---
title: 'Automation and Controls Engineer at Valar Atomics'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/automation-and-controls-engineer-valar-atomics-torrance-7z0jkvacq6ee'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-16'
---

# Automation and Controls Engineer at Valar Atomics

- **Company:** Valar Atomics
- **Location:** Torrance, CA
- **Compensation:** $90k–$137k
- **Posted:** 2026-09-17
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-16
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/valaratomics/jobs/4410316009

## Job description

## About Valar Atomics

At Valar Atomics, we're redefining what's possible in energy. Our mission is to make clean, high-temperature nuclear power scalable—unlocking abundant energy for industry, hydrogen, and next-generation manufacturing. We are a team of builders, engineers, and operators who believe nuclear energy should be fast to deploy, factory-made, and built for the real world. Our first pilot plant in Orangeville, Utah will demonstrate how advanced nuclear systems and fuel fabrication can power the future. Joining Valar Atomics means becoming part of a company where autonomy, ownership, and impact exist at every level.

The Team

You will be joining Valar Atomics' Automation and Controls Team within the Instrumentation, Control & Electrical (IC&E) organization. I&C Software Engineers own the logic and data layer PLC and DCS application code, ISA-88 batch sequences, SCADA and HMI applications, historian infrastructure, and enterprise integration across the reactor program and fuel manufacturing operations. You will work alongside I&C Hardware, electrical, process, and nuclear safety engineers in an environment that blends traditional control systems with modern software and data integration practice. As an early-career engineer, you will be surrounded by senior, staff, and principal engineers whose job includes developing you. The team values operator-focused design, data integrity, disciplined documentation, and a safety-first culture.

## The Role

Valar Atomics is seeking Automation and Controls Engineers to help develop, configure, test, and commission the control system software for our reactor and nuclear fuel manufacturing facilities. Working under the technical direction of senior and staff engineers, you will contribute across the controls software domain PLC programming, SCADA and HMI development, batch control, alarm configuration, historian work, and control system testing, with steadily increasing independence and ownership. This is an early-career position built for growth: you will write real application code that runs a real plant, spend time at panels and in the field during loop checks and commissioning, have your work reviewed and tested by experienced engineers, and learn nuclear-grade software discipline on a first-of-a-kind reactor program. We expect engineers at this level to develop toward independent ownership of controls software scope within their first few years.

## Key Responsibilities

- Develop and modify PLC and DCS application code on platforms such as Rockwell ControlLogix/CompactLogix, Siemens S7/TIA Portal, or equivalent, using IEC 61131-3 languages, working within established coding standards and template libraries and with structured code review by senior engineers.
- Build and maintain SCADA application content on platforms such as Ignition, FactoryTalk, AVEVA, or WinCC — tag databases, user-defined types, display instances, and scripting — from established templates and standards.
- Develop HMI displays at the panel and supervisory levels in accordance with the team's ISA-101/HPHMI style guide, including navigation, faceplates, and situational awareness graphics, with displays reviewed before release.
- Implement ISA-88 batch phase logic and equipment module code within the established batch architecture, under the direction of senior engineers; support recipe configuration and batch testing.
- Configure alarm setpoints, priorities, deadbands, and shelving in accordance with the approved alarm philosophy and rationalization outputs; run alarm performance KPI reports.
- Support safety logic work under IEC 61511 by executing functional test procedures, documenting test results, and assisting with safety application code under direct senior engineer supervision; safety logic authorship and approval remain with senior engineers.
- Configure historian tags, compression and exception settings, and asset framework elements within the established model; build process data dashboards and operational reports.
- Configure and troubleshoot industrial communication interfaces including OPC-UA, EtherNet/IP, and Modbus TCP/RTU under guidance — server and client endpoints, tag mapping, and SCADA-to-PLC connections.
- Write SQL queries and Python scripts for data processing, report generation, and control system test automation.
- Apply the team's software configuration management practice: version control, change control, structured code review participation, and controller and SCADA application backup and restore.
- Execute software FAT, SAT, and commissioning test procedures; support loop checks and end-to-end testing with I&C Hardware engineers; document results and maintain tag lists, alarm databases, and as-built software records.
- Troubleshoot control system software faults including communication failures, logic defects, sequence stalls, and historian data gaps, escalating appropriately and documenting findings and corrective actions.
- Support coordination with I&C Hardware Engineers on I/O assignment, tag naming, signal scaling, and loop commissioning.
- Maintain disciplined engineering records consistent with nuclear quality requirements, ensuring traceability of design decisions, software changes, and test results.
- Actively develop technical competence through structured learning, commissioning time, and progressively larger assignments, in line with the team's engineer development expectations.

