Blykalla is working toward deploying its first reactor in the United States. We’re looking for an experienced Facility & Commissioning Manager to take custody of our first US facility at turnover from construction, stand up the reactor operating organization, and lead it through commissioning to first criticality.

This is a rare opportunity to join a first-of-a-kind nuclear project at an early stage, where you will be the single accountable owner for how our first US facility is turned over, commissioned, operated, and brought safely to criticality — and where you will build the site organization that delivers it.

Our US program, Fjäll, is targeting first criticality in 2027 and is backed by ~EUR 50M in funding. We are building this program from the ground up which means every hire is foundational.

Your Assignment and Mission

As Facility & Commissioning Manager, you are the single accountable owner for the facility from turnover through commissioning, first criticality, and operation. You own the turnover of the facility from the general contractor to operations, you build the operating capability — procedures, qualified operators, and the operating discipline that holds up to regulator and partner scrutiny — and you own safe operation of the facility once custody is handed over to you. You also bring the operating perspective into design reviews early, before design and fuel-handling decisions are frozen.

You will hold delegated responsibility for the facility and carry a named Stop-Work Authority. You operate within the integrated management system owned by the Head of US HSEQ; you do not own the HSE program itself, and the independent safety functions — radiation protection / RSO, nuclear criticality safety, quality assurance, and material control & accountability — sit outside your line to preserve the independence that the operational readiness review and DOE require. You operate to the limits and requirements those functions set.

This is a first-wave hire. You will report directly to the Head of US Project Development and work in close partnership, on a strong dotted line, with Blykalla’s Head of Testing & Commissioning in Sweden, who owns the program commissioning methodology. You will build and lead a team of approximately six to seven direct reports, growing to a site organization of roughly twenty people including contractors, phased in line with the project schedule.

1. Delegated Site Responsibility, Authority & Stop-Work

Hold delegated responsibility for commissioning and operation of the facility, including nuclear operations. Carry a clear, named Stop-Work Authority and the accountability for safe operation that goes with it. You will be properly resourced and empowered for this: with the back-office support and systems behind you, and the authority to draw on whatever engineering, safety, and specialist support the situation requires. You build the US operating capability — you do not stand up a parallel engineering organization.

2. Turnover from Construction & Facility Readiness

Own the turnover of the facility from the general contractor to operations. Set the requirements for system turnover packages, accept systems from construction through structured walkdowns and as-built verification, and take formal site custody. Manage interim or designated occupancy where it accelerates readiness, and make sure the physical facility — utilities, services, and support infrastructure — is ready to operate before it is needed.

3. Conduct of Operations & Operating Discipline

Own conduct of operations — the operating procedures, operating discipline, shift routines, and configuration-aware practices that keep the facility in its authorized configuration at all times. Establish an operating regime that is disciplined, defensible, and ready for regulator and partner scrutiny.

4. Operator Training, Qualification & Staffing

Design and run the operator training and qualification program using a systematic approach to training (SAT). Qualify the operating crew, staff certified reactor operators and shift operations in two crews, and establish requalification and continuing-training practices that hold up over the life of the facility.

5. Commissioning, Startup Testing & Approach to Criticality

Plan and lead commissioning and the approach to criticality, including the pre-operational and startup test programs, and own the operational readiness review (ORR). Chair the Joint Test Group (JTG) — the cross-functional startup organization that takes the plant through integrated testing into startup — and release the JTG shift schedule at activation, before fuel receipt. Own safe execution of the test campaign. Co-own the content of the test program with the Design Authority, which owns the experimental and validation objectives for the facility.

6. Maintenance, Fuel Handling & Facility Operations

Establish and run maintenance, work control, and facility management for the operating facility — including site services, utilities, logistics, waste handling and back-end disposition, and operational radiation-monitoring instrumentation (hardware). Own fuel receipt, storage, and loading through a dedicated fuel-handling lead. Keep the facility maintained in its authorized configuration and ready to operate.

7. Operating Organization, Interfaces & Site Security

Build and lead the site organization, phased to the project schedule. Own the operational interfaces with nuclear safety & licensing, QA / HSEQ, the Design Authority, and construction, and operate within the limits the independent oversight functions set. Bring the operating perspective into design reviews before design freeze. Own facility security and access and coordinate emergency preparedness for the site.

Your first 90 days

• Map the path to operational readiness against the first-criticality date, and define the ORR scope, gates, and readiness schedule.

• Confirm the scope of your delegated responsibility and Stop-Work Authority with the Head of US Project Development, and the back-office support and escalation routes behind it.

• Define the construction-to-operations turnover model with the Construction Manager: turnover package structure, walkdown and acceptance practice, and the use of interim or designated occupancy.

• Establish the conduct-of-operations framework and the operating-procedures architecture, anchored in the integrated management system.

• Build the operator training & qualification plan (systematic approach to training) and the two-crew operating staffing profile.

• Define the commissioning and approach-to-criticality test plan together with the Design Authority and the Head of Testing & Commissioning, including the JTG structure and the commissioning & startup plan behind it.

• Establish named working relationships with nuclear safety & licensing, QA / HSEQ, the RSO, and the construction organisation, and map the operational interfaces and the independent-oversight boundary.

• Identify the highest-priority operational-readiness risks and propose mitigation pathways.

What we’re looking for

Must have

• Significant experience operating, commissioning, or standing up a nuclear facility — a research reactor, critical or zero-power assembly, or a DOE / NRC nuclear facility.

• Hands-on conduct-of-operations and commissioning experience, including startup testing and approach to criticality, or directly comparable nuclear operations experience.

• A good working understanding of a quality / integrated management system (QMS / IMS) and how to build systems and processes within that framework — NQA-1 ideally, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 as a minimum.

• Comfort holding and exercising a Stop-Work Authority, and being personally accountable for the safe operation of a facility.

• Experience with operator training and qualification (systematic approach to training).

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in engineering, nuclear, or a related discipline.

• Strong written communication skills; comfortable drafting operating procedures, programme documents, and regulator- and partner-facing material.

• Ability to operate effectively in a founder-stage environment where the operating organisation is being built, not inherited.

• US work authorization.

Strong advantage

• A current or former Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) or Reactor Operator (RO) licence, or equivalent operating authorisation.

• Experience with the DOE Authorization process, 10 CFR Part 830 Subpart A, DOE O 414.1D, and operational readiness reviews.

• Experience taking a facility through construction turnover — system turnover packages, walkdowns, punch lists, and acceptance from an EPC or general contractor.

• Experience with advanced reactor, fast-spectrum, lead-cooled, first-of-a-kind, or demonstration programs

• Prior engagement with DOE laboratories or the broader US advanced nuclear ecosystem.

• Working literacy in radiation protection, health physics, and nuclear criticality safety sufficient to interface effectively with the independent RSO function.

• Experience standing up an operating or commissioning organisation from scratch on a greenfield site.

If you’re not sure you meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply.

About Blykalla

Blykalla is developing the next generation of nuclear technology with our Small Modular Reactor (SMR) based on innovative fuel, materials, and reactor designs. As Sweden’s only SMR developer, we are on a mission to decarbonize industries and enable safe, scalable, and sustainable energy solutions. Our technology uses lead coolant, creating novel challenges and opportunities for the reactor and supporting systems.

Our US development program, Fjäll, is working toward deploying Blykalla’s first reactor in the United States, targeting first criticality in 2027. We are standing up this program from scratch which means every hire matters and every role is foundational.

Location

United States. The site location will be announced as the program develops. Occasional travel to Stockholm, Sweden and to the site.

Compensation & Benefits

We offer a competitive compensation package reflecting the seniority and strategic importance of this role.

Base salary: $180,000–$230,000 annually, depending on experience and background.

In addition, you can expect:

• Equity participation

• Comprehensive benefits through Deel, including medical, dental, and vision insurance and 401(k)

The salary range reflects our target band. The final offer will be determined based on qualifications and location.

So, what do you think?

Joining our team means being part of a pioneering effort to deploy the first advanced lead-cooled SMR in the United States. You will own how our first US facility is turned over, commissioned, and operated — at the intersection of advanced reactor technology, DOE Authorization, and first-of-a-kind execution — and build the site organisation that brings it safely to criticality.

If you are ready to build something that matters, apply now.

We are proud to foster an inclusive workplace free from discrimination. We strongly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and background makes us better — and we encourage everyone to apply.