--- title: 'Staff Controls Software Engineer at Valar Atomics' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-controls-software-engineer-valar-atomics-orangeville-utah-2b2egccajb79' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-11' --- # Staff Controls Software Engineer at Valar Atomics - **Company:** Valar Atomics - **Location:** Orangeville Utah, United States - **Posted:** 2026-08-20 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-11 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/valaratomics/jobs/4376679009 ## 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' IC&E Engineering team within the Fuel Manufacturing group. Controls 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. You will work alongside I&C hardware, process, and nuclear safety engineers in an environment that blends traditional control systems with modern software and data integration practice. The team values operator-focused design, data integrity, disciplined documentation, and a safety-first culture. ## The Role Valar Atomics is seeking a Staff Controls Software Engineer to develop, configure, test, and commission the control system software for nuclear fuel manufacturing facilities. The role covers PLC and DCS programming, SCADA and HMI application development, ISA-88 batch control, alarm management, safety logic programming, historian configuration, and ISA-95 enterprise integration with senior responsibility for technical leadership of complex projects, contractor oversight, and mentorship of junior engineers. ## Key Responsibilities - Develop and maintain PLC and DCS application programs using platforms such as Rockwell ControlLogix/CompactLogix, Siemens S7/TIA Portal, Emerson, or equivalent; program in ladder logic, function block, structured text, and sequential function chart per IEC 61131-3. - Develop and configure SCADA applications on platforms such as Ignition, Rockwell FactoryTalk, AVEVA System Platform, Siemens WinCC, or equivalent; build and maintain tag databases, user-defined types, communication drivers, scripting, templates, and client and redundancy architecture. - Design HMI displays at both the local panel level (Rockwell PanelView, Siemens WinCC, or equivalent) and the supervisory SCADA level in accordance with ISA-101 and High-Performance HMI (HPHMI) principles, including display hierarchy, navigation, and situational awareness graphics. - Develop batch control software in accordance with ISA-88 including phase logic, equipment modules, unit procedures, recipe management, equipment arbitration, and material tracking; build the supervisory batch layer for batch execution monitoring, unit status, and recipe progress display and reporting. - Configure and manage alarm system software to ISA-18.2 including setpoints, priorities, deadbands, shelving and suppression logic, and alarm performance KPI reporting. - Program, configure, and functionally test safety logic on SIS platforms (Rockwell GuardLogix, Siemens F-CPU, Triconex, or equivalent) in accordance with IEC 61511. - Configure plant historian systems (OSIsoft PI / AVEVA PI, Ignition Historian, Rockwell FactoryTalk Historian, or equivalent) including tag configuration, compression and exception settings, and asset framework modelling; build process data dashboards and operational reports. - Implement ISA-95 enterprise-control integration including data exchange interfaces between control systems and MES, ERP, and LIMS; develop and consume REST APIs and database interfaces. - Configure and troubleshoot industrial communication protocols in software including OPC-UA, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, Modbus TCP/RTU, and DeviceNet; configure server and client endpoints, tag mapping, and interfaces between SCADA and PLC, DCS, SIS, historian, and third-party systems. - Write SQL queries and stored procedures and Python scripts for data processing, transaction handling, report generation, and control system test automation. - Apply software configuration management practice including version control, change control, structured code review, controller and SCADA application backup and restore, and disaster recovery testing. - Define OT network architecture and configure cybersecurity controls in accordance with IEC 62443 or NIST SP 800-82, including zone and conduit design, VLAN and switch configuration, role-based access control, authentication, secure protocol configuration, and coordination of patching and application allow-listing. - Prepare and execute software FAT, SAT, and commissioning test plans; maintain engineering documentation including functional specifications, control narratives, cause-and-effect matrices, tag lists, alarm databases, and as-built software records. - Diagnose and resolve control system software faults including PLC and SCADA communication failures, logic defects, sequence stalls, historian data gaps, and application performance issues; perform root cause analysis and document corrective actions. - Coordinate with I&C Hardware Engineers on I/O assignment, tag naming, signal scaling, and loop commissioning to ensure control logic and field hardware are consistent. - Own control system software standards including programming conventions, reusable code and add-on instruction libraries, tag naming, HMI display templates, and alarm rationalization standards; govern their application across projects and vendors. - Own the software architecture for control system projects including controller and server topology, redundancy and failover strategy, data flow between control, historian, and enterprise layers, and platform selection recommendations. - Provide technical direction to contractors and consultants on controls software scope; own programming and display standards, code library governance, and review of software deliverables to ensure compliance with project standards and nuclear quality requirements; mentor junior engineers on control system software practice. ## Basic Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Electronic, Computer, or Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline. - 8+ years of controls software, PLC programming, or SCADA development experience in process industries, with demonstrated ownership of complex control system software projects from design through commissioning. - Hands-on PLC programming experience with at least one major platform (Rockwell, Siemens, Emerson, or equivalent) using IEC 61131-3 languages, including development of reusable code libraries and standards. - Hands-on experience developing or maintaining SCADA applications on at least one major platform (Ignition, FactoryTalk, AVEVA, WinCC, or equivalent). - Demonstrated experience establishing HMI design standards to ISA-101 or HPHMI principles. - Experience developing batch control sequences in accordance with ISA-88. - Experience configuring alarm management systems with working knowledge of ISA-18.2. - Experience configuring plant historian systems and building operational data dashboards. - Familiarity with ISA-95 enterprise-control integration concepts. - Working knowledge of OPC-UA, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, or Modbus communication protocols. - Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, loop diagrams, and I/O lists sufficient to develop, test, and commission control logic. - Demonstrated experience applying software version control and change control practice to control system applications. - Demonstrated experience developing and functionally testing safety logic under IEC 61511. ## Preferred Skills and Experience - Ignition Certified Designer, Rockwell Automation Certified Programmer, Siemens TIA Portal certification, or equivalent platform certification. - ISA Certified Automation Professional (CAP) or equivalent credentials. - Experience with ISA-88 batch control implementation including recipe management and material genealogy tracking. - Experience developing safety logic to IEC 61511 under a formal software validation and functional test regime. - Experience with OSIsoft PI / AVEVA PI including PI AF asset framework configuration and PI Web API. - Experience writing SQL queries and stored procedures (SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or equivalent) for operational reporting and historian-to-database data feeds. - Experience with Python scripting for data processing, API integration, or control system test automation. - Experience with REST API development or consumption for system integration. - Experience with Git or equivalent version control applied to controller and SCADA application code. - Experience with LIMS integration (LabWare, Uncountable, LabVantage, or equivalent). - Familiarity with GAMP 5, 21 CFR Part 11, or nuclear quality (NQA-1) requirements for control system software validation. - Exposure to IEC 62443 OT cybersecurity standards and secure network architecture for industrial control systems. - Experience with virtualized or containerized SCADA and historian infrastructure, including server and client redundancy. ## What We Offer - Competitive base salary - Equity ownership in a rapidly growing advanced energy company - Comprehensive medical benefits - Unlimited PTO - Free daily lunch - 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). ## 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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