Hiring Nuclear Engineers
Employers across the 16 metro areas we have BLS OEWS wage data for pay nuclear engineers a median of $110,510 to $180,360 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A search through recruitlocalpros runs Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340, set by seniority, never by location or salary. Our vetted recruiting partner handles sourcing, screening and placement end to end.
What do nuclear engineers do?
- Design or develop nuclear equipment, such as reactor cores, radiation shielding, or associated instrumentation or control mechanisms.
- Monitor nuclear facility operations to identify any design, construction, or operation practices that violate safety regulations and laws or could jeopardize safe operations.
- Initiate corrective actions or order plant shutdowns in emergency situations.
- Examine accidents to obtain data for use in design of preventive measures.
- Direct operating or maintenance activities of nuclear power plants to ensure efficiency and conformity to safety standards.
- Design or oversee construction or operation of nuclear reactors, power plants, or nuclear fuels reprocessing and reclamation systems.
Core tasks, O*NET OnLine, 17-2161.00.
What does it take to become one?
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
O*NET Job Zone 4, SVP (7.0 to < 8.0). O*NET OnLine.
Employers commonly list experience with Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint, Python, C++, Linux for this role.
What do nuclear engineers get paid?
BLS OEWS, May 2025 publishes a wage for nuclear engineers in 16 of the metro areas in this build. The median ranges from $110,510 to $180,360 a year depending on the metro, with a midpoint of $134,510. This is what employers pay, place of work, not a single national figure and not what any one person takes home.
BLS OEWS, BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 17-2161.
What does hiring one cost?
The same as any role: tier, not location or salary, sets the fee. Across all six tiers the published range is $6,240 to $54,340 per search. For scale, the highest published median for nuclear engineers in this build is $180,360. A contingency firm hiring at that level would bill roughly $36,072 to $54,108 on the first year salary alone, 20 to 30%.
Frequently asked
- How fast can a nuclear engineers search fill?
- 23 to 35 days, 2 to 3x faster than a typical contingency search, per the recruiting provider's published figures.
- What if the hire does not work out?
- A 45-day replacement guarantee, at 50% off a repeat search for the same role.
Price a nuclear engineers search
Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen, with the contingency comparison if you are paying one now.
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Where we run nuclear engineers searches
The fee does not move with the city. The wage band does, so each page prices the role against what that metro actually pays.