Plant Manager at standardnuclearinc

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 Plant Manager is responsible for the overall leadership, performance, and safe operation of Standard Nuclear’s Oak Ridge nuclear fuel fabrication facility. This role provides strategic and day-to-day leadership across plant operations, ensuring the facility achieves its production, safety, quality, regulatory, financial, and operational objectives while fostering a strong nuclear safety culture.   As the senior operations leader for the facility, the Plant Manager is accountable for manufacturing execution, workforce performance, operational discipline, equipment reliability, continuous improvement, and cross-functional coordination. This role oversees production operations while partnering closely with Engineering, Quality, Nuclear Safety, Criticality Safety, Radiological Controls, EH&S, Maintenance, Facilities, Supply Chain, Planning, Security, and other support organizations to ensure safe, compliant, and efficient plant operations.   The Plant Manager is responsible for building and developing a high-performing operations organization as the facility accelerates manufacturing. This includes establishing operational excellence, driving continuous improvement, developing frontline leaders, and ensuring all work is performed safely, consistently, and in full compliance with applicable quality, radiological, regulatory, and nuclear safety requirements.   This is a hands-on leadership role requiring a strong presence on the manufacturing floor and the ability to balance operational execution with long-term organizational growth.     RESPONSIBILITIES   Plant Leadership & Operations   Lead the safe, secure, and efficient operation of Standard Nuclear’s Oak Ridge nuclear fuel fabrication facility   Own plant performance across production, safety, quality, regulatory compliance, schedule, and cost   Foster a strong nuclear safety culture focused on compliance, accountability, operational discipline, and continuous improvement   Establish clear performance expectations and ensure operations are conducted in accordance with company policies, approved procedures, and regulatory requirements   Provide visible leadership on the manufacturing floor and reinforce expectations for safe, disciplined, and reliable operations     Manufacturing & Production Performance   Execute the facility production plan, ensuring manufacturing commitments are achieved safely, on schedule, and within quality standards   Monitor and improve key operational metrics, including throughput, yield, labor productivity, equipment availability, schedule adherence, downtime, and manufacturing cost   Work with Engineering to identify production constraints and support corrective actions to improve reliability, efficiency, and production capacity   Optimize utilization of personnel, equipment, and facility resources while supporting the introduction of new manufacturing capabilities and processes   Drive production performance as the facility accelerates manufacturing and scales operations     Safety, Quality & Regulatory Compliance   Ensure compliance with applicable DOE, NRC, NQA-1, environmental, radiological, criticality safety, security, and company requirements   Promote safe work practices, contamination control, material accountability, and disciplined operational execution   Partner with Quality, Nuclear Safety, Radiological Controls, Criticality Safety, EH&S, and Security to support audits, inspections, readiness reviews, and regulatory assessments   Ensure timely and effective implementation of corrective actions and maintain operational readiness   Reinforce a culture where safety, quality, compliance, and production performance are integrated into daily operations     Leadership & Workforce Development   Lead and mentor production supervisors, technicians, operators, and other plant personnel while promoting accountability and professional development   Ensure personnel are properly trained, qualified, and prepared to support current and future operational needs   Develop frontline leaders who can execute production plans, reinforce standards, and support a disciplined manufacturing environment   Foster a culture of teamwork, ownership, continuous learning, and operational excellence   Build the organizational capability required to support long-term production growth     Continuous Improvement & Operational Discipline   Establish effective daily management systems, production reviews, shift handoffs, and performance metrics   Lead root cause investigations and implementation of sustainable corrective actions for operational, safety, quality, and equipment issues   Develop scalable manufacturing systems and processes to support long-term production growth   Drive improvements in throughput, yield, equipment reliability, labor productivity, and cost performance   Ensure lessons learned from production, maintenance, quality, and safety events are translated into durable operational improvements     Cross-Functional Leadership   Partner with Engineering, Maintenance, Facilities, Supply Chain, Planning, Quality, Finance, EH&S, Nuclear Safety, Security, Licensing, and executive leadership to optimize plant performance   Balance production priorities with maintenance, capital projects, staffing, and long-term operational objectives   Communicate plant performance, operational risks, resource needs, and improvement initiatives to executive leadership   Support facility expansions, commissioning activities, operational readiness reviews, customer engagements, and regulatory interactions   Ensure cross-functional teams are aligned around plant priorities, constraints, and execution needs     PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS   Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Industrial Technology, Business, or a related field; equivalent experience will be considered   10+ years of experience in manufacturing, plant operations, industrial operations, or production leadership   Experience leading supervisors, technicians, operators, and cross-functional plant teams in a manufacturing or industrial environment   Demonstrated experience owning plant or site-level performance across safety, quality, production, cost, staffing, and operational execution   Strong understanding of manufacturing systems, production metrics, operational discipline, maintenance coordination, and continuous improvement   Experience operating in regulated, safety-critical, high-reliability, or quality-controlled manufacturing environments   Proven ability to build teams, develop frontline leaders, establish accountability, and lead through growth or operational change   Strong problem-solving, communication, decision-making, and cross-functional leadership skills   Experience with DOE, NRC, NQA-1, nuclear, radiological, criticality safety, or other highly regulated environments strongly preferred   Experience in nuclear fuel fabrication, nuclear operations, chemical processing, aerospace, defense, energy, or advanced manufacturing 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 on-site at Standard Nuclear’s Oak Ridge, TN nuclear fuel fabrication facility and requires regular presence on the manufacturing floor.   The position involves frequent interaction with production teams, technical staff, plant support functions, industrial equipment, controlled areas, and regulated work environments. Work may involve use of PPE, participation in work planning, and adherence to site safety, quality, radiological, contamination control, criticality safety, security, and operational procedures. Occasional travel may be required to support company operations, vendors, customers, or regulatory activities. 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, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.