--- title: 'Director, Nuclear Instrumentation & Electronics at Valar Atomics' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/director-nuclear-instrumentation-electronics-valar-atomics-torrance-q9xa8aa7axke' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-30' --- # Director, Nuclear Instrumentation & Electronics at Valar Atomics - **Company:** Valar Atomics - **Location:** Torrance, CA - **Compensation:** $225k–$300k - **Posted:** 2026-10-28 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-30 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/valaratomics/jobs/4429144009 ## 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 lead a new product organization within Valar Atomics' Instrumentation, Control & Electrical (IC&E) organization, supplying hardware to the Reactor program across development, demonstration, and serial production units. The team you build will span detector design, analog and digital electronics, firmware, qualification and test, production engineering, and manufacturing operations. You will work alongside reactor I&C, automation and controls, reactor physics, nuclear safety, quality, supply chain, and licensing teams in a hands-on environment where measurement integrity directly supports reactor safety and production throughput. The team values technical depth, disciplined documentation, and a safety-first culture. ## The Role Valar Atomics is seeking Directors of Nuclear Instrumentation & Electronics to build and lead the organization that designs, qualifies, and manufactures the nuclear instrumentation and electronics required to scale reactor production. The role owns the full product lifecycle for neutron detectors, radiation monitors, signal processing electronics, and associated nuclear-grade hardware, from detector physics and circuit design through qualification, production engineering, manufacturing, and field support. The nuclear instrumentation supply base is thin, slow, and not built for serial reactor deployment; this role exists to make it an in-house capability that ships qualified hardware at production volume, on schedule, to nuclear quality standards. ## Key Responsibilities - Build and lead the Nuclear Instrumentation & Electronics organization, including hiring, organizational design, and development of engineering, test, and manufacturing teams; set technical standards and a culture of ownership and execution. - Define and own the product roadmap for nuclear instrumentation and electronics, including make-versus-buy decisions, platform strategy, and cost, volume, and schedule targets aligned to the reactor production ramp. - Own design of neutron flux detection hardware across source, intermediate, and power ranges, including fission chambers, ion chambers, proportional counters, and in-core or high-temperature detectors suited to the HTGR environment. - Own design of radiation monitoring instrumentation, including area, process, and effluent monitors and associated detector assemblies. - Own design of nuclear signal processing electronics, including high-voltage bias supplies, preamplifiers, pulse, current, and Campbell mode processing, digital pulse processing, FPGA and embedded firmware, and interfaces to protection and control systems. - Lead equipment qualification programs, including environmental qualification (IEEE 323), seismic qualification (IEEE 344), EMI/RFI compatibility (Reg Guide 1.180), radiation and thermal aging, and qualification test planning, execution, and reporting. - Ensure designs meet applicable nuclear safety system requirements, including IEEE 603, IEEE 7-4.3.2 for digital content, and software/firmware lifecycle and V&V requirements, in coordination with reactor I&C and licensing teams. - Stand up and scale manufacturing operations for detectors and electronics, including production line design, assembly processes, cleanroom and contamination-controlled work areas, test fixtures and automated test equipment, yield management, and capacity planning. - Drive design for manufacturability, test, and cost; transition designs from prototype to low-rate initial production to serial production with controlled production documentation. - Establish and maintain the nuclear quality program for the product line, including 10 CFR 50 Appendix B and NQA-1 compliance, 10 CFR Part 21 reporting, commercial grade dedication of components, configuration management, and supplier qualification. - Oversee licensing and material control requirements for detector production, including special nuclear material and byproduct material licensing (10 CFR Parts 30 and 70) for fissile coatings, neutron-sensitive materials, and calibration sources, in coordination with health physics and licensing teams. - Own supply chain strategy for critical components and materials, including enriched uranium and boron-10 coatings, high-temperature ceramics and cabling, radiation-tolerant electronic components, and long-lead parts; develop second sources and manage obsolescence. - Support NRC and DOE regulatory interactions for instrumentation design and qualification, including technical reports, audits, and responses to requests for additional information. - Provide field support for installed hardware, including commissioning support, failure analysis, corrective action, and reliability data collection feeding back into design and manufacturing. - Own organizational budget, headcount plan, and capital equipment plan for engineering, test, and manufacturing facilities. ## Basic Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in Nuclear Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Engineering Physics, or a related discipline. - 12+ years of experience in radiation detection, nuclear instrumentation, or high-reliability electronics design and manufacturing, including 5+ years leading engineering or product teams. - Deep technical knowledge of radiation detection physics and detector design, including neutron detection, gamma discrimination, and detector behavior in high-radiation and high-temperature environments. - Hands-on background in analog and mixed-signal electronics for low-level signal measurement, including noise, grounding, shielding, and signal integrity in long cable runs. - Demonstrated experience taking hardware products from design through qualification and into production, including DFM/DFT, production test, and yield improvement. - Experience operating under a formal quality program in nuclear, aerospace, defense, medical device, or a comparably regulated industry. - Working knowledge of nuclear equipment qualification and safety system standards, including IEEE 323, IEEE 344, IEEE 603, and Reg Guide 1.180. - Proven ability to build teams from the ground up, hire and develop strong engineers, and deliver on aggressive schedules. - This role requires access to technology controlled under U.S. export control regulations, including 10 CFR Part 810; candidates must be eligible to access such technology. ## Preferred Skills and Experience - Master's or PhD in Nuclear Engineering, Physics, or Electrical Engineering with a focus on radiation detection or instrumentation. - Professional Engineer (PE) license or eligibility. - Direct experience designing or manufacturing fission chambers, ion chambers, self-powered neutron detectors, or radiation monitors at a nuclear instrumentation vendor, national laboratory, or reactor developer. - Experience with nuclear safety-related hardware development under 10 CFR 50 Appendix B and NQA-1, including commercial grade dedication and 10 CFR Part 21 programs. - Experience with FPGA-based or digital signal processing for nuclear instrumentation, including firmware V&V for safety-related applications. - Experience with NRC or Agreement State materials licensing for special nuclear material or byproduct material. - Experience scaling hardware manufacturing in a startup or rapid-growth environment, including standing up new production facilities. - Familiarity with HTGR or other advanced reactor instrumentation challenges, including high-temperature, helium-environment, and graphite-moderated core applications. - Experience with electronics manufacturing standards (IPC-A-610, J-STD-001) and radiation-tolerant component selection. ## 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 $225,000—$300,000 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. 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