Senior R&D Test Engineer

About Us

At Antares, our mission is driven by the conviction that a new era of energy abundance is key to elevating global living standards and meeting the needs of Earth’s changing climate. We envision a future where affordable, reliable, and sustainable modern energy is as accessible in remote communities on Earth as it is in missions to the Asteroid Belt. To achieve that goal, Antares will become the de facto experts in nuclear microreactor development, test, and operation by making the world’s first mass-produced rapidly-deployable reactors. Antares is set to achieve timely certification and production scale by first partnering with the U.S. Department of Defense, where we can unlock unique capabilities not possible with current energy solutions, by untethering austere and contested locations from fossil fuel logistics.

Formed in 2023, the Antares founding team hails from SpaceX, The White House, MIT, Rigetti Computing, and The Air Force. To date, they have raised over $8M in capital from top-tier investors, including Caffeinated Capital and Susa Ventures.

About The Role

As a member of the R&D team, you will be Antares’ expert on test engineering. You will take ownership of designing test rigs, stands, and facilities to help us rapidly test and de-risk our reactor, heat transfer, and power conversion systems. Additionally, you will help develop and document our testing best practices, requirements, and workflow that enable rapid product iteration.

On the design side, you will be responsible for working with all teams regularly to ensure that development and qualification articles are being designed with consideration for the appropriate instrumentation and a test plan that validates all critical features and performance parameters. Additionally, you will be responsible for validating and continually ensuring that all test setups are capable of the appropriate precision and accurate measurements needed for a given test.

The ideal candidate will have experience with various test methods, both standardized and bespoke. Candidates should have direct hands-on experience building and operating test setups. Additionally, they will have the ability to work in CAD and data acquisition systems like LabVIEW or SIMULINK.

Responsibilities

• Design and own Research and Development (R&D) test infrastructure
• Create test schematics and CAD models of proposed test setups/facilities
• Define the standard process and workflow for testing prototype, qualification, and production-grade parts
• Build test schedules and ensure alignment with relevant development and business needs
• Define and own standardized test reporting process and protocols
• Construct and operate test setups and facilities
• Procure specialized test and evaluation equipment based on measurement needs
• Participate in design reviews and analyze parts/assemblies to assess the most appropriate ways (and scales) to test systems
• Provide subject matter expertise on test methods, including peer mentoring and development of teammates
• Communicate on a daily basis with supporting departments such as design engineering, machining, integration, and quality to ensure that product is tested on time and to the appropriate levels
• Participate in root cause investigations that arise in test and field operation, implement corrective actions to prevent repeat failures.
  
  

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline or physics
• 5+ years of experience in one or more of the following areas: designing and analyzing mechanical systems, test engineering, reliability engineering, via professional work experience, project/research-based student experience, or a combination of both.
• Experience designing assemblies and test fixtures using CAD systems.
• Knowledge of PLM, ERP, and other related manufacturing planning and management systems.
• U.S. Citizen status required.
  
  

Preferred Skills And Experience

• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills, enthusiasm for problem solving, and desire to optimize modern nuclear design and operation.
• Master's degree or 5+ years of professional experience in mechanical or aerospace engineering.
• Demonstrable experience designing, building, testing and troubleshooting mechanical systems.
• Broad knowledge of instrumentation and sensors, with deep knowledge on tradeoffs and methods to integrate them reliably into designs / test setups
• Experience using CAD software as it relates to creating work instructions
• Experience using LabVIEW, SIMULINK, or other test software
• Demonstrated track record of high impact / ROI contributions
• Strong project management skills and effective communication of technical concepts across multi-disciplinary teams.
• Hands-on experience with fluid, gas, or high voltage systems.
• Leadership experience on a project or research team.
• Experience using test instrumentation and control components (e.g. pressure transducers, thermocouples, strain gages, relays, solenoid valves, etc.).
• Experience with various part inspection methods and technologies (micrometers, CMM, white light, etc.)
  
  

Additional Requirements

• Ability to work long hours and weekends as necessary to support critical milestones
• Ability to lift 50 lbs unassisted; standing, climbing, bending, grasping, sitting, pulling, pushing, stooping, stretching, and carrying may be required to perform the functions of this position
  
  

Culture

At Antares, we like to specifically tie each role to our founding document’s set of values–here are the top five cultural values we think you should believe at your core to be successful:

• Think in Systems - Energy and Defense are complex ecosystems with numerous stakeholders with competing priorities, conflicting policies, perverse incentives, and emergent and path-dependent properties. First principles thinking alone is insufficient. Think probabilistically and then take action. “If you want to be certain, then you are apt to be obsolete.” Over-optimizing the components often degrades the system.
• Obsess over the End User - The customer and end user are often not the same. We will never build globally competitive commercial products if we lose sight of our end users and their entire interaction with the product life cycle
• Be Unconstrained by Convention - Our only limits are the laws of physics. Many, even experts, will say what we are working on is impossible. They said the same about SpaceX reusing rockets. Generationally impactful companies, by definition, must accomplish the seemingly impossible. If it were easy, it would have already been done. Never shy away from a solution because it has never been tried before, and never choose to do something because that's “how it's always been done.”
• Craftsmen - We also focus on the inputs. We aspire to high-quality engineering for its own sake. As such, we invest in personal growth, learning, and developing a long-term career path for exceptional individual contributors. We embrace a beginner’s mindset, share knowledge, and never condescend the curious.
• Loyally Collaborative - Team > Self. We win together. There is nothing more precious than a high-performing team.
  
  

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C.

• 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C.
• 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.