Director, Nuclear Instrumentation & Electronics
Valar Atomics · Torrance · $225,000–$300,000 (stated in the posting)
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).