Vice President, UX Lead Job at The Nuclear Company in Seattle

The Nuclear Company is the fastest growing startup in the nuclear and energy space creating a never‑before‑seen fleet‑scale approach to building nuclear reactors. Through its design‑once, build‑many approach and coalition building across communities, regulators, and financial stakeholders, The Nuclear Company is committed to delivering safe and reliable electricity at the lowest cost, while catalyzing the nuclear industry toward rapid development in America and globally.

About The Role

As Vice President of UX at The Nuclear Company, you will lead the user experience vision and strategy for Nuclear OS, the first purpose‑built digital platform designed to digitize, automate, and streamline the development and deployment of fleet‑scale nuclear power plants. This is a transformational leadership role where you’ll build and lead a world‑class UX organization that creates intuitive, mission‑critical interfaces for engineers, construction teams, regulators, and project managers across multiple nuclear sites. You’ll work at the intersection of cutting‑edge technology and nuclear industry expertise to define how the future of clean energy infrastructure is built.

Key Responsibilities

Drive the UX vision and roadmap for Nuclear OS as a comprehensive AI‑driven digital platform that transforms nuclear construction.

• Define and champion design standards and best practices across the organization, establishing TNC as a leader in nuclear industry UX.
• Lead cross‑functional collaboration between UX, software engineering, nuclear engineering, procurement, and construction teams to ensure user‑centered design is embedded throughout the organization.
• Partner with executive leadership to align UX strategy with business objectives and communicate the value of design to C‑suite stakeholders.
• Work closely with Palantir Technologies to leverage their platform capabilities and shape the future of enterprise UX for data‑intensive applications.

Team Leadership & Development

• Build and lead a world‑class UX organization including UX designers, researchers, content strategists, and design technologists.
• Foster a culture of innovation, quality, and rapid iteration that balances user needs with regulatory requirements and safety‑critical design principles.
• Recruit, mentor, and develop top design talent to build a diverse, high‑performing team capable of tackling complex nuclear industry challenges.
• Establish career development pathways and performance frameworks that enable designers to grow and excel.
• Lead large, distributed design teams across multiple projects and sites.
• Oversee the creation of enterprise‑wide design systems and component libraries that ensure consistency and efficiency across Nuclear OS applications.
• Champion user research and testing methodologies that deeply understand the workflows of nuclear construction professionals, field engineers, and regulatory personnel.
• Drive innovation in complex data visualization and project management interfaces that make nuclear construction data accessible and actionable.
• Ensure accessibility and usability standards are met across all digital products, including mobile and field applications.
• Lead the design of AI‑native experiences that leverage machine learning and predictive analytics within the Palantir technology stack.

Strategic Partnerships

• Manage partnerships with major technology vendors, particularly Palantir Technologies, to influence product roadmaps and ensure Nuclear OS leverages best‑in‑class UX capabilities.
• Represent TNC’s UX vision at industry conferences, with regulatory bodies, and to external stakeholders.
• Build relationships with nuclear industry professionals to ensure designs meet real‑world operational needs.

Required Qualifications

• 15+ years of UX/product design experience with 8+ years in leadership roles managing design teams.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in UX Design, Human‑Computer Interaction, Design, Computer Science, or related field.
• Proven track record building and scaling design organizations from the ground up or through significant transformation.
• Demonstrated ability to lead large, distributed design teams across multiple products and platforms.
• Experience with enterprise‑scale software systems and complex data visualization for technical users.
• Strong communication skills with ability to interface with C‑suite executives, technical teams, and external stakeholders.
• Deep expertise in user research methodologies, design thinking, and human‑centered design processes.
• Experience establishing design systems and scaling design operations across organizations.
• Track record of fostering collaborative, innovative design cultures that deliver measurable business impact.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in highly regulated industries such as nuclear, aerospace, defense, healthcare, or financial services.
• Experience designing industrial, construction, or engineering software for technical professional users.
• Familiarity with Palantir technologies or similar data integration platforms.
• Experience in nuclear industry or large‑scale infrastructure projects.
• Background in AI/ML product design and designing for intelligent systems.
• Experience with field/mobile worker applications and designing for challenging operational environments.
• Technical background or strong ability to collaborate deeply with engineering teams.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation packages.
• 401k with company match.
• Medical, dental, vision plans.
• Generous vacation policy, plus holidays.

Estimated Starting Salary Range

The estimated starting salary range for this role is $250,000–$279,000 annually less applicable withholdings and deductions, paid on a bi‑weekly basis. The actual salary offered may vary based on relevant factors as determined in the Company’s discretion, which may include experience, qualifications, tenure, skill set, availability of qualified candidates, geographic location, certifications held, and other criteria deemed pertinent to the particular role.

EEO Statement

The Nuclear Company is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an environment of inclusion in the workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We prohibit discrimination in all aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, demotion, transfer, compensation, and termination.

Export Control

Certain positions at The Nuclear Company may involve access to information and technology subject to export controls under U.S. law. Compliance with these export controls may result in The Nuclear Company limiting its consideration of certain applicants.

Seniority level

Executive

Employment type

Full‑time

Job function

Information Technology

Industries

Nuclear Electric Power Generation