Nuclear operator vs senior reactor operator

The differences between nuclear operators and senior reactor operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a nuclear operator and a senior reactor operator. Additionally, a senior reactor operator has an average salary of $64,712, which is higher than the $51,893 average annual salary of a nuclear operator.

The top three skills for a nuclear operator include electrical equipment, prototype and electrical systems. The most important skills for a senior reactor operator are NRC, outage, and plant operations.

Nuclear operator vs senior reactor operator overview

	Nuclear Operator	Senior Reactor Operator
Yearly salary	$51,893	$64,712
Hourly rate	$24.95	$31.11
Growth rate	-15%	-15%
Number of jobs	32,513	28,429
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	4	4

Nuclear operator vs senior reactor operator salary

Nuclear operators and senior reactor operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Nuclear Operator	Senior Reactor Operator
Average salary	$51,893	$64,712
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $81,000	Between $37,000 And $110,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between nuclear operator and senior reactor operator education

There are a few differences between a nuclear operator and a senior reactor operator in terms of educational background:

	Nuclear Operator	Senior Reactor Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Business	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	Northwestern University	Georgia Institute of Technology

Nuclear operator vs senior reactor operator demographics

Here are the differences between nuclear operators' and senior reactor operators' demographics:

	Nuclear Operator	Senior Reactor Operator
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 93.1% Female, 6.9%	Male, 95.8% Female, 4.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 1.5% White, 77.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%	Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 1.5% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between nuclear operator and senior reactor operator duties and responsibilities

Nuclear operator example responsibilities.

Manage and direct the development of the sector AOP and of proper controls to ensure program/project spending meets sector expectations.
Used schematics, wiring diagrams, and specialize test equipment to troubleshoot and locate faults down to the component level.
Serve as ship's HVAC technician for (4) 150 ton marine A/C units for 3 years.
Serve in engineering department on fast attack submarine USS Omaha
Train in QA methods and procedures to perform maintenance.
Operate, maintain, and troubleshoot the reactor and all associate reactor protection circuitry.

Senior reactor operator example responsibilities.

Need method to proactively manage the business improving cross-functional collaboration & KPI visibility.
Lead compression shift of twenty-one operators and supporting staff in daily operations of manufacturing generic prescription medications in a GMP setting.
Authore multiple watch station examinations and PowerPoint presentations.

Nuclear operator vs senior reactor operator skills

Common nuclear operator skills

Electrical Equipment, 18%
Prototype, 15%
Electrical Systems, 14%
Radiological, 13%
Test Equipment, 13%
Naval Nuclear, 7%

Common senior reactor operator skills

NRC, 17%
Outage, 14%
Plant Operations, 11%
Fluid Flow, 9%
License Class, 8%
Federal Regulations, 8%

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Nuclear Operator
Nuclear Operator vs Senior Reactor Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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