Senior Project Manager

 

The TerraPower Isotopes® (TPI™) division has been established to pursue medical isotopes development--advancing nuclear science for significant human health benefits. We seek to support revolutionary radiotherapies for treatments of various cancers through the supply of radioisotopes. TerraPower currently has unique access to a supply of thorium for the long-term production of actinium-225 in the growing alpha therapy market and intends to expand into other nuclear related medical treatments.

The TerraPower Isotopes program is an integral part of the Washington State based TerraPower team, a company working to raise living standards globally. In 2006, the company originated with Bill Gates and a group of like-minded visionaries who evaluated the fundamental challenges to raising living standards around the world. TerraPower’s mission is to be a world leader in new nuclear technologies, while developing innovators and future leaders in the nuclear field.

TPI is seeking to hire highly motivated and forward-thinking professionals who are interested in focusing on advanced radiopharmaceutical applications and influencing change within nuclear medicine. TerraPower is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. 

Senior Project Manager, TPI 

TerraPower Isotopes® (TPI™) is seeking a Senior Project Manager to serve as TPI’s owner’s project manager for a first-of-a-kind, greenfield cGMP actinium-225 manufacturing facility—a multi-hundred-million-dollar capital program that combines pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing with shielded nuclear containment. Working within the TPI Project Office, this role holds end-to-end delivery accountability for the facility’s scope, schedule, cost, and risk, from design through construction, equipment delivery, commissioning, qualification, and turnover to operations. 

This is a senior individual-contributor role for a capital project leader who has delivered complex, regulated facilities from the owner’s side and can act as the single point of accountability across a design-build partner, multiple specialized equipment vendors, and TPI’s internal engineering, quality, operations, and radiation safety teams. The role directs development of the facility design, leads delivery of the shielded containment (hot cell) program, and owns the project controls system—earned value management, integrated master scheduling, cost and contingency control, and change control—against which the program is measured. Success depends on deep technical and commercial judgment, command of project controls, and the ability to lead through influence in an environment where regulatory rigor is non-negotiable. 

Responsibilities 

Capital Program Leadership 

• Serve as TPI’s owner’s project manager and single point of accountability for delivery of a greenfield cGMP radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facility, from design development through construction, installation, commissioning, qualification, and handover to operations.
• Own the project execution plan, performance measurement baseline, and delivery strategy, and represent the project to TPI executive leadership and board-level stakeholders on status, risk, and funding needs.
• Lead a matrixed owner’s team—engineering, quality, operations, radiation safety, supply chain, and contracted specialists—setting priorities and holding deliverable expectations without formal direct reports.
• Sequence delivery milestones against radioactive materials licensing, commissioning, qualification, and production start-up requirements, and drive readiness decisions at each project gate. 

Design-Build and Contract Management 

• Serve as TPI’s primary interface with the facility design-builder, administering a lump-sum design-build agreement and associated master services agreements and statements of work, including notices to proceed, allowances, price adjustment mechanisms, pay applications, and contractual notices.
• Evaluate contractor change orders, requests for information, and claims for entitlement, cost, and schedule impact, applying recognized methods such as AACE RP 29R-03 (Forensic Schedule Analysis) where delay is asserted; negotiate resolution and protect TPI’s commercial position.
• Hold design-build and vendor partners to agreed reporting standards for schedule, cost, progress, and quality, and integrate their data into TPI’s project controls systems. 

Facility Design 

• Drive design of the facility from basis of design through issued-for-construction documents, leading owner design reviews at each design stage, constructability and value-engineering reviews, and design freeze decisions.
• Own the owner’s requirements—user requirements, basis of design, and interface control documents—integrating process, architectural, structural, MEP, and HVAC design with cGMP cleanroom classification (ISO 14644-1), contamination control, shielding, and radiological requirements.
• Manage design configuration and change across the building, process equipment, and containment systems so that design decisions flow through to procurement, construction, and qualification. 

Shielded Containment (Hot Cell) Program 

• Own delivery of a multi-vendor shielded containment program (hot cells and isolators), from basic and functional design specifications through detailed design, fabrication, factory acceptance testing (FAT), shipment, installation, site acceptance testing (SAT), and integration.
• Manage physical and schedule interfaces between containment vendors and the design-builder, including embeds, penetrations, utilities, shielding, rigging paths, and installation sequencing.
• Lead vendor design reviews and FAT/SAT campaigns at domestic and international vendor facilities, verifying performance against specification, including containment leak-tightness classification (ISO 10648-2) and exhaust filtration requirements. 

Project Controls 

• Establish and operate an earned value management system (EVMS) aligned with the guidelines of ANSI/EIA-748, including WBS and control-account structure, performance measurement baseline, earned value analysis (CPI/SPI), estimate-at-completion forecasting, and variance analysis reporting.
• Own the integrated master schedule in Primavera P6, integrating design-builder, equipment vendor, commissioning, qualification, and licensing schedules; maintain critical path integrity and schedule quality using recognized health checks such as the DCMA 14-Point Assessment.
• Control project cost across budget, commitments, actuals, and forecast; manage contingency and management reserve drawdown; and develop and validate estimates consistent with AACE RP 18R-97 cost estimate classification.
• Own the project change control process, including change requests, trend management, and baseline change control, ensuring each scope, cost, and schedule change is evaluated, approved at the appropriate authority level, and reflected in the baseline.
• Lead project risk management, maintaining the risk register and performing quantitative cost and schedule risk analysis (for example, per AACE RP 57R-09) to set and defend contingency.
• Deliver a recurring reporting cadence—monthly project reports, dashboards, and leadership briefings—that surfaces variance and trend in time for leadership to act. 

