Idaho National Laboratory is hiring a Technical Program Manager Defense and Space to work on our Nuclear Defense and Space team. Our team works a 9x80 schedule located out of Washington DC with every other Friday off. INL is seeking a highly skilled Technical Program Manager to lead the technical scope nuclear microreactor demonstration projects and drive cross-disciplinary integration for successful project execution. As a Technical Program Manager (TPM) for Nuclear microreactor demonstrations, you will oversee all technical aspects of the project, ensuring the successful design, development, testing, and deployment of next-generation nuclear microreactors at INL. The TPM will serve as the central point of coordination, integrating efforts across microreactor design and fabrication vendors, and INL’s engineering, regulatory compliance, safety, manufacturing, and other disciplines to meet project milestones, budget, and performance goals. This role requires deep technical expertise, strong leadership, and ability to navigate complex, highly regulated environments. INL is a leader in demonstrating innovative energy solutions, dedicated to advancing clean, safe, and sustainable nuclear energy through cutting-edge microreactor technology for space or defense applications. Our mission is to demonstrate compact, scalable, and reliable power solutions to meet energy demands. Responsibilities Include: - Define, manage, and execute technical work scope for the nuclear microreactor demonstration project(s), including reactor design and licensing, reactor construction, reactor startup, reactor shut down, and reactor decontamination and decommissioning. - Ensure technical deliverables meet safety, performance, and regulatory requirements, adhering to applicable standards. - Collaborate with subject matter experts to resolve technical challenges and drive innovation in demonstrating microreactor technology at INL. - Coordinate and integrate efforts across diverse multi-disciplined teams such as nuclear engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, nuclear safety, manufacturing, and nuclear operations. - Proactively manage and execute sets of projects into programs on schedule and within assigned budgets. Act as appropriate to correct deviations from schedule and budget. Provide recommendations to project management to allow timely resolution of problems and issues. Use appropriate conflict resolution skills to manage competing stakeholder interests. - Direct or support engineering projects related to upgrading facilities, constructing new facilities to include planning, budgeting, procuring, and managing projects. - Aid in developing research, engineering, and operations teams to help partners meet their goals. - Interface with partners (DOE, DOD, and others) and coordinate among INL operations, research, and business organizations to support programs in the area of specialty. - Track and report project progress to senior leadership, stakeholders, and regulatory bodies, providing clear and concise updates on technical and integration status. - Prepare or direct the preparation of progress and special reports to customers and management. - Ensure that laboratory requirements and standards for the management of projects are met and are consistently applied in the acceptance and integration of work. Integrate managed scope with ongoing and evolving mission needs. - Ensure that all customer contact, including major correspondence and work relationships between management and the customer, is maintained throughout the duration of the program. Conduct periodic project and customer meetings to review progress and discuss issues. Ensure problems involving coordination, schedule, and the setting of priorities are resolved by the project teams. Obtain the customer's acceptance of the work and document all turnover activities. Responsible for the preparation and submission of the final project reports and prompt close-out of the projects supporting the program. - Work closely with regulatory teams to ensure compliance with nuclear safety standards, licensing requirements, and environmental regulations. - Oversee the development of technical documentation, including design specifications, safety analyses, and licensing submissions. - Ensure all technical work adheres to best practices for nuclear safety and risk management. - Identify new opportunities and support growth in a dynamic and necessarily agile security R&D business environment. Match INL unique capabilities with capability gaps and needs of clients. Advise on emerging capabilities. - Analyze data to understand organizational disparities and implement solutions to address the identified disparity. Combine data analysis with experience/knowledge to deliver reliable and executable solutions. - Develop teams as appropriate to successfully complete projects. - Coach other managers, support succession planning, and actively develop future leaders at INL. - This posting closes: 9/3/25
