--- title: 'Reactor Operations Lead at BlueCore Energy' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/reactor-operations-lead-bluecore-energy-long-beach-2sc44fat2keg' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-07' --- # Reactor Operations Lead at BlueCore Energy - **Company:** BlueCore Energy - **Location:** Long Beach - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-08-22 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/bluecore-energy/29bbbcd7-e205-48e6-b7fb-ebd4c3e9a025 ## Job description Our Mission Is Simple: Democratize Access To Clean Energy Welcome to BlueCore Energy! We are on a relentless mission to democratize access to clean energy. By designing and building advanced floating Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) on barges right here in Long Beach, CA, we are bringing scalable, clean, and reliable power to the world. Joining our team means getting in on the ground floor of a revolution in marine small modular reactors (SMRs). If you are passionate, driven, and ready to tackle some of the most exciting challenges of our time, we want you on our team! ## Our Values Humility — We hold strong opinions loosely, say "I don't know," ask for help early, and let the best idea win regardless of who it came from. Inclusivity — The best engineering comes from many perspectives. We build a team where everyone is heard, and we mean it. Pragmatism — We solve the real problem in front of us, reuse what already works, and value a tested answer over an elegant one. ## About the Role The Reactor Operations Lead will build the foundational operating program for Nautilus, BlueCore’s flagship floating nuclear power plant, from the ground up—shaping the procedures, the crew, and the conduct of operations culture. Sitting within the Certification Department, this role operates at the intersection of reactor operations, regulatory licensing, and hands-on engineering. You will collaborate closely with the controls and digital twin teams to develop the plant simulator, define operator interfaces, and establish the operational architecture for a fleet designed around modern instrumentation and remote monitoring. As part of a founding team simultaneously pursuing DOE authorization, NRC licensing, ABS marine classification, and USCG vessel authorization, your work will seamlessly bridge engineering and licensing, ultimately becoming the core operational content of our regulatory submittals. ## Responsibilities Write the complete reactor operating procedure set from scratch, including format guides, INL criticality procedures, full-power operations procedures, and all supporting Verification & Validation (V&V) documentation. Partner with the controls and digital twin teams to develop the plant simulator and define how operators will interact with a reactor built for modern instrumentation and remote monitoring. Produce critical operational content for our DOE safety basis (including the DSA and Technical Safety Requirements) and the NRC license application (specifically FSAR Chapters 13 and 16). Contribute operational expertise across the Certification Department by helping write safety analysis chapters, drafting NRC RAI responses, and building technical arguments that apply existing regulations to a novel floating facility. Coordinate with engineering, licensing, training, and leadership to ensure operational requirements and human factors are embedded in the reactor design from day one, avoiding late-stage retrofits. Collaborate with the Training Lead to build qualification cards and establish the foundational training program for future reactor crews. Travel to Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and other applicable sites to support testing, vendor coordination, and regulatory engagement. Required Qualifications & Skills Demonstrated experience executing and/or writing nuclear operating procedures in a strictly regulated environment. For Commercial Nuclear Candidates: Experience writing procedures to NRC standards, practical familiarity with 10 CFR 50.59 change control processes, and a solid understanding of human factors requirements. For Navy Nuclear Candidates: Deep hands-on procedure execution experience coupled with the proven ability to rapidly learn and apply DOE and NRC regulatory language. Exceptional technical writing ability; your procedures and documentation will be central to our safety case and must withstand rigorous review by DOE and NRC regulators. Desired Qualifications & Skills Prior experience working on new reactor builds, first-of-a-kind engineering projects, or in highly cross-functional startup environments. Familiarity with the integration of digital twin technologies, modern control room simulators, or remote-monitored operational architectures. Ability to travel to Idaho National Laboratory and other locations as needed. Working at BlueCore Energy On-Site Requirement: Our team works together at our Long Beach facility, right next to our barge. Highly Cross-Functional: Startups move fast! You must possess the ability to seamlessly collaborate across multiple teams to rapidly solve problems and keep production moving. Physical & Machinery Requirements: Because we are a hands-on startup, this role may require