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 Role Valar Atomics is developing High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactors (HTGR) from first principles spanning early R&D through licensing, construction, and commissioning.

The Director of IC&E is a critical technical and organizational leader who will own the full instrumentation, control, and electrical architecture for the reactor plant. This role sits at the intersection of deep engineering and program leadership: you will build and lead the IC&E team while remaining a hands-on technical authority shaping design decisions, safety system philosophy, and regulatory strategy. We expect most candidates to come from oil & gas, power generation, or advanced industrial sectors.

Nuclear experience is valued but not required; what matters is your ability to apply rigorous engineering discipline to first-of-a-kind systems and grow into the nuclear regulatory environment with us.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership Own the IC&E design basis for the HTGR, including I&C architecture, safety system logic, plant control systems (PCS), reactor protection systems (RPS), and electrical power distribution Develop and maintain the IC&E design philosophy, functional

Requirements

, and interface control documents (ICDs) across reactor systems Define instrumentation

for high-temperature, helium-cooled environments including sensor selection, qualification, and placement strategy Lead development of the control room concept, human factors engineering (HFE) approach, and operator interface design Establish electrical systems design: normal and emergency power, and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) Licensing & Regulatory Serve as IC&E technical lead in DOE & NRC engagement Support development of the Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (PSAR) / Safety Analysis Report (SAR) chapters pertaining to I&C and electrical systems Ensure IC&E designs comply with applicable standards Program & Team Leadership Build, lead, and mentor the IC&E engineering team while hiring, developing, and retaining top talent Define team structure, staffing plans, and competency

as the program scales across phases Manage IC&E scope, schedule, and budget within the broader reactor development program Select and manage IC&E vendors, subcontractors, and system integrators; define qualification and acceptance

Partner cross-functionally with reactor physics, mechanical, structural, nuclear safety, and systems engineering teams Phase Continuity Carry IC&E responsibility across all program phases: conceptual design → detailed design → NRC licensing → procurement → construction support → commissioning and startup testing You Will Be Successful in This Role If You enjoy solving first-of-a-kind engineering challenges where there is no existing playbook You communicate effectively with executives, regulators, customers, and engineering teams, translating complex technical concepts into clear decisions. You thrive in fast-moving environments where priorities evolve, but safety and engineering quality remain uncompromising.

Qualifications

15+ years of engineering experience in instrumentation, control systems, and/or electrical design for complex, safety-critical industrial facilities (oil & gas, power generation, chemical processing, or similar) Demonstrated experience leading IC&E or I&C engineering teams on major

Director Instrumentation, Control, and Electrical – Reactor