Program Director - First Commercial Reactor (FOAK)

Your mission

We are looking for an exceptional Program Director to join our team and help realize one of the world's most promising reactor technologies from design and engineering through prototyping, manufacturing and industrialization. 
As a pioneer in advanced nuclear technology, we are redefining the future of clean energy. If you are an experienced project or program director with a passion for groundbreaking technologies and a track record of delivering complex multidisciplinary systems, we invite you to help build Europe's first molten salt reactor. 

As Program Director FOAK, you will lead the development and delivery of Europe's first commercial molten salt reactor. This is one of Europe's most ambitious engineering programs, taking the reactor from conceptual design through detailed engineering, licensing, industrialization, construction and commissioning. You will be responsible for transforming an innovative concept into a commercially successful nuclear power plant. 

Working at the intersection of engineering, licensing, industrialization and strategic partnerships, you will build and lead the organization responsible for the First Commercial Reactor. Together with the CTO, COO and multidisciplinary teams, you will define the integrated roadmap, align technical decisions with execution, and maintain momentum across one of Europe's most complex deep tech programs. 
We are looking for an experienced engineering or project leader with a track record of delivering complex multidisciplinary programs, bringing together technical experts, industrial partners and external stakeholders, and turning ambitious visions into reality. 
The Program Director reports to the COO and is ideally based in the Netherlands.

In this role you will:

• Own the project:  You own the successful delivery of  Thorizon's first commercial reactor, from today ’ s  design, engineering and licensing activities through industrialization, construction  and commissioning. You define and drive the integrated roadmap across engineering, validation, licensing, permitting, civil works, supply chain development and deployment, managing dependencies,  risks  and milestones to bring the reactor to commercial reality.
• Deliver a competitive reactor :  Working closely with the CTO and multidisciplinary engineering teams, you ensure technical excellence translates into an executable project. You continuously  optimize  the design and manage  trade-offs  between safety, performance, reliability, manufacturability, constructability,  schedule a nd cost, so the reactor meets its performance, availability and lifetime targets while  remaining  licensable, buildable  and commercially  competitive. .
• Build the Industrial Ecosystem: You build long term relationships with engineering companies, civil contractors, manufacturing partners, suppliers  and strategic partners that enable successful deployment. You define the industrial delivery strategy, supply chain, procurement  approach  and future delivery model  required  to scale the technology from first deployment to commercial fleet rollout.
• Drive Project Excellence: You  establish  the governance, planning, risk  management  and execution framework  required  to deliver a first of a kind reactor program. You create the structure, decision making processes and project controls that let teams execute with pace while  maintaining  the rigor nuclear delivery requires.
• Define the  p lant  r equirements: You work closely with future operators, end  users  and key stakeholders to translate operational needs into plant requirements, functional  specifications  and project priorities, ensuring alignment throughout the program and laying the foundation for commercial success.
• Drive Licensing and Permitting: You build trusted relationships with regulators and public authorities to  establish  the licensing, permitting and site development strategy for the program. You define the  long term  roadmap, align key milestones, and enable  timely  progression  of  activities.
• Build and Lead the Team: You recruit, develop and lead a multidisciplinary project organization, creating an environment where systems engineers, project managers and technical specialists collaborate effectively and deliver with ownership, pace  and engineering rigor.
• Shape Thorizon's F uture: You help define how Europe builds its next generation of nuclear reactors. Beyond delivering the First Commercial Reactor, you shape Thorizon's  project management approach, industrial  capabilities  and organizational development as the company scales toward commercial deployment.

About you:

• You hold a  Master's degree in Engineering  and have extensive experience leading large multidisciplinary engineering or infrastructure programs. You have a proven  track record  of delivering complex engineered systems or capital projects from design through execution in nuclear, aerospace,  defence , energy,  semiconductors  or other highly regulated industries.
• You are an all-round engineering leader who uniquely combines technical  expertise , strategic thinking, personal  leadership  and team leadership:
• You can connect the dots across complex multidisciplinary systems, balancing technical, commercial and project  objectives . You naturally zoom in and out, translating strategy into clear requirements, roadmaps  and execution plans. 
• You are a pragmatic, solution-oriented leader who drives teams forward, maintains  momentum and helps others perform at their best. You are comfortable making well-founded decisions with incomplete information and taking calculated risks. 
• You have experience building, leading and developing multidisciplinary teams, creating ownership, alignment  and a culture of high performance.
• Y ou have experience with EPC contracts and their variants, understand the associated commercial and contractual risks, and can work effectively with legal teams to negotiate and structure agreements.
• You have strong stakeholder management skills and build trusted relationships across executive leadership, regulators, industrial partners, suppliers and engineering teams. You know how to align diverse stakeholders and  maintain  pace in complex negotiations.
• You thrive in an entrepreneurial, fast-moving scale-up environment. Ideally, you have helped  establish  a new program, engineering organization or department and enjoy building structure where none exists. 
• You are excited by pioneering first-of-a-kind technology. You enjoy turning ambitious visions into executable programs and solving problems others consider impossible. 
• You have strong organizational skills, a structured way of working and a relentless drive for quality and execution. 
• You feel inspired by working in diverse,  multidisciplinary  and international teams and adapt your leadership style to different people, cultures  and situations. 
• You are an excellent communicator ("clear is kind") in both spoken and written English. French and/or Dutch would be a strong advantage. 
• Y ou are willing to travel regularly between our Amsterdam and Lyon offices , and locations.

What you can expect from us:

• The opportunity to help realize the most promising reactor technology and advance Europe's energy future
• Being part of an exceptional team that combines engineering rigor, scientific excellence, and entrepreneurial drive
• Working in multidisciplinary teams on ambitious missions, with responsibility and meaningful impact from day one
• A fast-moving deep-tech environment where initiative is valued and people are trusted to make decisions
• Complex, multidisciplinary challenges that will stretch you and accelerate your growth
• Competitive compensation and participation in our employee profit-sharing plan
• An international workplace with offices in the heart of Amsterdam and Lyon

About us

Thorizon is a European deep tech scale up developing a new generation of small modular molten salt reactors to power the AI and industrial age with abundant, clean and affordable energy. With offices in Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Lyon, we are developing a reactor that combines inherent safety, high temperature industrial heat and competitive electricity generation. Designed to recycle long lived nuclear waste as fuel, our technology also advances a more circular nuclear fuel cycle.

Having completed the conceptual design of our demonstrator reactor and secured the site for its deployment in Noord Holland, we are entering the next phase: detailed engineering, licensing, supply chain development and construction of our first of a kind reactor, paving the way for commercial deployment in Zeeland.

We work alongside leading industrial partners including Orano, VDL Groep, Tractebel and EPZ. Our program has been selected by the European Commission and by the French government under the France 2030 investment plan, and is recognized by the Dutch government as a flagship innovation project strengthening the country's long term competitiveness.

At Thorizon, we believe a strongly coupled multidisciplinary technology development requires a culture of full openness and transparency. That’s why we foster values like unity, communication, and support to ensure we grow together as a team while achieving our purpose.