the ability to perform physical labor, navigate active construction/manufacturing zones, and/or operate heavy machinery and specialized manufacturing equipment as needed. ## About BlueCore Energy ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: BlueCore Energy develops small modular water-cooled nuclear reactors on floating barges to deliver zero-emission power to ports, cities, and critical infrastructure. - **Entity Type**: Private (Pre-Seed) - **Headquarters**: Long Beach, California, USA - **Founded**: 2026 - **Founders**: Kofi Asante ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Nuclear energy, maritime energy, small modular reactors (SMRs) - **Target customers**: B2B – ports, utilities, data centers, offshore infrastructure, communities facing energy constraints - **Mission**: To bring floating nuclear power to the ports and infrastructure that move the world, and eventually to the ships that connect them. ## Products & Services - **Floating Nuclear Barge (10 MWe)**: A compact, water-cooled reactor mounted on a barge that can be moored at a port, connected to the grid via subsea cables, and refueled only once every few years. Designed to power the equivalent of ~15,000 homes or scale to meet a major port’s energy needs. Multiple units can be paired for larger capacity. ## Market Standing - **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total funding – $10M (pre-seed, oversubscribed, July 2026) - **Notable Investors / Partners**: Slauson & Co. (lead investor in pre-seed round) - **Growth Signals**: - Emerged from stealth in July 2026 with a physical barge and test reactor already delivered to its headquarters at the Port of Long Beach – the first SMR company to establish a headquarters inside a major U.S. port. - Team drawn from SpaceX, Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, Toyota, Uber, and U.S. Navy nuclear submarine program. - Actively working on engineering, regulatory (NRC), classification, and commercialization pathways. ## Competitive Advantages - **Location & Physical Execution**: First SMR company to have a base inside a major U.S. port (Port of Long Beach), enabling direct integration with maritime infrastructure. - **Team Expertise**: Deep-tech and nuclear pedigree – founders and leads have launched autonomous aircraft, electric tugboats, and SpaceX vehicles; naval nuclear officers bring real-world reactor operations experience. - **Design Philosophy**: Safety built on defense-in-depth, five barriers, water-based cooling, and passive systems – leveraging 70+ years of proven light-water reactor technology. ## Strategic Focus - **Current priorities**: Deploy the first floating reactor, secure regulatory approvals, advance component testing (hardware + digital twin), and build a production line for rapid deployment. - **Long-term vision**: Scale from port-side power generation to cargo ship propulsion, creating a new clean-energy backbone for the maritime economy. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Early-stage startup moving at “hard-tech” speed – physically building at a working port, combining hardware and software development. - **Work policy**: On-site, full-time roles at the Port of Long Beach (as of current job listings). - **Notable perks / engineering culture**: Opportunity to work on nuclear energy systems from day one alongside veterans of SpaceX, Blue Origin, and the U.S. Navy. Roles span electrical, thermal-hydraulics, controls, chemistry, and quality – with a focus on real-world hardware and regulatory safety. ## Sources 1. [bluecore.energy](https://www.bluecore.energy/) 2. [bluecore.energy (team)](https://www.bluecore.energy/team) 3. [bluecore.energy (stealth launch)](https://www.bluecore.energy/post/bluecore-energy-emerges-from-stealth) 4. [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/21/this-uber-alumn-just-raised-a-10m-pre-seed-to-build-portable-nuclear-enegry/) 5. [jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/bluecore-energy) ## Other roles at BlueCore Energy - [General Application](https://feeny.ai/job/general-application-bluecore-energy-long-beach-ztdma72g9qnw) — Long Beach - [Chemistry and Radiological Controls Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/chemistry-and-radiological-controls-lead-bluecore-energy-long-beach-z34fxtmzwr0p) — Long Beach - [Principal Thermal-Hydraulics & Safety Analysis Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-thermal-hydraulics-safety-analysis-engineer-bluecore-energy-long-beach-rxb70v4aw15h) — Long Beach - [Lead Reactor Physics & Shielding Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-reactor-physics-shielding-engineer-bluecore-energy-long-beach-w3z07n2hzpce) — Long Beach - [Supply Chain Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/supply-chain-lead-bluecore-energy-long-beach-34r1fwnjqc38) — Long Beach - [Fuel Lifecycle Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/fuel-lifecycle-lead-bluecore-energy-long-beach-83fztgvwaggf) — Long Beach - [Mechanical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineer-bluecore-energy-long-beach-xrtry97tw8rm) — Long Beach - [Senior Electrical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-electrical-engineer-bluecore-energy-long-beach-vwf74tr5z8cm) — Long Beach