## Basic Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Electronic, Computer, Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline.
- 2+ years of experience in controls software, PLC programming, SCADA development, or related automation work; substantial internship or co-op experience may be counted toward this at the hiring manager's discretion.
- Hands-on PLC programming experience with at least one major platform (Rockwell, Siemens, or equivalent) using one or more IEC 61131-3 languages.
- Some hands-on exposure to SCADA or HMI development on a major platform (Ignition, FactoryTalk, AVEVA, WinCC, or equivalent).
- Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, loop diagrams, and I/O lists sufficient to develop and test control logic.
- Basic familiarity with at least one industrial communication protocol (OPC-UA, EtherNet/IP, or Modbus).
- Working familiarity with version control concepts and disciplined change practice for application code.
- Willingness and ability to work hands-on during loop checks, commissioning, and plant support, including at times in industrial conditions and on commissioning schedules.
- Strong documentation habits and attention to detail, and willingness to work within a rigorous nuclear quality and checking culture.
- Ability to take direction, incorporate code review comments constructively, and communicate status and problems clearly.

## Preferred Skills and Experience

- Platform certification such as Ignition (Core/Gold) or Rockwell/Siemens training credentials.
- Engineer in Training (EIT) designation or passage of the FE exam.
- Internship, co-op, or work experience in process industries, manufacturing, utilities, or system integration.
- Exposure to batch control (ISA-88), alarm management (ISA-18.2), or HMI design (ISA-101) concepts.
- Exposure to plant historians (PI, Ignition Historian, or equivalent) or operational dashboarding.
- Exposure to safety system logic or functional safety testing concepts (IEC 61511).
- Experience with SQL, Python, or REST APIs for data processing or integration.
- Experience with Git or equivalent version control.
- Personal, academic, or professional projects demonstrating hands-on controls, automation, or software work.

## What We Offer

- Competitive base salary
- Equity ownership in a rapidly growing advanced energy company
- Comprehensive medical benefits
- Unlimited PTO
- Free daily lunch and dinner provided onsite
- Generous PPE stipend
- High-impact startup environment with significant ownership and autonomy
- Opportunities for rapid career growth and internal advancement
- Direct collaboration with experienced operators, engineers, and industry leaders
- The opportunity to help build and scale transformative energy technology from the ground up

## Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Valar Atomics is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable law.

We are committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment and will provide reasonable accommodation as required by law.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States as a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (green card holder). Salary $90,000—$137,000 USD

## About Valar Atomics

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Valar Atomics is scaling nuclear energy through grid-independent, high-temperature gas reactors (HTGR) for hydrogen production, data center power, heavy industrial power, and clean hydrocarbon fuel synthesis.
- **Entity Type**: Private (total funding $494M–$600.5M, latest round Debt - II)
- **Headquarters**: El Segundo, California, United States (additional location in Orangeville, Utah)
- **Founded**: 2023
- **Founders**: Not publicly listed (key executives include President Muhammad Shahzad and CNO Mark Mitchell)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Nuclear energy / advanced nuclear reactor technology
- **Target customers**: Large-scale industrial users (hydrogen producers, data centers, heavy industry), grid-independent operations, and fuel synthesis plants (B2B, Enterprise)
- **Mission or purpose**: “Nuclear needs scale” – unlock economies of scale by building hundreds of reactors on Valar gigasites, divorcing industrial power from the traditional grid.

