--- title: 'Engineering Director at Alva Energy, Inc' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-director-alva-energy-inc-cambridge-dxq6f7zmqm6w' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-12' --- # Engineering Director at Alva Energy, Inc - **Company:** Alva Energy, Inc - **Location:** Cambridge, MA - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** hybrid - **Posted:** 2026-06-11 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/alva-energy/d174886f-7b24-4b8a-8a05-82d22538c5c4/application **Skills:** Power plant systems engineering, Steam cycles, Power conversion systems, Steam turbine plants, Balance-of-plant systems, NSSS modifications, EPC management, Owner's Engineer interaction, Technical specifications, Design reviews, RFI management, Construction support, Commissioning, Startup, Oil & gas, Petrochemicals, Refining, LNG, Conventional power generation, Safety codes > Alva Energy seeks an Engineering Director to lead multi-discipline engineering delivery for nuclear power uprate projects. The role involves managing internal teams and EPC partners, overseeing design maturity from FEL-1 through field execution, and driving technical integration of power plant systems. ## Job description Alva Energy is developing a large nuclear power uprate projects. We are hiring an Engineering Director to report to the CTO and lead engineering from early-stage screening through design maturity and field execution, owning multi-discipline integration, EPC performance, major equipment technical direction, and stakeholder coordination. This role blends power plant systems leadership with project engineering/program leadership. You’ll manage both the internal Alva engineering team and external engineering contractors/EPC partners, and you’ll interface directly with site owners and key OEMs/suppliers. Key Responsibilities: - Lead multi-discipline engineering delivery: coordinate mechanical, electrical/I&C, civil/structural engineering. - Own plant power integration: lead system design for modifications and tie-ins to the existing plant. - Manage EPCs and engineering contractors: define scopes, interfaces, and deliverables; run design/progress reviews; oversee technical performance, RFIs, design changes, and issue resolution. - Drive stage-gated engineering maturity: lead engineering maturity from FEL-1 through FEL-3 (or 30/60/90%), setting deliverables, quality criteria, and gate reviews. - Develop specs and review technical deliverables: draft/review engineering standards, technical specifications, and contract scopes for EPC and major equipment. - Own major equipment technical direction: develop technical specifications for steam turbines, condensers, and feedwater/condensate systems; conduct technical evaluations of vendor proposals and designs. - Translate engineering into field execution: support construction-ready work packaging and execution plans; provide engineering support during construction, commissioning, and startup. - Work across balance-of-plant and NSSS modifications - Build and lead the team: hire, onboard, mentor, and grow Alva’s engineering function; improve standards, tools, and operating cadence for project delivery. ## Qualifications - Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Nuclear, Industrial, Petroleum, Chemical, Civil, Electrical, or related engineering discipline. - 10-15 years of experience in power plant systems engineering and/or leading engineering on large power or process-industry projects with significant EPC or Owner’s Engineer interaction. - Extensive knowledge of steam cycles and power conversion systems; strong understanding of steam turbine plants and major BOP systems. - Strong stakeholder management and communication skills; willingness to travel up to ~25% to sites and suppliers. - Experience managing engineering teams across multiple disciplines, including leading both internal engineers and external contractors/EPC partners. - Background in a hard-tech startup taking complex systems from 0→1 (concept to first deployment). - Engineering leadership in oil & gas, petrochemicals, refining, LNG, or conventional power generation environments with high rigor around safety, codes, and execution. ## About Alva Energy, Inc ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Nuclear power generation / energy infrastructure - **Target customers**: Utilities operating existing U.S. nuclear reactors; power purchasers and project investors seeking long-term PPAs - **Mission**: Deliver gigawatts of new nuclear power at the speed and cost of gas by converting one-off engineering efforts into repeatable, financeable infrastructure projects ## Products & Services - **Alva Uprate** – A turnkey, drop‑in capacity upgrade for existing nuclear reactors. Each project delivers 250–300 MWe of additional power using: - **Advanced Steam Generators** – Replacement units that increase heat‑transfer surface area and improve coolant flow to enable higher reactor thermal power while maintaining safety margins. - **Second