--- title: 'Senior Electrical Designer at Valar Atomics' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-electrical-designer-valar-atomics-torrance-28h1gareag9t' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-16' --- # Senior Electrical Designer at Valar Atomics - **Company:** Valar Atomics - **Location:** Torrance, CA - **Compensation:** $144k–$176k - **Posted:** 2026-10-13 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-16 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/valaratomics/jobs/4450777009 ## 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' Instrumentation, Control & Electrical (IC&E) organization, supporting design work across the Reactor, Nuclear Fuel, Power Conversion, and Power Distribution areas. Electrical Designers own the drawing packages that define the physical electrical and instrumentation installation one-lines, schematics, wiring and loop diagrams, cable and raceway layouts, panel arrangements, and installation details. You will work alongside electrical, I&C hardware, I&C software, process, mechanical, and nuclear safety engineers in a hands-on environment where drawing quality and installation integrity directly support plant reliability and nuclear safety. The team values technical depth, disciplined documentation, and a safety-first culture. ## The Role Valar Atomics is seeking Senior Electrical Designers to develop electrical and instrumentation design deliverables across the full plant scope: Reactor, Nuclear Fuel, Power Conversion, and Power Distribution. The role covers power distribution and control system drawings, cable and raceway design, control panel layouts, grounding and lightning protection layouts, hazardous area drawings, and instrument installation details supporting programs from early design and licensing through construction, commissioning, and ongoing operations. This is a senior position: you will own drawing packages end-to-end, from development through checking, issue, and as-built incorporation, and provide checking and technical direction to junior designers and drafting contractors. ## Key Responsibilities - Develop and maintain electrical design deliverables including single-line and three-line diagrams, schematics, wiring and interconnection diagrams, panel schedules, load lists, and motor elementary diagrams across Reactor, Nuclear Fuel, Power Conversion, and Power Distribution scopes. - Design power distribution layouts covering switchgear, MCCs, panelboards, transformers, UPS and DC systems, receptacle and lighting circuits, and equipment power feeds; incorporate load, voltage drop, and short-circuit data provided by electrical engineers. - Perform cable and raceway design including cable schedules, cable sizing and voltage drop checks, tray and conduit routing, fill and derating calculations, and signal/power segregation per project standards, including segregation and separation requirements for safety-related and non-safety circuits. - Produce control panel and enclosure design drawings including internal layout, wiring diagrams, terminal and marshalling arrangements, nameplate schedules, and bills of material consistent with UL 508A practice. - Develop grounding, bonding, and lightning protection layouts including grounding grids, equipment bonding details, instrument and shield grounding, and equipotential plane details. - Prepare hazardous area classification drawings and ensure equipment layout and wiring methods in classified areas comply with NEC Article 500/505 or IEC 60079. - Develop instrumentation installation deliverables including hook-up drawings, instrument location plans, loop diagram drafting, junction box layouts, and cable block diagrams in coordination with I&C hardware engineers. - Apply and enforce CAD standards, drawing templates, title blocks, symbol libraries, layer conventions, and file organization on assigned scope, including contractor-produced drawings, and contribute improvements to the discipline's standards. - Generate bills of material and material take-offs for cable, raceway, panels, and installation hardware; support requisitions and procurement technical evaluations. - Perform field walkdowns to verify routing, constructability, and existing conditions; capture redlines and produce as-built drawings and turnover documentation. - Review and redline vendor drawing packages, contractor shop drawings, and installation deliverables for compliance with project standards and nuclear quality requirements. - Coordinate drawing content with piping, structural, mechanical, and HVAC designers to resolve routing conflicts, clearances, and access requirements, including work within 2D and 3D plant models. - Support construction and commissioning teams with drawing clarifications, RFI responses, field change documentation, and punch list resolution. - Maintain drawing revision control and document management practices consistent with nuclear quality requirements, ensuring traceability from design change through as-built incorporation. - Provide checking, mentoring, and technical direction to junior designers and drafting contractors on electrical and I&C design scope. ## Basic Qualifications - Associate degree or technical diploma in electrical design, drafting, or engineering technology, or equivalent practical experience; Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline is a plus. - 5+ years of electrical or I&C design experience in power generation, process industries, or industrial facilities. - Proficiency with EPLAN (Electric P8 or equivalent) and/or AVEVA Electrical, with willingness to work in both; includes production of complete, checked, issue-ready drawing packages and database-driven deliverables such as cable schedules and load lists. - Hands-on experience producing one-line diagrams, schematics, wiring diagrams, cable schedules, and raceway layouts. - Working knowledge of the NEC (NFPA 70) as applied to design deliverables, including wiring methods, conduit fill, cable derating, and grounding requirements. - Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, electrical schematics, loop diagrams, and instrument data sheets. - Familiarity with hazardous area classification drawings and wiring methods for classified areas (NEC Article 500/505 or IEC 60079). - Experience performing field walkdowns, capturing redlines, and producing as-built documentation. - Working knowledge of control panel layout, terminal arrangement, and field wiring practice, including grounding, shielding, and signal segregation. ## Preferred Skills and Experience - Proficiency in both EPLAN and AVEVA Electrical. - Experience with AutoCAD / AutoCAD Electrical, SmartPlant Electrical / Instrumentation (INtools), or Bentley platforms. - Experience with 3D plant design tools (AVEVA E3D, AutoCAD Plant 3D, SmartPlant 3D, or Revit) including clash detection and model-based drawing extraction. - ADDA Certified Drafter, NICET certification, or equivalent credentials. - Experience designing UL 508A listed industrial control panels. - Experience with medium-voltage distribution design (4.16 kV and above), generator connections, and utility interconnection drawings. - Experience with cable separation and raceway design per IEEE 384 or equivalent nuclear separation criteria. - Familiarity with nuclear quality requirements (NQA-1, 10 CFR 50 Appendix B) as applied to design documents, drawing control, and design change traceability. - Experience with electrical installation design in nuclear, cleanroom, glovebox, or contamination-controlled environments. - Familiarity with IEC 62443 or NIST SP 800-82 as applied to the physical OT network layer, including cabinet, switch, and cabling infrastructure supporting network segmentation. ## 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 $144,000—$176,000 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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