## Products & Services
- **[Ward 250 Reactor]**: A grid-independent HTGR using TRISO fuel, designed for high-volume, non-bespoke production. Achieved criticality in June 2026 under DOE’s pilot program. Product type: Hardware (nuclear reactor).
- **[Hydrogen Production]**: Reactors paired with a sulfur-iodine cycle process to produce cheap, abundant hydrogen. Product type: Industrial energy product.
- **[Data Center Power]**: Dedicated on-site nuclear power for AI data centers, targeting AI’s projected 200+ TWh additional demand by 2030. Product type: Service / infrastructure.
- **[Heavy Industrial Power]**: Grid-independent power for processes like green steel and bauxite electrolysis. Product type: Service / infrastructure.
- **[Clean Hydrocarbon Fuels]**: Combines cheap hydrogen with captured CO₂ via a modified Fischer-Tropsch process to create synthetic fuels. Product type: Fuel product.
- **[Modular Citadel Shielding]**: Pre-cast, self-tensioning shielding system for mass-manufactured reactor protection. Production line capable of 1,000+ blocks per year. Product type: Hardware component.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not disclosed (CB Insights shows valuation as hidden)
- **Key Metric**: Total funding reported as $494M (LinkedIn) or $600.5M (CB Insights, conflicting reports); latest round debt financing in November 2025.
- **Notable Investors**: Palmer Luckey, Shyam Sankar, Day One Ventures, DTX Ventures, Contrary, Riot Ventures (led Seed), Snowpoint Ventures (led Series A), and 28+ others.
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount of 74 employees (+232% YoY, +9.6% monthly); 30 active job postings; Ward 250 reactor achieved criticality in June 2026; partnerships with DOE, San Rafael Energy Research Center, and State of Utah; opened first nuclear site (San Rafael) in February 2026.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Proven HTGR design** with unmatched safety profile and proliferation resistance when paired with TRISO fuel.
- **Grid-independent “gigasite” model** that avoids traditional grid constraints, enabling mass manufacturing of standardized reactors.
- **Vertical integration**: In-house design of reactors, fuel processing (sulfur-iodine cycle), and shielding systems (Modular Citadel).
- **Speed to market**: Ward 250 is on track for power operations before July 4, 2026, under a DOE mandate.
- **Talent base**: Attracts engineers from Ultra Safe Nuclear, X-energy, Anduril, and other advanced hardware companies.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scale manufacturing**: Transition from project-based nuclear to high-volume production through gigasites.
- **Achieve operational milestones**: Achieve hot criticality and power operation at Ward 250 by mid-2026.
- **Expand product lines**: Deliver grid-independent hydrogen, data center power, and synthetic fuels to meet industrial and AI energy demands.
- **Grow headcount rapidly**: Aggressively hiring in engineering, operations, quality, and technical roles.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven culture**: “Hardware is the only thing that counts” – emphasis on building real reactors, not just pitching.
- **High growth environment**: Company doubled headcount in the past year; roles offer significant ownership and impact.
- **Locations**: Hawthorne (CA), El Segundo (CA), Orangeville (UT), and Huntington (UT) – roles span design, manufacturing, and field operations.
- **Work style**: Likely on-site/hybrid for technical roles (e.g., Build Engineer, Nuclear Operations Manager, Machinist).
- **Perks & culture**: Rapid advancement opportunities, exposure to cutting-edge nuclear and chemical engineering, and a team with deep ties to defense and deep-tech.
- **Current openings**: 30+ roles including mechanical engineers, plant operators, quality engineers, finance systems engineers, and technical recruiters.

## Sources
1. [valaratomics.com](https://valaratomics.com/)
2. [Greenhouse careers](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/valaratomics)
3. [CB Insights](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/valar-atomics)
4. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/valar-atomics)

## Other roles at Valar Atomics

- [Senior Electrical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-electrical-engineer-valar-atomics-torrance-assg1f7db5xv) — Torrance, CA
- [Senior Electrical Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-electrical-designer-valar-atomics-torrance-28h1gareag9t) — Torrance, CA
- [Senior Mechanical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mechanical-engineer-valar-atomics-torrance-tg3we223525c) — Torrance, CA
- [Mechanisms Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanisms-technician-valar-atomics-torrance-4j7c0vna62xn) — Torrance, CA
- [Mechanical Technician, Process Gas Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-technician-process-gas-systems-valar-atomics-torrance-0pagh2e6ym0a) — Torrance, CA
- [Infrastructure Project Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/infrastructure-project-manager-valar-atomics-orangeville-bh1cwr6wjb5k) — Orangeville, UT
- [Senior Scheduler](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-scheduler-valar-atomics-torrance-2wy1zegqs8vc) — Torrance, CA
- [Production Quality Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/production-quality-technician-valar-atomics-torrance-1jk9fy65b178) — Torrance, CA
- [Production Quality Supervisor](https://feeny.ai/job/production-quality-supervisor-valar-atomics-torrance-x9ae2nxbt40r) — Torrance, CA
- [Production Quality Metrology Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/production-quality-metrology-engineer-valar-atomics-torrance-2qjy50trnkge) — Torrance, CA