Project Innovation Lead

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Project Overview:

Bechtel is the licensing, engineering, procurement, and construction partner on TerraPower’s Natrium team. Selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, Natrium is participating in a DOE initiative to re-establish U.S. leadership in nuclear energy that provides matching funding to industry to design and build an operational advanced reactor. TerraPower, a leading advanced generation technology company founded by former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, will be deploying its 345 MWe sodium fast reactor (SFR), called Natrium. The Natrium plant features an advanced, cost-competitive reactor design that is safer, simpler, easier, and less costly to construct, less expensive to operate, and able to provide energy that is competitive with fossil fuels. It also features an innovative molten salt energy storage system designed to be complementary to solar and wind power by evening out the peaks and valleys in production when the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing. With the reactor and energy storage output combined, the plant can produce more than 500 MWe of power.

Other Team Natrium partners include GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Energy Northwest, PacifiCorp, and Duke Energy, along with support from a number of national laboratories and universities. This DOE Program has the potential to be the largest funding program for advanced nuclear power in U.S. history and will shape the future of nuclear energy for decades. We invite you to join our team for this historic and interesting opportunity!

Job Summary:

The Project Innovation Lead collaborates closely with the Natrium Leadership team and the NS&E Function to evaluate and support the adoption of technologies that enhance Natrium’s productivity. In this role, you will support the project by creating, exploring, and scaling new approaches that lead to safer, better, and faster project delivery.

The Project Innovation Lead will organize activities to showcase the project's innovation capabilities and maturity while fostering a culture of innovation within the project team. This includes soliciting, developing, piloting, and implementing innovation opportunities across the project’s EPC scope of delivery. This role reports to the VDC Supervisor.

Major Responsibilities:

• Identify innovation opportunities for the project by working closely with the Project Leadership team. This includes reviewing existing NS&E GBU Bechtel innovations tracker and suggesting potential new opportunities for exploration, contributing to Bechtel’s NS&E innovation strategy and roadmaps.
• Understand, document, and implement applicable innovation use-cases, including necessary modifications, to support the project scope.
• Champion Artificial Intelligence implementation on the Natrium project, including use of AI assistants such as Microsoft Copilot or ChatGPT for office-based work
• Identify, develop, pilot, and implement Artificial Intelligence tools and systems to improve efficiency in Construction
• Serve as a liaison for the project team to support project SMEs, Contractors, IT, and Suppliers in the seamless implementation of impactful innovations.
• Develop and populate value/ROI business cases collaboratively with cross-functional team members for prioritized innovations to capture innovation impact, cost savings, and project benefits to support the strategy.
• Act as the conduit for Bechtel Innovate to the Natrium Project, promoting a culture of innovation in a structured, practical, and value-driven manner.
• Solicit project feedback on best practices, lessons learned, and deployment status per agreed innovation use-cases, seeking opportunities for improvement.
• Capture issues, lessons learned, and solicit feedback on ideas/prototypes/pilots, sharing these with key stakeholders, including solution providers.
• Communicate and present the results of innovation implementations, KPIs, and key status updates, highlighting measurable impact and further development opportunities.
• Stay updated with new and innovative solutions and platforms that may benefit the project.
• Increase project awareness of solutions being explored and innovation activities in general.

Specific Project Responsibilities:

• Connect Site Team with discovery of Innovative approaches offered by Suppliers or being done by other Projects.
• Champion Artificial Intelligence implementation.
• Support Project participation in Yearly innovation campaign.
• Support Project participation in Yearly Artificial Intelligence ideas campaign.

Education and Experience Requirements:

• BS degree in engineering from an accredited institution with 8 years of related experience or AA/AS degree with 10 years of related experience; or in lieu of education a high school diploma or equivalent and a minimum of 12 years related experience.
• US Citizen or legal resident.  

Required Knowledge and Skills:

• Significant Engineering, Construction, Project Controls, Procurement, Automation, or Information Systems experience with a passion for implementing new and innovative tools and work processes.
• Self-motivated individual with outstanding leadership skills and the ability to influence without authority.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to explain new work processes and technologies to all levels of the organization.
• Ability to manage priorities and take on additional evolving responsibilities

Preferred Requirements

• Experience implementing Artificial Intelligence tools and systems for EPC applications
• Experience leading deployment of innovative technologies in EPC applications

Total Rewards/Benefits:

For decades, Bechtel has worked to inspire the next generation of employees and beyond! Because our teams face some of the world's toughest challenges, we offer robust benefits to ensure our people thrive.  Whether it is advancing careers, delivering programs to enhance our culture, or providing time to recharge, Bechtel has the benefits to build a legacy of sustainable growth. Learn more at Bechtel Total Rewards

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