Torchora
Back to Home

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Nuclear Control Room Engineer

💰 $ - $

EngineeringNuclearOperations

🎯 Role Definition

The Nuclear Control Room Engineer is a licensed or non-licensed operations professional responsible for safe, compliant and efficient control room operations at a nuclear power plant. This role requires vigilant monitoring and control of plant systems, execution of Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs), coordination with field and maintenance teams, and decision-making under pressure to maintain reactor and plant safety, regulatory compliance (NRC/IAEA expectations), and plant availability. The ideal candidate combines deep technical knowledge of nuclear systems (PWR/BWR/Steam Plant), hands-on control room experience, strong human performance habits, and an ability to communicate clearly across disciplines.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Nuclear Plant Operator / Unit Operator / Reactor Operator (RO)
  • Nuclear Technician / Maintenance Technician
  • Control Systems or Instrumentation & Controls (I&C) technician

Advancement To:

  • Senior Control Room Engineer / Lead Control Room Engineer
  • Shift Supervisor / Operations Supervisor
  • Licensing Engineer or Shift Technical Advisor (STA)
  • Plant Operations Manager or Site Operations Director

Lateral Moves:

  • Outage Coordinator / Outage Manager
  • Maintenance Planning / Work Control
  • Instrumentation & Controls Engineer or Plant Modifications
  • Safety, Radiological Protection or Regulatory Affairs

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Operate, monitor and control reactor systems, balance-of-plant (BOP) equipment, and auxiliary systems from the main control room to ensure safe and reliable plant operation in accordance with Technical Specifications, plant procedures, and NRC regulations.
  • Execute Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs), Abnormal Operating Procedures (AOPs), and plant-specific contingency action plans during transients or events, ensuring swift, accurate actions and clear communication with the shift crew.
  • Conduct continuous surveillance and trending of key plant parameters (reactor power, coolant chemistry, steam conditions, pressure, temperature, flow) using DCS/SCADA and plant instrumentation to detect deviations from normal operation and initiate corrective actions.
  • Perform shift-to-shift turnover briefings and document status in shift logs and control room logs, including current plant condition, outstanding actions, alarms, and any work or testing activities affecting operation.
  • Coordinate and authorize entries for field operations, maintenance, calibrations and testing that affect control room operations, ensuring appropriate work permits, tagging, and radiological/lockout-tagout controls are in place.
  • Act as control room interface during planned outages and forced outages, supporting startup/shutdown evolutions, system alignments, pre-operational testing, and post-maintenance testing to maintain nuclear safety and plant availability.
  • Troubleshoot and diagnose control system, instrumentation, and plant component abnormalities in real time with maintenance, I&C, and engineering to minimize risk and restore normal operations.
  • Implement and enforce human performance standards, procedural adherence, pre-job briefings, and conservative decision-making to prevent human error and support a strong safety culture.
  • Conduct required surveillance tests, shift rounds, valve lineups, and alignments per surveillance procedures and technical specifications; document results and escalate discrepancies to engineering as needed.
  • Supervise and mentor junior control room staff and license candidates, delivering on-the-job training, performance feedback, simulator practice, and competency assessments to maintain a qualified operations workforce.
  • Maintain and update control room procedures, checklists, and operator aids based on lessons learned, post-event reviews, and engineering changes to improve clarity, usability, and compliance.
  • Review and enforce Technical Specification actions, limiting conditions for operation (LCOs), and compensatory measures; initiate notifications and escalation when LCOs are not met.
  • Participate in root cause analysis (RCA) and corrective action program (CAP) follow-up for control room events, alarms, or procedure non-conformances to drive lasting corrective actions and risk reduction.
  • Coordinate with radiation protection, chemistry, and health physics during radiological events or surveillances, ensuring ALARA principles and appropriate dosimetry and contamination controls.
  • Ensure cybersecurity and information protection practices in control room operations, following NERC/NIST/NRC guidance for control system access, remote connections, and electronic procedure handling.
  • Support plant engineering during design modifications by validating operator needs, reviewing tagouts, and participating in design reviews to ensure operability and maintainability from a control room perspective.
  • Lead emergency drill participation as control room feed, evaluator or controller, providing scenario fidelity, critique and improvement recommendations to emergency preparedness teams.
  • Perform plant status assessments and manage reactor power maneuvers, load changes, and plant stabilization activities while coordinating with dispatchers, grid operators, and station engineering.
  • Maintain accurate regulatory and operational records, including shift logs, event notifications, maintenance turnovers, and operator rounds, ensuring traceability and readiness for inspections.
  • Actively contribute to station-wide safety initiatives, lessons learned programs, and continuous improvement projects aimed at reducing risk, optimizing procedures, and improving plant performance.
  • Control and respond to alarms and annunciators, prioritize actions per alarm response matrix, and implement compensatory actions when automatic systems are in bypass or unavailable.
  • Validate and support functional testing of safety-related systems, emergency diesel generators, ECCS/containment systems, and standby auxiliaries from a control room perspective during surveillance windows and refueling outages.
  • Serve as a technical point-of-contact for on-shift decisions regarding operability, equipment status, and abnormal conditions, engaging subject matter experts and engineering resources as required.
  • Ensure shift compliance with industrial safety, fire protection, and hazardous energy control procedures to protect personnel and plant equipment.
  • Participate in continuous training and simulator sessions to maintain licensing, emergency response proficiency, and familiarity with plant modifications and new system behaviors.

