Automation Engineer

Standard Nuclear is fueling America’s nuclear renaissance at industrial scale. Our mission is to deliver the essential building blocks of nuclear power—enabling cost-effective, safe, and secure energy for the world.

The Automation Engineer develops, maintains, and improves software tools, data systems, dashboards, and automated workflows that support Standard Nuclear’s manufacturing operations. This role focuses on manufacturing systems, inventory and material tracking, reporting automation, data integrity, and operational visibility in a regulated environment.

This is a hands-on technical role working at the intersection of software, data, manufacturing, and operations. The Automation Engineer will support systems used to track production activity, material movement, nuclear material inventory, process data, and operational performance. The role will work closely with Manufacturing, Operations, Engineering, Quality, NMCA, EH&S, and IT teams to ensure systems are reliable, secure, traceable, and useful for day-to-day decision-making.

This position is focused primarily on software, data, and systems automation rather than traditional controls engineering, though familiarity with manufacturing or industrial systems is beneficial.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Manufacturing Systems & Automation

Develop, maintain, and improve software tools and automated workflows that support manufacturing operations

Build scripts, integrations, and system automations to reduce manual work, improve data accuracy, and increase operational visibility

Support manufacturing systems used for production tracking, inventory management, material movement, reporting, and process monitoring

Troubleshoot system issues, workflow failures, user access problems, data discrepancies, and reporting gaps

Support deployment, maintenance, and continuous improvement of internal tools used by operations and technical teams

Inventory & Material Tracking Systems

Maintain and improve systems used to track inventory, materials, equipment status, and operational workflows

Support systems used for nuclear material tracking, ensuring data integrity, traceability, access control, and reliable reporting

Develop automation tools that improve inventory visibility, reduce manual data entry, and support compliant material management

Partner with operations, NMCA, quality, engineering, and IT teams to ensure system changes are controlled, documented, and aligned with operational requirements

Help identify and resolve data quality issues related to material tracking, system records, and operational reporting

Dashboards, Reporting & Data Tools

Build and maintain dashboards, reports, and visualization tools for manufacturing, engineering, quality, and leadership teams

Translate manufacturing and operational data into clear, actionable views of production status, inventory, yield, throughput, and process performance

Automate recurring reports and reduce spreadsheet-based or manual reporting workflows

Work with users to understand reporting needs and develop practical tools that support decision-making

Support development of metrics that improve visibility into manufacturing performance and operational constraints

Data Systems & Integration

Integrate data from manufacturing systems, equipment, databases, spreadsheets, ERP/MRP systems, and other operational sources

Develop and maintain data pipelines, queries, and structured datasets for analysis, reporting, and automation

Improve data reliability, accessibility, and usability across manufacturing and engineering teams

Support data architecture, naming conventions, and documentation practices for manufacturing data

Work with incomplete or evolving data sources and develop practical solutions that improve over time

Compliance, Security & Documentation

Support data integrity, role-based access, change control, and documentation practices for manufacturing systems

Coordinate with IT to ensure tools and systems align with cybersecurity, access control, and company technology requirements

Develop and maintain technical documentation for scripts, workflows, dashboards, integrations, and user-facing tools

Support software quality assurance practices for internal tools and automation workflows

Ensure systems and data practices support audit readiness, traceability, and regulated manufacturing expectations

Cross-Functional Support

Work closely with intelligent manufacturing, operations, engineering, quality, NMCA, EH&S, supply chain, and IT teams

Gather requirements from technical and operational users and translate them into practical software and data solutions

Communicate technical issues, data limitations, system needs, and improvement opportunities clearly to non-software stakeholders

Support troubleshooting and continuous improvement of systems used in day-to-day manufacturing operations

Help build a culture of disciplined, data-driven manufacturing decision-making

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related technical field

2–6 years of experience in software development, systems automation, data engineering, manufacturing systems, IT systems support, or a related technical role

Strong programming or scripting skills, preferably in Python, SQL, or similar tools

Experience working with SQL databases, data pipelines, APIs, dashboards, and structured data

Experience building reports or dashboards using Power BI, Tableau, Grafana, Plotly, or similar platforms

Experience supporting regulated inventory, material tracking, access-controlled systems, or compliance-sensitive operational software preferred

Familiarity with data integrity, role-based access control, change control, or software quality assurance practices preferred

Ability to troubleshoot software, data, workflow, reporting, and user access issues

Comfort working with incomplete, messy, or evolving data sources in a manufacturing or operational environment

Familiarity with ERP/MRP systems, manufacturing systems, equipment data, sensor data, or industrial systems is a plus

Familiarity with machine learning, statistical modeling, or advanced analytics is a plus

Experience in manufacturing, nuclear, DOE, energy, aerospace, defense, semiconductor, chemical processing, or other technical industries is a plus

BENEFITS

Health, Dental & Vision Insurance

Health Savings Account

Disability and Life Insurance

401(k) Plan

Paid Time Off and Holidays

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This role is based in Oak Ridge, TN and involves a mix of office-based work and interaction with manufacturing and operations teams.

The position requires regular collaboration with engineering, operations, quality, NMCA, IT, and manufacturing teams. Work will include software and data system development as well as occasional time in manufacturing or laboratory environments to understand processes, equipment, data sources, and operational needs. Use of appropriate PPE and adherence to site safety, cybersecurity, quality, and operational requirements may be required. Reasonable accommodation will be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Standard Nuclear embraces equal opportunity and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicants must be U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.