Lead Systems Engineer
Software Engineering · Full-time
Austin, TX, USA
Last Energy is a pioneering US technology company focused on fleet-wide deployment and operation of next-generation nuclear assets. We are revolutionizing nuclear power delivery for rapid deployment and scalability.
We are seeking a Lead Systems Engineer at our office in Austin, TX. This person owns the system architecture, requirements, and verification trail for our PWR-5 pilot reactor at the Texas A&M RELLIS campus, part of the U.S. Department of Energy Reactor Pilot Program. The work covers three areas: architecting how the system fits together, owning and decomposing its requirements, and proving through verification and validation that the design works. This is a hands-on role. You author the documents yourself and pull in subject matter experts where you need depth.
The next phase of product development takes the pilot reactor to full operating pressure and temperature. This role joins at the start of this new era and stays with it through build. Most of the work happens in Austin, and travel to RELLIS increases to once or twice a week late as things progress.
The Lead Systems Engineer works across the engineering organization, with no direct reports. This role shapes how Last Energy does systems engineering. It turns the PWR-5 into a documented, traceable system and builds the process every future unit will follow. This person sets technical direction, defines interfaces, and brings clear recommendations to engineering leadership, who make the final call on major design decisions.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
Architect the PWR-5 system end to end, from sensors to control logic to mechanical and electrical systems, and define how each part interfaces with the others.
Own system requirements and design trade-offs for phase two, starting with requirements capture and decomposition.
Author system description documents, requirements documents, interface control documents and diagrams, and requirements traceability matrices.
Plan and track verification and validation, from bench test to integrated test to validation against customer requirements.
Integrate hardware and software components into one working system, including the phase two move from point-to-point analog controls to programmable logic controllers (PLCs). Partner with the instrumentation and controls (I&C) team, which owns sensors, control logic, and PLC programming.
Baseline the system design and show the downstream impact of every proposed change, so leadership can decide quickly with full information.
Find simpler, lower-cost solutions that still meet regulatory and first-principles requirements, such as qualifying an industrial component where nuclear-specific hardware is the default.
Support identification and management of technical risk.
Communicate technical status and trade-offs clearly across engineering, commercial, and supply chain teams.
Qualifications
Bachelor of Science in Engineering, or equivalent knowledge and experience.
10+ years in engineering design with a focus on systems engineering and systems integration in an industry that builds hardware as a product.
Hands-on authorship of requirements, architecture, interface, and verification documentation on a complex hardware product.
Working knowledge of how electrical, mechanical, structural, and control systems interact.
A record of making and defending technical recommendations under schedule pressure.
Technical leadership and mentorship without formal authority.
Ownership of outcomes. You bring a recommendation with every problem and commit once a decision is made.
Comfort making progress with incomplete information, with more rigor where safety and regulatory stakes are highest.
Experience integrating PLC-based control systems, including interface, communication, and electrical protocols.
Experience building a systems engineering process from scratch and getting a team to adopt it.
Preferred