Nuclear energy is an important part of the power grid in many countries. It provides a significant amount of electricity to homes and businesses across the United States, France, Germany, Italy, China, and Japan.
The number of people employed with nuclear energy is increasing, and the pay for these jobs is also on the rise.
Nuclear power plant operators are among those who have some of the highest paying jobs in this field, but there are other positions that offer competitive salaries as well.
Many employers in this industry provide employees with generous benefits packages to help attract new talent. In a world where individuals must now compete against robots for certain jobs, it’s important to know what you’re getting into before looking at salary figures alone.
Nuclear power plant jobs are in high demand and pay well across the board. Whether it’s an engineering position or a managerial one, these jobs offer plenty of opportunities. The following list will help guide your search when hunting for that perfect nuclear energy job!
Here are the top 10 highest paying jobs in nuclear energy:
1) Nuclear Engineer: $102k/year
Nuclear engineers are responsible for designing, analyzing, and maintaining nuclear reactors.
Nuclear engineers develop and operate the nuclear power plants of today’s world. They get a first-hand look at our energy future as they design the next generation of reactors to be safer, smaller, and more efficient!
They also design new reactor components or modifications to existing components. This position requires a minimum of an undergraduate degree in engineering with additional education in the field.
2) Radiation Protection Specialist: $88k/year
Radiation protection specialists are responsible for mitigating the risks of radiation. They design and implement safety programs, equipment, and procedures to ensure that nuclear power plants are operating within safe parameters.
This position requires a minimum undergraduate degree in engineering or another related field with additional education in relevant areas such as health physics or medical technology.
3) Mechanical Engineer: $86k/year
Mechanical engineers design and oversee the manufacture of many components at nuclear power plants including those related to safety systems, cooling systems, control mechanisms, pumps, valves, piping, and instrumentation.
This position requires a minimum undergraduate degree in engineering with additional coursework or experience in topics such as thermodynamics and fluid mechanics.
4) Chemical Engineer: $84k/year
Chemical Engineers work with other engineers and scientists to design, develop, and test the equipment used in nuclear power plants.
This position requires a minimum undergraduate degree in chemical engineering which is supplemented by courses such as thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, properties of matter, instrumentation, and control systems.
5) Systems Engineer-Nuclear Power Plant Operator Substation Control System (SCS):$83k/year
Systems Engineer-Nuclear Power Plant Operators Substation Control System (SCS) is one of the most lucrative nuclear energy jobs.
This position requires a minimum undergraduate degree in engineering, but also provides training for operating and repairing substation control systems-a field that pays an average annual salary of $83k.
6) Operations Research Analyst-Nuclear Energy Policy Analysis – Assistant or Associate: $83k/year
Nuclear Energy Policy Analysis, Assistant or Associate positions require a master’s degree in engineering and can pay up to an annual salary of $83k.
This position is involved with all aspects of nuclear energy policy analysis-including the design, testing, and evaluation of new policies as well as providing information on the impact of current policies.
Control System (SCS) is one of the most lucrative nuclear energy jobs. This position requires a minimum undergraduate degree in engineering, but also provides training for operating and repairing substation control systems-a field that pays an average annual salary of $83k.
7) Electrical Engineer: $85k/year
Electrical engineers work with generators, transformers, and other components of the plant to maintain a safe environment. This position requires an undergraduate degree in engineering or another related field plus additional education in relevant areas such as electrical power generation systems.
8) Materials Scientist – $70K/Year
Material scientists are responsible for testing and analyzing the quality of nuclear materials. They also often work with other scientists to develop new processes, tools, and equipment used in a range of industries.
Materials scientists use their scientific expertise and innovative minds to shape the future of nuclear energy. They work as a crucial part in developing new materials for reactors, solving problems with existing reactor materials, and creating solutions that will allow us to explore space without harming our planet.
Materials scientist is one of the highest paying nuclear energy jobs that require only an undergraduate degree-or none at all!
9) Physicist – $77K/Year
A Physicist is a person who studies the nature of energy and matter. The work required for this position includes designing, building, and testing nuclear reactors to ensure they are safe.
Physicists must have their college degree in physics or one with a heavy math component. This is definitely another high-paying job within the nuclear industry that requires a graduate degree.
The median salary for a physicist is $77K per Year. Nuclear energy jobs that are high-paying usually require advanced education and some experience in the field.
10) Chemist – $69K/Year
A person who works in nuclear energy may be a chemist. Chemists use their skills to analyze the chemical components of things like radioactive waste and nuclear fuel.
Scientists study and experiment with matter to reach a goal, complete missions or add to our body of knowledge. Chemists may be involved in nuclear science by extracting targeted metals from used nuclear fuels that minimize waste production!
The median salary for chemists is $69K per year, with some earning as much as $87K per year!
11) Computer Software Developer $95K/Year
Computer software developers are in high demand. Software developers may be needed to create customized computer programs, search engine databases, or online help systems for nuclear energy companies and government agencies that must comply with strict regulations.
Software development is an important industry. For example, in the nuclear field software developers are busy creating robust and maintainable programs to be deployed to other industries or for use by scientists and engineers worldwide.
The median salary ranges from $95K per year – $115K per year! If you have the right skills, your salary could go as high as $150K per year!
Conclusion
Nuclear energy is fascinating and has many different job opportunities. We hope this list gives you an idea of the high-paying jobs that are available in nuclear power! Soft skills like persistence, leadership, and communication will help you get to these positions.
The nuclear industry is a highly lucrative and promising field to enter. Nuclear energy jobs are well compensated, with an average salary of $85,000 per year (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics).
In addition, many employers offer generous benefits packages for their employees.
To find out more about these high-paying positions in this booming industry or if you’re interested in pursuing a degree related to nuclear engineering or radiation science, we suggest you do more research online, till the next one, have a great day!