Secondary Functions

  • Assist engineering in updating operator display interfaces, annunciator logic and control room human-machine interface improvements to enhance situational awareness.
  • Support post-event trend analysis and preparation of shift reports and technical summaries used for management reviews and regulatory reporting.
  • Provide operator input to risk assessments (e.g., PRA, 5x5 risk screens) during maintenance windows and engineering changes to balance reliability and safety.
  • Develop and deliver classroom and simulator training materials in partnership with the training department to address observed performance gaps.
  • Participate in vendor oversight and testing when new control system components, instrumentation, or safety system upgrades are installed to verify operator needs are met.
  • Contribute to procedure and checklist revision projects by incorporating field feedback, usability testing, and regulatory changes to improve clarity and reduce ambiguity.
  • Support outage planning activities by identifying critical on-line test windows, operator staffing needs, and shift coverage for evolutions requiring control room involvement.
  • Provide periodic reviews of emergency equipment readiness and supplies located within or managed by the control room (e.g., EOP books, emergency communications equipment).
  • Assist in the development of performance indicators and metrics related to control room operations, alarm response timeliness and procedural compliance.
  • Act as a backup communicator for plant operations during multi-disciplinary event response, coordinating information flow between the control room and incident command.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Deep working knowledge of nuclear plant systems: reactor core and coolant systems (PWR/BWR), steam generators, turbine/generator systems, feedwater and condensate, auxiliary systems, containment.
  • Hands-on experience with Distributed Control Systems (DCS), SCADA, plant alarm systems and operator consoles (e.g., ABB, Honeywell, Westinghouse OASys, GE Mark V).
  • Proficiency in executing and interpreting Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs), Abnormal Operating Procedures (AOPs), Technical Specifications and Limiting Conditions for Operation (LCO).
  • Familiarity with NRC regulations, reporting requirements, and compliance processes; experience with license basis documentation and event/occurrence reporting.
  • Troubleshooting skills for instrumentation & control anomalies, including diagnostic use of oscilloscopes, multimeters, and plant data historian/trending tools.
  • Knowledge of electrical and mechanical system interlocks, valve lineup control, and permissive logic to safely implement alignments and system resets.
  • Experience with plant outage logic, pre- and post-maintenance testing, and surveillance execution to verify equipment operability.
  • Understanding of radiological protection principles (ALARA), dose control, contamination control, and interaction with Radiation Protection teams during events.
  • Experience with corrective action programs (CAP), root cause analysis (RCA), and effective implementation of corrective/preventive actions.
  • Working knowledge of cybersecurity controls impacting control systems and secure handling of digital operator aids and remote connectivity.
  • Familiarity with plant transient analysis, reactor kinetics basics, thermodynamics and heat transfer fundamentals relevant to reactor control.
  • Competency with standard office and operations software: MS Office suite, plant log tracking systems, electronic procedure software and shift scheduler systems.
  • Operator licensing experience (RO / SRO) or eligibility to support licensing programs and simulator-based training exercises.

Soft Skills

  • Excellent situational awareness and decision-making under pressure; prioritize safety-first actions during transients and alarms.
  • Clear, concise verbal and written communication skills for shift turnover, incident reporting, and cross-discipline coordination.
  • Strong teamwork and collaboration skills to interact effectively with maintenance, engineering, chemistry, radiological protection, and management.
  • Attention to detail and discipline in following procedures, documentation standards, and troubleshooting methodologies.
  • Leadership and mentorship ability to coach junior operators, support license candidates, and drive continuous improvement.
  • Problem solving and analytical mindset to interpret complex system interactions and identify root causes.
  • Adaptability and resilience to handle rotating shifts, high-consequence events, and evolving plant conditions.
  • Professional integrity and commitment to nuclear safety culture, compliance, and regulatory expectations.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Associate degree in Nuclear Technology, Instrumentation & Controls, Electrical/Mechanical Technology, or equivalent military training.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or closely related technical discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Nuclear Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Instrumentation & Control Technology
  • Applied Physics
  • Power Plant Technology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 3–10 years of nuclear plant experience in operations, maintenance, or engineering roles; typical control room candidate often has 3–7 years progressive field and plant experience.

Preferred:

  • 5+ years of direct control room or reactor operator experience; Senior roles often require an NRC Reactor Operator (RO) or Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) license or equivalent regulatory qualification.
  • Demonstrated experience with emergency procedure execution, surveillance testing, outage support, and cross-disciplinary coordination.
  • Experience working in regulated environments with strong human performance and safety culture metrics.

If you would like, I can convert this into a job posting template, add interview questions tailored for a Nuclear Control Room Engineer, or produce a one-page recruiter summary optimized for LinkedIn/Indeed.

Explore More Careers