Supply Reliability Engineer

Job Overview

We are looking for a Supply Reliability Engineer who builds supplier programs that prevent problems rather than react to them. You will own the development, qualification, and long-term reliability of Radiant's supply base — establishing the processes, standards, and supplier capabilities that ensure the right part arrives to the right standard, every time. While you'll have the technical depth to handle non-conformances and corrective actions when they arise, your primary focus is upstream: strengthening supplier processes, closing capability gaps, and building a supply base that performs without constant intervention.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the supplier qualification and onboarding process end-to-end — pre-assessments, capability reviews, audit execution, and formal approval to the Approved Supplier List.


• Own, refine, and expand quality program documentation — including quality clauses, commodity-specific requirements, and the Supplier Quality Manual — building on existing foundations and authoring what doesn't yet exist.


• Develop supplier capability improvement plans — identify process gaps, partner with suppliers to close them, and track progress against defined milestones before problems reach Radiant's dock.


• Own Radiant's procurement assurance strategy – define how items are accepted to the required quality level across supplier types, including parts from commercial sources (fasteners, structural, special-process commodities), selecting the appropriate acceptance path for each.


• Plan and execute supplier audits against Radiant quality program requirements; author audit reports and manage findings to closure.


• Manage supplier performance via scorecards, key performance indicators, and structured improvement plans — with emphasis on trend identification and early intervention over lagging indicators.


• Partner cross-functionally with design engineering, manufacturing, and materials teams to translate technical requirements into supplier-facing quality requirements before parts are ordered.


• Own the acceptance framework for procured items – purchase order quality requirements, certifications, material traceability, and compliance documentation — and build it towards a graded, systematized model for quality level procurements.


• Develop and execute inspection and witness point plans for critical nuclear components; conduct or oversee receiving inspections aligned to commodity and quality clause requirements.


• Process and disposition supplier quality issues when they arise — deviation requests, non-conformance reports, supplier corrective action requests, root cause analysis, and verification of corrective action effectiveness.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, Materials Science, or a related technical field.


• 3–6 years of hands-on experience in supplier quality, supplier development, or supplier reliability engineering in a regulated industry (nuclear, aerospace, defense, or medical device)


• Demonstrated ability to independently process supplier quality transactions: deviation requests, non-conformance reports, supplier corrective action requests, purchase order quality reviews, and cert package review — without step-by-step guidance.


• Proven experience owning or drafting quality program documents: quality clauses, supplier requirements, inspection instructions, or equivalent.


• Working knowledge of ISO 9001, AS9100, or equivalent quality management systems.


• Familiarity with supplier audit methods and corrective action management.

About Radiant

Radiant is an El Segundo, CA-based startup building the world’s first mass-produced, portable nuclear microreactors. The company’s first reactor, Kaleidos, is a 1-megawatt, fail-safe microreactor that can be transported anywhere power is needed and run for up to 5 years without refueling. Portable nuclear power with rapid-deploy capability can replace similar-sized diesel generators and provide critical asset support for hospitals, data centers, remote sites, and military bases. Radiant’s unique, practical approach to nuclear development leverages modern software engineering to rapidly deliver safe, factory-built microreactors that use existing, well-qualified materials. Founded in 2020, Radiant is on track to test its first reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory this summer, with initial customer deliveries beginning in 2028.