Director of ModSim

Valar Atomics • Torrance, CA

4d • $225,000 - $300,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Director of ModSim leads VALAR Atomics’ modeling, simulation, and analysis organization across CFD, FEA, thermal-hydraulics, and nuclear engineering, and is accountable for ensuring that analysis supports the design process and outputs that get built. Reporting to the CNO / VP of Engineering, the Director of ModSim owns the strategy, quality, throughput, resourcing, and budget of the group; the multiphysics integration and verification-and-validation (V&V) consistency that bind the disciplines together; and the licensing-grade defensibility of every deliverable under a nuclear quality program (i.e. NQA-1, 10 CFR 50 Appendix B, ASME V&V 10/20/30). In a dynamic, speed-driven start-up racing to deploy reactors at scale, the ModSim Director is equal parts technical authority, org-builder, systems thinker, and dot-connector, growing the team from a small core, automating the simulation-to-design workflow, and wiring ModSim into design, manufacturing, licensing, and construction so that models become steel, on schedule and to code. This is a hands-on-enough leader who is as comfortable interrogating a Flownex transient or a neutronics depletion run as standing on a fabrication floor asking why the as-built diverges from the model.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in engineering (MSc/MEng), or equivalent work experience required — Nuclear, Mechanical, Aerospace, or a closely related discipline; PhD strongly preferred.
• 15+ years in engineering simulation and analysis, with substantial multidisciplinary leadership and team / program management (a strong 10+-year track record with exceptional build-to-deployment credentials will be considered).
• Demonstrated experience taking modeling and analysis through to design, constructed and/or operating hardware – not solely paper studies.
• Depth in at least one of CFD, FEA, thermal-hydraulics or neutronics, with the breadth to direct and critically review the others.
• Experience working under a formal quality program (NQA-1, ISO 9001, 10 CFR 50 Appendix B or equivalent) and within a regulated environment (NRC, ASME, or comparable such as naval nuclear, aerospace/FAA, or DoD).
• U.S. Person status (or ability to meet U.S. nuclear export-control requirements under 10 CFR Part 810 / ITAR-EAR) and ability to obtain any required DOE/NRC access or clearance.

Nice To Haves

• Hands-on mastery of one or more of: Ansys Fluent/CFX (CFD), Ansys Mechanical (FEA), Flownex SE, RELAP5-3D, TRACE, and/or MELCOR (thermal-hydraulic systems), and neutronics tools (OpenMC, SCALE, Serpent, MCNP); ability to direct and review all four.
• Multiphysics coupling, verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification (ASME V&V 10/20/30); model configuration control and traceability.
• Systems engineering and digital engineering / digital-thread practice; workflow automation and scripting (Python, APIs, journaling) and parametric / templated modeling; HPC at scale.
• Engineering design and the design-to-build lifecycle: design-for-manufacture, tolerancing, procurement, fabrication, construction support and commissioning.
• Thermal-hydraulics and heat transfer; turbomachinery; heat exchangers; high-pressure piping (ASME B31, Section III); control and dynamics / transient plant behavior.
• Nuclear reactor design (HTGR / gas-cooled experience a major plus: helium coolant, TRISO fuel, graphite core, high-temperature materials, Brayton / supercritical-CO₂ power conversion, process-heat applications).
• Manufacturing and construction realities – what it actually takes to fabricate, weld, inspect, assemble and integrate a plant.
• Nuclear quality assurance (NQA-1, 10 CFR 50 Appendix B, ISO 9001) and software QA.
• Nuclear licensing and safety (NRC 10 CFR Part 50/52/53), ASME code application (Section III, VIII, B31), and interaction with regulators and external reviewers.
• A portfolio of successfully delivered projects — ideally analysis-led designs that were built and operated — delivered to schedule and quality.
• Leadership: recruiting and growing technical teams, mentoring, stakeholder management, and the gravitas to represent the company to regulators, partners, and investors.
• Experience under a nuclear or regulated quality program (NQA-1, ISO 9001, 10 CFR 50 Appendix B) and exposure to NRC/ASME environments.
• Track record of mentoring and leading a multidisciplinary technical systems analysis team.

Responsibilities

• Technical leadership across the four core disciplines. Set the analysis strategy, methods, and standards for CFD, FEA, thermal-hydraulics, and neutronics; own multiphysics integration, cross-discipline data-exchange conventions, configuration control, and end-to-end V&V so the coupled picture is consistent and defensible.
• Close the loop from model to build hardware. Ensure analysis directly supports design outputs, i.e., sized components, qualified structures, validated systems, and stays connected through procurement, fabrication, construction, and commissioning; drive validation and design-for-manufacture feedback so the digital model and the physical plant stay in alignment.
• Build, grow, and develop the team. Recruit, mentor and retain Stream/Discipline Leads and their analysts; scale a small start-up core into a high-performing multidisciplinary group; engage SMEs and external partners; create the culture, career paths and technical bar for the organization.
• Integrate ModSim within the wider engineering enterprise. Partner with design, systems engineering, manufacturing, licensing/safety, project management, and construction so that simulation is embedded in the design process rather than bolted on; make ModSim the trusted, single source of analytical truth across groups.
• Report to and advise executive leadership. Serve as the senior simulation interface to the CNO / VP of Engineering and executive team; translate complex analysis into clear, decision-grade guidance on risk, schedule, cost, and design choices.
• Relentlessly optimize output rate and quality. Drive throughput and rigor together via workflow automation, scripting, templated and parametric models, digital-thread / digital-engineering tooling, HPC scaling, and reusable V&V, etc., so the group delivers more, faster, without compromising nuclear-grade quality.
• Own quality, licensing-readiness, tooling, and budget. Hold accountability for the nuclear QA and V&V framework (NQA-1, 10 CFR 50 Appendix B, ASME V&V 10/20/30) and licensing-grade defensibility (NRC 10 CFR Part 50/52/53, ASME codes); manage the simulation software portfolio, HPC resources, vendor relationships and group

Benefits

• 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

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director