{"id":2122641,"url":"https://alion.io/job/valar-atomics-production-quality-engineer","title":"Production Quality Engineer","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":"A","score":85,"open_postings":12,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.583,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":50,"computed_at":"2026-10-16T05:45:00Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"middle","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":90000,"max":125000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":125000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":3,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"CAPA","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-08T20:24:45Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-08","last_verified_at":"2026-10-16T17:48:13Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":7,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":7},"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 \nAs part of the Regulations & Safetyorganization, Quality Assurance establishesthe systems and standards that ensure products and processes consistently meet the highest levels of quality and compliance. The team promotes continuous improvement and operational excellence across the company. \nThe Role \nAs Production Quality Engineer, you will provide technical quality engineering support directly to the production floor for HTGR reactor component and fuel-related manufacturing activities. This role sits within the Torrance manufacturing and fuel fabrication environment. This role serves as the technical quality authority for production processes, working alongside Production Quality Supervisors, Technicians, and Inspectors to define inspection methods, evaluate process capability, disposition nonconforming material, and drive root cause and corrective action for production quality issues. You will partner closely with Manufacturing Engineering, Design Engineering, and Operations to ensure production processes are controlled, verifiable, and capable of meeting engineering requirements at production tempo.\nThis is a hands-on floor engineering role. You will spend significant time directly on the production floor evaluating process performance, reviewing nonconformances, supporting inspection planning, and working through technical problems with operators, technicians, and manufacturing engineers in real time.\nKey Responsibilities\nDevelop and maintain inspection plans, control plans, and verification methods for production processes, ensuring alignment with engineering drawings, specifications, and process control requirements.\nServe as the technical disposition authority for production nonconformances, making timely, technically defensible use-as-is, rework, repair, or scrap decisions with appropriate engineering justification, even under schedule pressure.\nLead root cause analysis and corrective action (CAPA) for production quality issues, applying structured problem-solving methods (8D, 5-Why, fishbone, etc.) and taking ownership of issues through to closure.\nEvaluate process capability and measurement system performance, including Cp/Cpk studies, Gauge R&R, and other Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA) activities, favoring data-driven decisions over reflexive inspection or rejection.\nWork directly on the production floor alongside operators, technicians, and manufacturing engineers to solve quality problems in real time.\nPartner with Manufacturing Engineering and Design Engineering to resolve manufacturability issues, process deviations, and engineering change impacts affecting production quality.\nSupport Production Quality Supervisors and Technicians with technical guidance on inspection methods, gauge selection, sampling plans, and verification strategy.\nSupport development and technical content of Quality Plan Certification Training Syllabi for Operator Verification Certification (OVC), enabling delegated verification where appropriate.\nAnalyze production quality data and trends to identify systemic issues, recurring nonconformances, and opportunities for process improvement.\nParticipate in internal audits of production processes and support external audit and customer quality reviews as the technical subject matter expert.\nSupport qualification and verification activities as production processes transition from prototype to sustained production.\nBasic Qualifications\nBachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Materials Engineering, Quality Engineering, or related technical discipline.\n3+ years of experience in quality engineering, manufacturing engineering, or process engineering within a production environment.\nAbility to interpret engineering drawings, GD&T, specifications, and process control documentation.\nWorking knowledge of statistical process control (SPC), process capability analysis (Cp/Cpk), and Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA/Gauge R&R).\nExperience with nonconformance and CAPA systems and root cause investigation methodologies.\nStrong communication skills across engineering, manufacturing, and quality functions, with the ability to translate technical findings into practical action.\nComfortable working within active manufacturing environments including exposure to industrial noise, fabrication-related fumes, and changing operational conditions while following all safety protocols.\nPreferred Skills and Experience\nExperience supporting nuclear, aerospace, defense, semiconductor, or similarly regulated manufacturing environments.\nFamiliarity with NQA-1, ASME, AS9100, IATF 16949, or similar quality management standards.\nExperience with APQP/PPAP, PFMEA, and process control plan development.\nLean Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, or equivalent process improvement certification.\nExperience using statistical analysis tools (Minitab, JMP, or similar) for process and data analysis.\nExperience supporting or implementing Operator Verification Certification (OVC) or similar delegated-verification programs\nExperience transitioning manufacturing processes from prototype/R&D to sustained production.\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$90,000—$125,000 USD","description_format":"text","description_chars":6930,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":3,"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":"2026-10-09T00:11:21Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":60,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.602,"p_room":1,"age_days":7,"expected_fill_days":50,"reasons":["conf:1","stale_co","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-10-16T05:45:00Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":125000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/valar-atomics-production-quality-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/valar-atomics-production-quality-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-16T18:16:05Z","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":3182,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-17T00:00:00Z"}},"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-production-quality-engineer"},{"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-production-quality-engineer"},{"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-production-quality-engineer"},{"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-production-quality-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fvalar-atomics-production-quality-engineer"}]}