Turbine Plant (2TGP)** – A new turbine built outside the protected area to handle excess steam, allowing the existing turbine to operate within proven limits. - **DUO‑SYNC Control System** – A dual‑redundant digital control system that integrates the reactor, existing turbine, and 2TGP into a single coordinated unit. - **Delivery Model**: Firm‑fixed‑price, <2 years from procurement, ~$1 billion per uprate. Off‑balance‑sheet financing available for utilities. ## Market Standing - **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total funding – $33M (Series A, raised ~March 2026) - **Notable Investors**: Segra Capital, Mercator Partners, 8VC, Isabelle Boemeke, Michael Andersen, and 11 other investors - **Growth Signals**: - Target of 10 GWe added to the U.S. nuclear fleet (80 TWh/yr) - Backed by industry veterans with world records in high‑speed nuclear construction and licensing - Technology already NRC‑licensed and supported by >100 reactor‑years of safe operation (from Ringhals Unit 4 uprate precedent) ## Competitive Advantages - **Proven, regulator‑ready technology** – Avoids first‑of‑a‑kind risk by building on uprates already licensed by the NRC and demonstrated in Sweden. - **Repeatable, financeable model** – Standardized scope and delivery turn uprates into infrastructure projects that can be financed off‑balance‑sheet, reducing utility regulatory delay. - **Speed and cost certainty** – <2 year deployment and firm‑fixed‑price contracts contrast sharply with traditional multi‑year, over‑budget nuclear construction. - **Experienced leadership** – Team includes former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger and other executives who have delivered tens of billions in deployed capital across nuclear, industrial, and semiconductor projects. ## Strategic Focus - Scale the Alva Uprate across the U.S. nuclear fleet to unlock 10 GWe of clean baseload power. - Build repeatable project delivery infrastructure (procurement, engineering, licensing) to reduce cost and risk with each subsequent deployment. - Partner with utilities to offer off‑balance‑sheet financing and high‑value PPAs, removing regulatory hurdles. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: “Startup speed” combined with nuclear industry veterans. Emphasis on moving fast because the technology is proven, safe, and reliable. - **Engineering focus**: Roles span reactor engineering, steam turbine plants, digital controls, licensing, and DevOps – all working on real, grid‑scale projects. - **Mission‑driven**: Directly contribute to adding gigawatts of clean, always‑on power in years, not decades. - **Work environment**: Office likely based in Cambridge, MA (headquarters). Remote/hybrid policy not specified; company is in growth phase with multiple open engineering positions. - **Notable perks**: Opportunity to work with leaders who hold world records in nuclear construction; chance to innovate new methods for nuclear deployment (“design once, deploy many”). ## Sources 1. [alvaenergy.io](https://alvaenergy.io/) – Company overview, product details, metrics 2. [alvaenergy.io/careers](https://alvaenergy.io/careers/) – Open positions and culture messaging 3. [alvaenergy.io/about](https://alvaenergy.io/about/) – Leadership, board, team, investors 4. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/alva-energy) – Funding data, headquarters, founded year ## Other roles at Alva Energy, Inc - [I&C Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/i-c-engineer-alva-energy-inc-cambridge-cvwchnzmwaxr) — Cambridge, MA - [Senior NSSS Integration Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-nsss-integration-engineer-alva-energy-inc-cambridge-2kv5epqsns76) — Cambridge, MA - [SVP, Nuclear New Build Program](https://feeny.ai/job/svp-nuclear-new-build-program-alva-energy-inc-cambridge-1k8w64nebzr8) — Cambridge, MA - [Engineering Director, Steam Turbine Plant](https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-director-steam-turbine-plant-alva-energy-inc-cambridge-gjtkb7cg3670) — Cambridge, MA - [Senior Procurement Engineer, Power Generation](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-procurement-engineer-power-generation-alva-energy-inc-cambridge-57605vybg7b8) — Cambridge, MA - [Senior Project Engineer, Steam Turbine Plant](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-project-engineer-steam-turbine-plant-alva-energy-inc-cambridge-pzegb5h4mymj) — Cambridge, MA - [Engineering Director](https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-director-bestow-united-states-fp8rpc0hym7n) — United States - [Engineering Director](https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-director-hostinger-vilnius-7c2mkheqyqj7) — Vilnius, Lithuania - [Engineering Director](https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-director-airwallex-united-states-san-francisco-ca-503assdh4f4g) — United States / San Francisco, CA - [Engineering Director](https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-director-shipmonk-xkhcg148npgr)