Licensing Engineer - Nuclear Research Laboratory

About the role

Abilene Christian University (ACU) is hiring a Licensing Engineer for its NEXT Lab, a nuclear research and training facility. The role ensures the lab operates in compliance with NRC regulations and DOE requirements, supports licensing submissions, and coordinates safety analyses, procedures and inspections.

Key responsibilities

• Regulatory compliance: monitor federal, state and local regulation changes and oversee that laboratory activities meet regulatory expectations.
• Licensing support: prepare, review and submit licensing documents such as amendment requests, renewals and technical reports; track outcomes with NRC and DOE; respond to audit questions and requests for additional information; support other licenses such as radioactive materials licenses.
• Safety analysis: coordinate and write parts of the MSRR Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) and verify compliance with NRC and DOE safety standards.
• Procedures: develop and update operational procedures, create training materials, and prepare emergency plans aligned with NRC, DOE and industry best practices.
• Audits and inspections: coordinate NRC and DOE inspections, provide documentation during reviews, and implement corrective actions.
• Training support: help train and qualify personnel and researchers and reactor operators to maintain required certifications.
• Stakeholder communication: act as liaison between NEXT Lab, ACU administration, NRC and DOE, representing the lab in discussions with regulatory agencies.
• Risk assessment: assess risks of experimental and operational activities and recommend mitigations.
• Documentation: keep accurate records of licensing activities and archive correspondence with NRC and DOE.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Nuclear Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 3-5 years of experience in nuclear engineering or a related field, with at least 2 years in a licensing or regulatory compliance role involving NRC and DOE processes; experience with research reactors or advanced nuclear technologies is highly desirable.
• Strong knowledge of NRC regulations (e.g., 10 CFR Part 50, Part 55), DOE requirements, nuclear safety principles and licensing processes.
• Familiarity with research reactor operations, safety analysis and advanced reactor designs is a plus.
• Ability to be approved for access to ACU SGI-M designated material.
• Physical demands: able to lift 50 pounds regularly and stand for 1 hour or more.

Required skills

• Computer proficiency including e-mail, video conferencing, Acrobat and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint).
• Excellent written and verbal communication for technical documents and interaction with regulators and academic stakeholders.
• Ability to analyze complex technical issues, propose solutions and work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary team.