A research reactor runs a packed program of experiments, and coordinating all of it is your work — juggling schedules, safety, and the teams behind reactor-based research. The coordinator behind reactor research.
The work blends technical coordination with project management: scheduling experiments, coordinating researchers and operations, tracking safety and compliance, and keeping the program on track. You sit between scientists, operators, and regulators. Safety and documentation govern everything in nuclear work, and juggling competing experiments is the daily puzzle.
The regulatory environment is heavy, so paperwork, reviews, and oversight shape the pace. You balance many stakeholders, the stakes are high, and a scheduling or safety misstep carries real consequences. National labs, universities, and research facilities shape the scope and culture.
It tends to suit people who are organized, detail-driven, and unflappable. If you want hands-on research or fast, loose work, the rigor and bureaucracy may chafe. But if you like keeping complex, high-stakes research running smoothly, it's a respected, important role.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Engineering roles →A research reactor runs a packed program of experiments, and coordinating all of it is your work — juggling schedules, safety, and the teams behind reactor-based research. The coordinator behind reactor research.
Median pay for a Nuclear Test Reactor Program Coordinator is about $128K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $88K to $187K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Science, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Judgment and Decision Making, and Complex Problem Solving.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to decline about 1.1% through 2034, with roughly 14,740 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Nuclear Technician, Non-Licensed Nuclear Plant Operator (NLO), and Non-Licensed Nuclear Equipment Operator (NLO).
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