{"id":3382568,"url":"https://alion.io/job/valar-atomics-director-nuclear-instrumentation-electronics","title":"Director, Nuclear Instrumentation & Electronics","company":{"id":19389,"name":"Valar Atomics","domain":"valaratomics.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/valar-atomics","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":83,"open_postings":15,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.667,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":44,"computed_at":"2026-10-30T05:48:23Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"head","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["Torrance, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":225000,"max":300000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":300000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":12,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"ASME NQA-1","optional":false},{"name":"NRC Licensing","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-28T02:50:47Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-28","last_verified_at":"2026-10-30T04:51:08Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":2,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":2},"description":"About Valar Atomics\nAt 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.\nThe Team \nYou 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.\nThe Role \nValar 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.\nKey Responsibilities \nBuild 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.\nDefine 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.\nOwn 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.\nOwn design of radiation monitoring instrumentation, including area, process, and effluent monitors and associated detector assemblies.\nOwn 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.\nLead 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.\nEnsure 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.\nStand 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.\nDrive design for manufacturability, test, and cost; transition designs from prototype to low-rate initial production to serial production with controlled production documentation.\nEstablish 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.\nOversee 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.\nOwn 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.\nSupport NRC and DOE regulatory interactions for instrumentation design and qualification, including technical reports, audits, and responses to requests for additional information.\nProvide field support for installed hardware, including commissioning support, failure analysis, corrective action, and reliability data collection feeding back into design and manufacturing.\nOwn organizational budget, headcount plan, and capital equipment plan for engineering, test, and manufacturing facilities.\nBasic Qualifications \nBachelor's degree in Nuclear Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Engineering Physics, or a related discipline.\n12+ years of experience in radiation detection, nuclear instrumentation, or high-reliability electronics design and manufacturing, including 5+ years leading engineering or product teams.\nDeep technical knowledge of radiation detection physics and detector design, including neutron detection, gamma discrimination, and detector behavior in high-radiation and high-temperature environments.\nHands-on background in analog and mixed-signal electronics for low-level signal measurement, including noise, grounding, shielding, and signal integrity in long cable runs.\nDemonstrated experience taking hardware products from design through qualification and into production, including DFM/DFT, production test, and yield improvement.\nExperience operating under a formal quality program in nuclear, aerospace, defense, medical device, or a comparably regulated industry.\nWorking knowledge of nuclear equipment qualification and safety system standards, including IEEE 323, IEEE 344, IEEE 603, and Reg Guide 1.180.\nProven ability to build teams from the ground up, hire and develop strong engineers, and deliver on aggressive schedules.\nThis 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.\nPreferred Skills and Experience \nMaster's or PhD in Nuclear Engineering, Physics, or Electrical Engineering with a focus on radiation detection or instrumentation.\nProfessional Engineer (PE) license or eligibility.\nDirect 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.\nExperience 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.\nExperience with FPGA-based or digital signal processing for nuclear instrumentation, including firmware V&V for safety-related applications.\nExperience with NRC or Agreement State materials licensing for special nuclear material or byproduct material.\nExperience scaling hardware manufacturing in a startup or rapid-growth environment, including standing up new production facilities.\nFamiliarity with HTGR or other advanced reactor instrumentation challenges, including high-temperature, helium-environment, and graphite-moderated core applications.\nExperience with electronics manufacturing standards (IPC-A-610, J-STD-001) and radiation-tolerant component selection.\nWhat We Offer \nCompetitive base salary \nEquity ownership in a rapidly growing advanced energy company \nComprehensive medical benefits \nUnlimited PTO\nFree daily lunch and dinner provided onsite \nGenerous PPE stipend\nHigh-impact startup environment with significant ownership and autonomy \nOpportunities for rapid career growth and internal advancement \nDirect collaboration with experienced operators, engineers, and industry leaders \nThe opportunity to help build and scale transformative energy technology from the ground up\nEqual Employment Opportunity Statement\nValar 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.\nWe are committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment and will provide reasonable accommodation as required by law.\nApplicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States as a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (green card holder).\nSalary\n$225,000—$300,000 USD","description_format":"text","description_chars":9328,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":12,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Unlimited PTO"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Nuclear Energy"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-28T05:52:50Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":60,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.602,"p_room":1,"age_days":2,"expected_fill_days":44,"reasons":["conf:0","stale_co","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-30T05:48:23Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":300000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/valar-atomics-director-nuclear-instrumentation-electronics","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/valar-atomics-director-nuclear-instrumentation-electronics.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-30T09:17:01Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":13334,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-31T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":19389},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=19389"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fvalar-atomics-director-nuclear-instrumentation-electronics"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fvalar-atomics-director-nuclear-instrumentation-electronics"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fvalar-atomics-director-nuclear-instrumentation-electronics"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/valar-atomics-director-nuclear-instrumentation-electronics\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fvalar-atomics-director-nuclear-instrumentation-electronics"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3382568}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"valaratomics.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3382568},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. Docs: https://alion.io/developers"}}