Supplier & Partner Quality Lead

The Nuclear Company is the fastest growing AI tech-enabled startup in the nuclear and energy space, pioneering a fleet-scale approach to building the next generation of nuclear reactors. Through our design-once, build-many model, we're accelerating the deployment of safe, reliable, and affordable nuclear energy. We operate with an AI-first mindset. Every employee is expected to leverage AI, technology, and the Nuclear Operating System (NOS) as integral components of their role to improve the quality, speed, and impact of their work. We expect every team member to continuously identify opportunities to automate workflows, enhance decision-making, improve processes, and contribute to the ongoing evolution of NOS as a strategic operating capability that enables The Nuclear Company to scale with excellence. We hire people who are driven by purpose, thrive in ambiguity, and are energized by building what has never been built before. Our team combines intellectual curiosity with high agency, embraces candid feedback and continuous learning, and holds themselves and others to exceptional standards. Our values— Transparency, Responsibility, Unity, Scrappiness, and Tenacity —guide how we hire, collaborate, and make decisions every day. They are not words on a wall; they are the standard by which we operate. TRUST is the foundation of our safety culture, fostering intellectual honesty, accountability, and open communication, while our values challenge every team member to execute with urgency, humility, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to our mission. About the role The Nuclear Company is seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented Supplier & Partner Quality Lead to join our Quality team in Columbia, South Carolina. The Supplier & Partner Quality Lead owns supplier and partner quality risk before it becomes execution risk — the single largest near-term external risk to TNC’s deployment platform. This role builds and runs the supplier qualification, audit, and surveillance framework; authors quality clauses and flow-downs for procurements and subcontracts; and coordinates commercial-grade dedication (CGD) and 10 CFR Part 21 applicability with Engineering and Procurement. The role also defines partner and JV quality interfaces where TNC holds an authorized support or oversight role, and stands up supplier performance monitoring and trending. It is a build-from-scratch position with direct influence on how quality flows through the entire supply chain of a fleet-scale nuclear deployment model. Responsibilities Build the supplier qualification, audit, and surveillance framework and administer the approved-supplier process, graded to safety significance. Author standard supplier quality clauses and quality flow-downs for procurements and subcontracts, working with Procurement and Legal/Contracts. Coordinate commercial-grade dedication (CGD, EPRI methodology) and 10 CFR Part 21 applicability with Engineering safety classification and Procurement. Plan and lead supplier audits and surveillances as an NQA-1 Lead Auditor; document findings with objective evidence and manage them to closure. Define partner / JV quality interfaces and flow-downs where TNC has an authorized support or oversight role. Map and risk-rank the supplier base; stand up supplier performance monitoring, trending, and corrective-action follow-up. Support customer and partner audit readiness for the supplier-assurance program. Experience Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a technical discipline. 8+ years in nuclear supplier quality / procurement quality, including leading supplier audits. Practical, hands-on knowledge of commercial-grade dedication (EPRI methodology) and 10 CFR Part 21. ASME NQA-1 supplier-audit experience; qualified — or immediately qualifiable — as an NQA-1 Lead Auditor. Able to travel ~25–40% for supplier audits and surveillance. Familiarity with NUPIC / NIAC audit programs and the member-utility supplier base. ISO 19443 exposure for nuclear s…