{"id":2406809,"url":"https://alion.io/job/valar-atomics-senior-mechanical-engineer-2","title":"Senior Mechanical 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":88,"open_postings":12,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.5,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":55,"computed_at":"2026-10-15T05:46:00Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"senior","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":140000,"max":180000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":180000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"SolidWorks","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-12T21:47:45Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-12","last_verified_at":"2026-10-15T06:38:46Z","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 \nAs part of the Engineering organization, Mechanical Engineering designs and develops the mechanical systems, components, and equipment that power Valar's advanced nuclear technologies. The team ensures designs are robust, manufacturable, and optimized for long-term performance. \nThe Role\nWe're seeking a highly skilled Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to join our engineering team and accelerate the frontier of advanced power generation. In this role, you'll be responsible for designing, developing, and validating mechanical systems and components that meet performance, manufacturability, and cost requirements. You'll work closely with cross-functional teams to bring innovative products from concept to production, and serve as a technical leader and mentor for less experienced engineers.\nKey Responsibilities\nLead mechanical design efforts for major subsystems, ensuring alignment between performance targets, manufacturability, and cost.\nMentor junior engineers and review mechanical designs to ensure consistency with company standards and engineering rigor.\nDevelop detailed 3D CAD models, assemblies, and engineering drawings (SolidWorks, Creo, or NX), applying advanced GD&T and tolerance analysis.\nPerform structural, thermal, or fluid analyses (FEA and CFD) to validate system performance and reliability.\nOversee prototype fabrication, assembly, and testing, and interpret results to refine designs and improve system performance.\nPartner with electrical, manufacturing, and systems engineers to drive integration and design optimization.\nWork closely with vendors to manage DFM feedback, manufacturing process selection, and quality control.\nContribute to internal best practices for mechanical design, documentation, and configuration management.\nYou Will Be Successful in This Role If\nYou take true ownership of major subsystems, balancing performance, manufacturability, and cost in every design decision.\nYou bring strong technical judgment to design trade-offs and know when to dig deeper versus when to keep moving.\nYou apply analysis (FEA, CFD, hand calculations) appropriately, treating it as a tool for design decisions rather than a deliverable.\nYou partner effectively with manufacturing and supplier teams, designing for what can actually be built and inspected.\nYou mentor and develop other engineers, raising the technical capability of the team over time.\nYou communicate and document clearly, leaving designs and design intent that other engineers can build on.\nYou approach problems with a root-cause mindset, treating failures as opportunities to understand the system better.\nBasic Qualifications\nBachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field.\n5+ years of experience in mechanical design and product development.\nProven track record of designing and delivering production-ready hardware.\nExpertise in CAD (SolidWorks, Creo, NX, or similar) and mechanical drafting standards.\nStrong knowledge of materials, manufacturing processes, and mechanical systems.\nExperience performing or overseeing FEA and CFD analyses.\nExcellent communication, technical documentation, and leadership skills.\nPreferred Skills and Experience\nMaster's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field.\nExperience in high-performance or safety-critical systems (aerospace, energy, or defense).\nDeep understanding of DFM/DFA and reliability engineering.\nFamiliarity with PLM/PDM tools and design control processes.\nHands-on prototyping, testing, and validation experience.\nStrong analytical mindset with the ability to lead root cause investigations.\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$140,000—$180,000 USD","description_format":"text","description_chars":5365,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"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":"2026-10-13T01:07:02Z"}],"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":55,"reasons":["conf:3","stale_co","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-10-15T05:46:00Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":180000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/valar-atomics-senior-mechanical-engineer-2","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/valar-atomics-senior-mechanical-engineer-2.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-15T07:57:38Z","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":12077,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-16T00:00:00Z"}},"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-senior-mechanical-engineer-2"},{"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-senior-mechanical-engineer-2"},{"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-senior-mechanical-engineer-2"},{"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-senior-mechanical-engineer-2\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fvalar-atomics-senior-mechanical-engineer-2"}]}