Lead OT Engineer - Reactor

Valar Atomics • Torrance, CA

1d

About The Position

Valar Atomics is hiring a Lead OT Engineer to own the reactor program’s daily operational technology work plan, team workload, and delivery commitments. The role keeps installation, testing, maintenance, and handoffs moving as site readiness and program priorities change. It includes people-management and decision authority developed through explicit delegation; technical expertise and hands-on engineering execution are preferred but not required.

OT Engineering delivers power and rack infrastructure, compute, networks, identity, security, operational data, and industrial software platforms. The FactoryTalk scope covers backend deployment, configuration, integration, and recovery. The role requires disciplined planning, accurate documentation, calm direction when conditions change, and ownership of work through verified completion and handoff.

Valar Atomics is a startup focused on scalable, high-temperature nuclear power. Its first pilot plant is in Orangeville, Utah, and the company reports designing, building, commissioning, and operating a DOE-authorized research reactor outside the national laboratory system before its third anniversary. Safe operation, disciplined testing, and regulatory rigor are emphasized.

Requirements

• Direct people-management or supervisory experience, including assigning work, setting expectations, coaching, providing feedback, and accountability for completion.
• Experience coordinating concurrent technical or operational work involving specialists, vendors, resources, schedules, and dependencies.
• Ability to maintain clear priorities, realistic work plans, accurate status and issue records, and dependable follow-through under pressure.
• Experience removing delivery obstacles, escalating consequential issues, and coordinating handoffs against engineers’ requirements and acceptance decisions within delegated authority.
• Highly organized, with disciplined task tracking, accurate documentation, clear priorities, and reliable follow-through.
• Ability to provide calm direction and make timely decisions or escalations when site conditions or priorities change.
• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States as a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (green card holder).

Nice To Haves

• Experience leading installation, commissioning, maintenance, or test-facility work.
• Experience coordinating work across engineering, construction, operations, and vendors.
• Familiarity with OT infrastructure, controlled work processes, or facility testing.
• Technical specialization; hands-on engineering execution is not required.

Responsibilities

• Plan and prioritize reactor OT work against site access, installation readiness, test prerequisites, available resources, and agreed commitments.
• Assign work, set clear expectations, coach team members, provide candid feedback, and address missed commitments within delegated authority.
• Maintain a current view of site work, vendor activities, dependencies, and unresolved issues; revise plans when conditions change.
• Coordinate installation, testing, maintenance, and turnover with engineers and site stakeholders.
• Maintain as-built structured cabling drawings for site and reactor network systems.
• Remove obstacles, resolve competing demands on the team, and escalate constraints before they threaten committed work.
• Obtain required engineering and acceptance decisions, then follow agreed work through verified completion and accurate handoff records.
• Coordinate site work and handoffs against installation readiness, approved test prerequisites, and engineering acceptance decisions.

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

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed