How to apply for Systems Engineer

About Kairos Power

Kairos Power is commercializing a fluoride-salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor (FHR) to support the clean energy transition. The company aims to deploy this reactor with robust safety, affordable costs, and flexible operation to accommodate variable renewables. Working there means contributing to advanced nuclear technology with a clear environmental goal.

About the role

This systems engineer role focuses on translating program objectives, stakeholder needs, and design inputs into verifiable technical requirements and integrated system solutions. You will develop requirements, functional and system architectures, interfaces, and verification strategies across multiple product and plant levels. The position leads focused systems engineering activities, coordinates multidisciplinary technical reviews, and evaluates system-level impacts of proposed changes.

A typical day

A typical day may involve working on requirements and architecture models, meeting with engineering disciplines to resolve interface issues, and leading or participating in technical reviews. You might also assess change proposals for system-level impacts and coordinate with licensing, quality, or suppliers. The exact routine depends on project phase; ask the hiring manager how the team organizes its work.

Who Kairos Power is looking for

• Has experience applying systems engineering methods to complex hardware or plant systems, ideally in nuclear, energy, or other regulated industries.
• Can develop and maintain requirements, functional architectures, system architectures, interfaces, and verification strategies across multiple levels of a product or plant architecture.
• Works well with engineering disciplines, project management, licensing, quality, operations, suppliers, and external partners to resolve cross-functional technical issues.
• Is highly motivated to support the development and integration of advanced nuclear energy systems.

Tips for this application

• Review the Kairos Power website for details on the fluoride-salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor (FHR) and mention how your systems engineering experience applies to advanced reactor development.
• Highlight specific examples where you developed requirements, functional architectures, or verification strategies for complex systems, using terms like 'requirements traceability' and 'interface management'.
• Emphasize any experience coordinating multidisciplinary technical reviews or evaluating system-level impacts of design changes, as this is a core part of the role.
• If you have worked in nuclear, energy, or other regulated industries, call out your familiarity with licensing, quality, or safety standards in your resume or cover letter.
• Since the role is remote, note your ability to work effectively with distributed teams and external partners, and mention any tools you use for requirements management or systems modeling.

What to cover in your cover letter

['Your hands-on experience translating stakeholder needs into verifiable technical requirements and integrated system solutions.', 'A specific example of leading systems engineering activities and coordinating multidisciplinary technical reviews.', 'How you have evaluated system-level impacts of proposed changes and resolved cross-functional technical issues.', "Your motivation to apply systems engineering to advanced nuclear energy and support Kairos Power's mission to enable clean energy transition."]

Research before applying

• Study the fluoride-salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor (FHR) design and Kairos Power's commercialization plans on their website and in public technical papers.
• Understand the role of systems engineering in nuclear licensing and how requirements and verification support regulatory approval.
• Look up Kairos Power's recent news, partnerships, and project milestones to speak about their current stage of development.
• Familiarize yourself with systems engineering standards and tools (e.g., INCOSE, requirements management software) that may be relevant to the role.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Walk us through how you developed a requirements architecture for a complex system, including how you ensured traceability and verification.
• Describe a time you identified an integration concern across engineering disciplines and how you resolved it.
• How do you evaluate the system-level impacts of a proposed design change? Provide an example.
• What experience do you have with verification strategies for safety-critical or regulated systems?
• Why are you interested in systems engineering for advanced nuclear reactors, and what do you know about Kairos Power's FHR technology?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Submitting a generic resume that does not show specific systems engineering methods like requirements development, functional analysis, or interface management.
• Failing to connect your experience to the nuclear or energy sector, even if your background is in another regulated industry.
• Ignoring the remote nature of the role and not demonstrating ability to collaborate effectively with distributed teams and external partners.