat people with respect, you keep calm in stressful situations, you have excellent writing skills.
- You are an excellent communicator in English, and preferably also French or Dutch, both spoken and written.
- You create impact: your productions are models for your colleagues.
What you can expect from us
- Dynamic and ambitious team of nuclear technology professionals that are committed to solving today’s energy challenges.
- Unique experience in a fast-growing VC-backed deep tech start-up.
- Opportunity to work on a game-changing technology that reduces our carbon footprint and nuclear waste streams.
- Competitive salary and an employee profit-sharing plan.
- International work experience.
- Office in the center of Amsterdam close to Central Station or Lyon next to the Central station.
About us
At Thorizon, we’re a passionate team spread across Amsterdam and Lyon, all working together to develop new nuclear power solutions. We design and create frontier technology for Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs).Our purpose is to accelerate the availability of clean energy and help solve the climate crisis.
We are in the development phase and aim to solidify our design through analyses, simulations, experiments, prototyping, and partnerships. At Thorizon, we believe a strongly coupled multidisciplinary technology development requires a culture of full openness and transparency. That’s why we foster values like unity, communication, and support to ensure we grow together as a team while achieving our purpose.
Core Responsibilities
Develop the nuclear safety demonstration and licensing strategy for the Thorizon One reactor to obtain necessary construction and operating authorizations. Collaborate with design and functional teams to ensure safety requirements are integrated into the reactor design and defend these demonstrations to regulatory bodies.
Requirements
Requires a Master's degree in science or engineering with proven experience in nuclear safety analysis and regulatory processes, preferably with ANVS, FANC, or ASNR. Candidates must possess strong communication skills in English and a pragmatic, innovative mindset for solving complex technical problems.
Benefits
- Competitive Salary
- Employee Profit-sharing Plan
- International Work Experience
About Thorizon
Industry: Nuclear Electric Power Generation
Company size: 11-50 employees
While battling climate change, and to ensure our energy future, we should use every available source of clean energy to its fullest. At Thorizon we take the potential of nuclear energy to the next level. There still is a tremendous amount of energy available in existing nuclear waste. We have developed a technology to use it. The Thorizon One, a modular molten salt reactor that transforms nuclear waste in carbon-free energy, is safe by design. Its core consists of multiple fully enclosed ‘cartridges’, which can be replaced to incorporate new innovations along the way. We reduce the amount of long-lived radioactive waste and generate 250MW of clean energy in one go. Safe, smart, and circular.