Commissioning, Qualification, and Regulatory Compliance 

• Plan and integrate commissioning and qualification using a science- and risk-based approach consistent with ASTM E2500 and the ISPE Baseline Guide, Volume 5: Commissioning and Qualification, in partnership with Quality and Operations.
• Ensure facility design, construction, and turnover support compliance with applicable cGMP requirements (21 CFR Parts 210 and 211; ICH Q7 as applicable), radiation protection and radioactive materials licensing requirements (10 CFR Part 20; 10 CFR Parts 30 and 40 or equivalent Agreement State regulations), and construction safety requirements (OSHA 29 CFR Part 1926).
• Ensure project activities and documentation comply with export control requirements governing TPI technology and information. 

Project Office Integration 

• Execute within TPI Project Office governance, policies, and tooling (Primavera P6, Atlassian Confluence and Jira, and portfolio reporting), and contribute capital-delivery lessons learned, templates, and procedures back to the Project Office. 

Key Qualifications and Skills 

• B.S. in Engineering (Mechanical, Chemical, Civil, Nuclear, Electrical, or a related discipline) from an accredited university; advanced degree or Professional Engineer (PE) license a plus.
• Minimum of 10 years of project management experience, including substantial experience as the owner’s project manager on large, complex capital facility projects.
• Demonstrated end-to-end delivery of a greenfield or major capital facility through design, construction, commissioning, qualification, and start-up in a cGMP/pharmaceutical, nuclear, or comparable regulated environment.
• Owner-side experience managing design-build or EPC partners under lump-sum or comparable contracting models, including contract administration, change order negotiation, and claims avoidance.
• Hands-on experience establishing and operating an EVMS consistent with ANSI/EIA-748, and expert-level proficiency with Primavera P6 for CPM scheduling, integrated master schedule management, and schedule risk analysis.
• Experience specifying, procuring, and managing FAT/SAT of complex engineered equipment—such as hot cells, isolators, shielded containment, or comparable long-lead process equipment—including with international vendors.
• Working knowledge of commissioning and qualification practices (ASTM E2500, ISPE Baseline Guides) and cGMP facility requirements, including cleanroom design and classification.
• Solid understanding of supply chain processes, contract administration, SCR review, and procurement change control.
• Strong executive-level stakeholder management, with the ability to represent a major capital program to senior leadership and board-level stakeholders and drive alignment across engineering, quality, operations, and commercial teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce clear project documentation and concise leadership-level reporting.
• PMP, PMI-SP, or AACE certification (CCP, PSP, or EVP) preferred.
• Prior experience in a radiopharmaceutical, nuclear, or radiological facility environment strongly preferred, including familiarity with shielding, containment, and nuclear air treatment design (e.g., ASME AG-1).
• The successful candidate will possess a high degree of trust and integrity, communicate openly, and display respect and a desire to foster teamwork.
• Must be able to travel domestically and internationally, including extended periods at the project site and vendor facilities.
• Actual position starting level and title will be determined based on assessment of qualifications. 

Job Functions:

Job Functions are physical actions and/or working conditions associated with the position. These functions may also constitute essential functions for the job which the employee must be able to fulfill, with or without accommodation.  Information provided below is to help describe the job so that the applicant has a reasonable understanding of the job duties/expectations.  An applicant's ability to perform and/or tolerate these actions and conditions will be discussed and workplace accommodations may be made on a case-by-case basis following an individualized assessment of the applicant and other considerations, including but not limited to any governing safety standards.

• Motor Abilities: Sitting for extended periods, bending/stooping, grasping/gripping, fine motor control (hands)
• Physical exertion and/or requirements: Minimal, with ability to safely lift up to 25 pounds.
• Repetitive work: Prolonged
• Special Senses: Visual and audio focused work
• Work Conditions: Stairs, typing/keyboard, standard and/or sitting working environment of >8 hours/day
• Travel required 0-10%

TerraPower Isotopes' technology is controlled for export by various agencies of the U.S. Government.  TerraPower Isotopes must evaluate applicants who are foreign nationals (other than asylees, refugees, or lawful permanent residents) in accordance with U.S. Government export control requirements.  To facilitate TerraPower's export control reviews, you will be asked as part of the application process to identify whether you are a U.S. Citizen or national, asylee, refugee, or lawful permanent resident of the United States.  Government export authorization approval times vary.  Based on the business needs for a particular position, TerraPower Isotopes may not consider a foreign national from a country if it is impracticable to obtain timely Government export approval.

Benefits:

• Competitive Compensation
• Salary, eligible to participate in discretionary short-term incentive payments
• Comprehensive Medical and Wellness Benefits
  • Medical
  • Vision
  • Dental
  • Life and Disability
  • Gender Affirmation Benefits
• Parental Leave
• 401k Plan
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO)
  • 21 days of annually accrued PTO
• Generous Holiday Schedule
  • 10 paid holidays
• Relocation Assistance
• Professional and Educational Support Opportunities

TerraPower Career and Benefits information: https://www.terrapower.com/careers/