How to hire a fuels engineer

How to hire a fuels engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step fuels engineer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a fuels engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new fuels engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your fuels engineer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a fuels engineer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a fuels engineer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a fuels engineer that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of fuels engineers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Fuels Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Fuels Engineer	Chemical engineers apply the principles of chemistry, biology, physics, and math to solve problems that involve the production or use of chemicals, fuel, drugs, food, and many other products. They design processes and equipment for large-scale manufacturing, plan and test production methods and byproducts treatment, and direct facility operations.	$32-62
   Chemical Engineering Internship	A chemical engineering internship involves a trainee who gains skills that range from scientific and problem-solving in the field of chemical engineering. Chemical engineering interns must assist in solving problems by applying the principles of chemicals, fuel, drugs, food, and many other products... Show more	$25-52
   Chemical Engineer	A chemical engineer provides support for chemical operations and testing new processes. The processes they successfully come up with are used to make different products from gas, oil, food, and drink... Show more	$32-57

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • EPA
   • NRC
   • MATLAB
   • Nuclear Safety
   • On-Site Support
   • DOE
   • PWR
   • Epri
   • BWR
   • R
   • Aircraft Equipment
   • Nuclear Power
   • Fuel Tanks

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the implementation of technology for better communicating and displaying radiological data used during emergency response.
   • Inspect and troubleshoot heavy, and combination equipment.
   • Perform long term PWR nuclear core design and fuel management.
   • Analyze BWR cores from fuel cross section development through core model optimization.
   • Interface with regulatory agencies domestically and internationally (e.g., NRC, etc . )
   • Inspect coal mines, laboratory analysis and transportation routes to insure the best possible QA and QC standards.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your fuels engineer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A fuels engineer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, fuels engineers' average salary in new hampshire is 46% less than in new mexico.
   • Seniority. Entry-level fuels engineers earn 47% less than senior-level fuels engineers.
   • Certifications. A fuels engineer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a fuels engineer's salary.

   Average fuels engineer salary

   $94,499yearly

   $45.43 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level fuels engineer salary

   $68,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 22, 2025

   Average fuels engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$113,563	$55
   2	Texas	$113,307	$54
   3	New Jersey	$101,812	$49
   4	Washington	$96,235	$46
   5	Massachusetts	$94,343	$45
   6	Michigan	$94,011	$45
   7	Illinois	$92,259	$44
   8	Maryland	$91,714	$44
   9	Idaho	$89,698	$43
   10	Georgia	$88,694	$43
   11	North Carolina	$85,639	$41
   12	New York	$83,232	$40
   13	Pennsylvania	$75,879	$36

   Average fuels engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	General Electric	$100,242	$48.19	73
   2	Holtec International	$99,006	$47.60	2
   3	Constellation Energy Partners	$97,492	$46.87	10
   4	BWX Technologies	$96,995	$46.63	46
   5	CMI	$95,868	$46.09	3
   6	Volvo Trucks	$95,227	$45.78	20
   7	Idaho National Lab	$95,089	$45.72
   8	Collins Aerospace	$93,918	$45.15
   9	System One	$91,884	$44.17	32
   10	Commonwealth Fusion Systems	$91,830	$44.15	6
   11	TEC Group	$91,731	$44.10
   12	Kyyba	$90,978	$43.74
   13	Parker Hannifin	$89,478	$43.02	30
   14	APTIM	$89,293	$42.93	3
   15	Nuclear Fuel Services	$89,166	$42.87
   16	Raytheon Technologies	$89,151	$42.86	86
   17	G-TECH	$88,488	$42.54	1
   18	RGBSI	$87,907	$42.26	3
   19	Talen Energy	$87,267	$41.96	5
   20	PACCAR	$83,464	$40.13

4. Writing a fuels engineer job description

   A job description for a fuels engineer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a fuels engineer job description:

   Fuels engineer job description example

   Job DescriptionGSE Absolute is working with a major large utility client based in the Southeast who are looking to hire an
   Engineer/Physicist - PWR Fuel on a full-time permanent basis starting ASAP!
   
   Why work for this utility? No. 2 Best Large Employer in America in Forbes magazine’s 2022 rankings. Annual bonus of 15% Pension plan – 5.5% of annual salary, company paid Signing bonus Hybrid work schedule – work four 10's; 2 days/week on site, 2 days/week remote 401K – vested immediately, company match of 85% on 6% Strong medical, dental, vision plans and PTO Excellent relocation plan Big advocate of promoting from within Compensation up to $120K DOE. Travel: Up to 25% of the Time Description
   
   Engineer/Physicist - PWR Fuel
   
   Required to support the company’s corporate Nuclear Fuel and Analysis Department, PWR Fuel Engineering, including performance in the fuel and reactor engineering functional area for the PWR Nuclear Fleet. We are seeking an individual capable of driving and executing strategic initiatives in nuclear core physics, advanced fuel mechanical design, and innovation in the fuel and reactor engineering functional area. The position is located in Birmingham, AL, and will require up to approximately 25% travel.
   
   This position will be responsible for performing activities related to nuclear fuel and core design, licensing and operation; transient and accident analyses; and technical evaluations regarding nuclear fuel vendor fabrication and design capabilities for current and advanced fuel products. This position may be required to support the fleet Emergency Response Organization. This requires personnel to live within one hour of the company’s facility for emergency response availability.
   
   The position will be filled at an exempt level 6 or below, commensurate with experience.
   
   JOB REQUIREMENTS:
   
   Education Requirements: Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering from an ABET accredited college OR Professional Engineer (P.E.) license/certification required OR accredited undergraduate degree in an Applied Science, Mathematics, AND a Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering from an accredited program. Professional Engineer license/certification or advanced degree is highly preferred. Experience Requirements: Knowledge of nuclear fuel and nuclear fuel thermal-hydraulic engineering analyses. Demonstrated knowledge of complex nuclear fuel design and core design analysis codes. Knowledge of nuclear fuel related FSAR and Technical Specifications and site procedures to perform fuel related operation support. Demonstrated knowledge and experience with Westinghouse codes and methods, such as NEXUS/ANC9, VIPRE-W, BOA, BEACON, etc. Demonstrated knowledge and experience with Studsvik codes is desired. Demonstrated knowledge and experience with loading pattern development is desired. 3 or more years of experience in PWR fuel engineering or PWR reactor engineering preferred. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities expected: Must exhibit an exceptional degree of technical expertise, creativity, and resourcefulness. Excellent written and oral communications skills. Comfortable providing and presenting information to all levels of the organization. Ability to make sound decisions under pressure in difficult situations. Willing to challenge the status quo. Foresight of problems. Demonstrate self-initiative. Accountable to standards and expectations. Ability to adapt to changing demands and priorities. Ability to use good judgment to make sound engineering and business decisions. Ability to build, influence and sustain relationships. Ability to be a team player with emphasis on team contribution. Demonstrated proficiency in autonomous use of engineering judgement and decision making. Self-starter capable of performing tasks with little supervision or oversight. Ability to drive change. Proficient in the use of Microsoft office products, specifically WORD, EXCEL and POWERPOINT. Behavioral Attributes: Demonstrated Unquestionable Trust, Superior Performance, and Total Commitment Honesty, respect, fairness and integrity drive behaviors. Keeps promises and has ethical behavior as a standard. Dedicated to superior performance and sets high expectations. Committed to success of employees, customers, and shareholders. Self-directed with strong initiative. Results oriented and customer focused.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right fuels engineer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with fuels engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit fuels engineers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your fuels engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit fuels engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting fuels engineers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new fuels engineer

   Once you've selected the best fuels engineer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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