Design Reliability Engineer

General Matter, Inc. is an American nuclear energy company based in California that is focused on developing domestic nuclear energy solutions. The company aims to harness nuclear technology to increase national energy prosperity, reduce dependence on foreign energy sources, and support the expansion of American capabilities in the energy sector. Their work centers on making nuclear energy more accessible and practical by advancing technologies that can be developed and deployed within the United States. General Matter's mission is rooted in the belief that nuclear power represents a critical pathway toward a cleaner, more energy-independent future. By turning domestic nuclear potential into operational reality, the company positions itself at the intersection of national security, economic growth, and climate-conscious energy production. Their approach emphasizes building nuclear energy infrastructure that is homegrown rather than reliant on foreign supply chains or expertise. The company brings together leaders from nuclear engineering, technology, government, and finance, reflecting a multidisciplinary approach to solving the complex challenges of modern nuclear energy development. As a startup operating in the green and climate technology sector, General Matter represents a new wave of private investment in nuclear energy as a viable and scalable low-carbon power source for the United States.

About the Company

General Matter enriches uranium.

We are designing, building, and operating the world’s lowest-cost enrichment services, here in the US.  

In the process, we are restoring America’s ability to produce nuclear fuel to power AI, advanced manufacturing and critical industries our country relies on to remain competitive. 

Fuel drives the cost of advanced reactor electricity production, and enrichment drives the cost of the fuel that advanced reactors consume.  Reliable, low-cost enrichment is the catalyst for the nuclear Renaissance now under way.

Our mission is to make nuclear not only the cleanest and safest source of baseload power, but also the most affordable.  We believe abundant nuclear energy will lead to a post-scarcity society. 

We were incubated inside Founders Fund, like Anduril and Palantir before us, and are backed by over a dozen of the world's top venture capital firms.  

Our lean, world-class team of engineers and operators is applying a first-principles approach to solving the problem of nuclear fuel production.  

We are a mission-driven company with a culture of urgency, accountability, and transparency. 

Help us build a high-energy society by making the cleanest, safest form of baseload energy the most affordable. 

About the Role

The Design Reliability team makes sure that what we design is what we build, and that it works. We evaluate and guide engineering designs from concept to operation, so the enrichment technology we deliver meets or exceeds both our internal design criteria and our external requirements. We are the connective tissue of the engineering organization: we facilitate cross-disciplinary action and problem-solving across every team and program, and we make sure nothing falls between them.

If you seek high impact and are excited by fast-paced, intense, Skunkworks-style projects, we encourage you to apply to join our team.

Responsibilities

• Ensure General Matter's design process and design criteria are followed for our enrichment technology, from concept through build, including:
• Run design reviews and give the pass/fail call on whether a design is ready to move forward.
• Facilitate cross-disciplinary discussion, capture decisions, and convert them into actions with clear owners and due dates, then drive those actions to closure.
• Drive improvements to the design through close integration with hardware and engineering teams.
• Maintain the integrity of our configuration, including:
• Run change reviews and confirm that every change is evaluated, approved, and reflected across all affected documents and teams.
• Maintain official design documents, drawings, and P&IDs controlled and current.
• Manage design criteria and the connections between design elements in Stillsuit, so that what we've designed, documented, and built always match.
• Identify, track, and retire engineering risk, including:
• Surface risks early, put an owner and a mitigation plan on each one, and push every risk to closure.
• Escalate quickly when risks or actions stall.
• Keep the whole system connected, including:
• Build working knowledge of how every subsystem and team fits together.
• Spot missing interfaces between teams and drive the coordination needed to close them.
• Automate review, document control, and risk workflows, using AI where it helps, so our process scales as the company does.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in any STEM discipline.
• Evidence of exceptional ability (prior projects, leadership of technical teams, completed hardware, portfolio of work, etc.).
• Exceptional attention to detail and a high bar for accuracy in technical documentation.
• Demonstrated ability to run a meeting, drive decisions, and hold people accountable to commitments, including peers and more senior engineers.
• Ability to obtain and maintain required security clearance and access authorization.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience in design reliability, design assurance, configuration management, or systems engineering.
• Systems engineering experience in aerospace or defense, or process engineering experience in chemical, energy, or semiconductor environments.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and P&IDs.
• Experience automating engineering workflows, including use of AI tools.
• Familiarity with change control, document control, or risk management processes (e.g., CCB, MOC, FMEA, risk registers).
• Experience in fast-paced, resource-constrained startup environments.

Additional Requirements

• Ability to work extended hours and weekends as necessary.

Equal Opportunity Employer

General Matter is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with General Matter is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by 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.

Compensation and Benefits: 

The base salary range for this role is $85,000-$180,000 annually. 

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. Please note that the stated salary range is an estimate and may be adjusted based on market conditions, business needs, or other factors. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.