Director, Product Engineering

The Nuclear Company is the fastest growing startup in the nuclear and energy space creating a never before seen fleet-scale approach to building nuclear reactors. Through its design-once, build-many approach and coalition building across communities, regulators, and financial stakeholders, The Nuclear Company is committed to delivering safe and reliable electricity at the lowest cost, while catalyzing the nuclear industry toward rapid development in America and globally.

About the role

We are looking for a Director of Product Engineering to lead the design, development, and deployment of our Nuclear Operating System (NOS) modules and applications. This is a senior leadership role, reporting into our Head of NOS. We are looking for a builder and systems thinker who thrives at the intersection of complex hardware, emerging technology, and mission-critical software.

You will work hand-in-hand with business line stakeholders across the organization to translate operational needs into world-class engineering deliverables — spanning desktop apps, mobile apps, XR/VR interfaces, drone systems, biometrics, digital twins, IoT/OT integration, and more. You'll own the full product engineering lifecycle, from architecture and development through testing, deployment, and iteration in regulated environments.

This role requires equal parts technical depth, product intuition, and organizational leadership. You will manage and grow a multidisciplinary engineering team while maintaining close partnership with business stakeholders, operations leaders, and external vendors.

Responsibilities

Product Engineering Leadership

• Own the end-to-end build and deployment of NOS modules and applications across the company's portfolio of technology domains

• Partner directly with business line stakeholders to define requirements, prioritize roadmaps, and deliver high-quality products on aggressive timelines

• Establish and enforce engineering standards, development practices, and quality frameworks across the product engineering organization

• Drive architectural decisions across mobile, embedded, IoT/OT, and cloud-connected systems with a strong bias for modularity and scalability
  

Technology Domain Ownership

• Lead engineering across a broad suite of technology domains including:

• Desktop Applications — corporate, project management, and operations & maintenance tools for planning and scheduling.

• Mobile Applications — native and cross-platform apps for field and operational use

• XR/VR — immersive interfaces for training, simulation, remote inspection, and situational awareness

• Drones & Robotics — integration of autonomous aerial and ground systems for inspection, monitoring, and data collection

• Cameras & Computer Vision — real-time imaging, analytics, and monitoring systems

• Biometrics — identity verification, access control, and safety systems

• Digital Twin — real-time and predictive virtual representations of physical plant systems

• IoT & OT Integration — sensor networks, SCADA interfaces, and operational technology connectivity

• Product & Platform — NOS core modules, APIs, and developer tooling
  

Stakeholder & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Serve as the primary engineering liaison to business line owners, translating operational and regulatory requirements into technical solutions

• Work closely with product managers, UX designers, data engineers, and safety/compliance teams

• Communicate clearly and confidently with executive leadership on engineering progress, risk, and capacity
  

Team Building & Culture

• Hire, develop, and retain a world-class product engineering team across disciplines

• Build a culture of ownership, velocity, and technical rigor

• Define career paths and development frameworks for engineers at all levels

Experience

• 10+ years of engineering experience with at least 4 years in a senior engineering leadership role

• Demonstrated experience shipping production software across multiple domains — mobile, IoT/OT, embedded systems, or hardware-integrated platforms

• Experience working in or with regulated industries (nuclear, aerospace, defense, energy, industrial, medical) strongly preferred

• Proven track record of building and scaling engineering teams from early-stage to growth-stage
  

Technical Skills

• Strong architectural intuition across distributed systems, real-time data pipelines, and edge computing

• Hands-on familiarity with IoT/OT protocols (MQTT, OPC-UA, Modbus, etc.) and industrial system integration

• Working knowledge of mobile development (iOS/Android, React Native, Flutter, or equivalent)

• Exposure to XR/VR development (Unity, Unreal, WebXR) and spatial computing platforms

• Experience with digital twin platforms or simulation environments

• Comfortable with drone system integration, computer vision pipelines, or biometric platforms — bonus if you've shipped in more than one of these

• Fluency in cloud architecture (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and DevSecOps practices
  

Leadership & Soft Skills

• Exceptional communicator — able to engage equally well with field operators, engineers, and C-suite executives

• Strong business acumen; you understand how engineering decisions affect cost, schedule, and safety outcomes

• High tolerance for ambiguity and a bias for action in fast-moving environments

• A genuine interest in nuclear energy, energy infrastructure, or hard-tech industries

Benefits

• Competitive compensation packages
• 401k with company match
• Medical, dental, vision plans
• Generous vacation policy, plus holidays

Estimated Starting Salary Range
The estimated starting salary range for this role is $198,000 - $228,000 annually less applicable withholdings and deductions, paid on a bi-weekly basis. The actual salary offered may vary based on relevant factors as determined in the Company’s discretion, which may include experience, qualifications, tenure, skill set, availability of qualified candidates, geographic location, certifications held, and other criteria deemed pertinent to the particular role.

EEO Statement
The Nuclear Company is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an environment of inclusion in the workplace.