Senior Control Room Operator

Company Overview

Kairos Power is a new nuclear energy technology and engineering company whose mission is to enable the world’s transition to clean energy, with the ultimate goal to dramatically improve people’s quality of life while protecting the environment. This goal is pursued through the commercialization of the fluoride‑salt‑cooled, high‑temperature reactor (FHR) that can be deployed with robust safety, affordable costs, and flexible operation to accommodate the expansion of variable renewables.

Kairos Power is seeking a Senior Control Room Operator to support the commissioning and operation of the Engineering Test Unit (ETU) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This role is a key control‑room leadership position responsible for safe, compliant, and efficient operation during test and commissioning activities. Upon successful completion of the ETU project, this position will relocate to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where the individual will enter the licensed operator training program and transition into operations of the Hermes reactor, Kairos Power’s fluoride‑salt‑cooled, high‑temperature reactor demonstration.

The role is ideal for an experienced nuclear operator who thrives in first‑of‑a‑kind facilities, commissioning environments, and evolving operational frameworks.

• Develop and maintain comprehensive operating procedures, control‑room manuals, and emergency response protocols.
• Review and update technical documentation to reflect changes in plant design, control strategies, and operational practices.
• Ensure all procedures meet regulatory, safety, and operational standards and are accessible and understandable for all operations personnel.

• Participate actively in pre‑commissioning and commissioning activities, including system walk‑downs, loop checks, function testing, and validation of control systems.
• Coordinate with engineering, construction, and vendor teams to ensure proper integration and functionality of control systems.

• Follow policies, principles, procedures, standards, and practices to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient operation of plant areas.
• Operate and field‑check process equipment, monitoring process conditions, key performance metrics, equipment and control systems, and make appropriate decisions to maintain and/or achieve desired rates and conditions aligned with Kairos’s goals.
• Perform scheduled operational tasks and address unplanned events.
• Collaborate with shift team members and other shift teams to balance workload and ensure assigned tasks are completed by due dates.
• Conduct effective shift relief, as defined by facility‑specific operating discipline and tools to ensure effective communication and handoff to arriving shift team.
• Maintain qualification in assigned areas, per Kairos’s policy, and complete training goals in a timely manner, using discretionary time to address skills and knowledge gaps.
• Mentor and train new and existing operations personnel on process operation, troubleshooting, and the use of operating discipline in alignment with Kairos’s training process.
• Perform Immediate Response activities, as assigned.
• Initiate and document preliminary investigations according to plant‑specific process/criteria and participate in formal and informal root‑cause investigations for events involved or requested.
• Track and utilize the plant’s key performance indicators on shift that are applicable to the operating role to optimize operations and identify improvement opportunities. Proactively identify improvements and opportunities utilizing facility improvement processes, change‑management processes, and communication tools.
• Perform minor maintenance, including minor repairs and preventative maintenance, utilizing appropriate policies, procedures, processes, and disciplines.
• Commission and operate mechanical and electrical equipment.
• Prepare, review, and execute system and component‑level commissioning, and operating procedures.
• Perform acceptance testing following new equipment installation including hydrostatic, pneumatic, I/O checks, and electrical component calibration checks.
• Support day‑to‑day operations…