Principal Automation and Controls Engineer

Valar Atomics • Torrance, CA

1d

About The Position

Valar Atomics is seeking a Principal Automation and Controls Engineer to own the technical direction of controls software across its reactor program and nuclear fuel manufacturing facilities. The position is part of the Automation and Controls team within the Instrumentation, Control & Electrical organization and spans PLC and DCS applications, SCADA and HMI, batch control, alarm management, safety logic, historians and plant data, and enterprise integration. The role focuses on architecture, strategy, and design authority rather than routine application development.

As the discipline's most senior technical voice, the Principal Engineer defines control system and plant data architecture and the technology roadmap, holds final technical approval authority within the discipline, directs resolution of high-consequence and novel control problems, and represents the discipline in licensing, cybersecurity, and strategic vendor engagements. The role also establishes technical standards, strengthens engineering capability, mentors staff and senior engineers, and advises IC&E leadership on technical risk, resourcing, and program sequencing. Work is performed in a safety-first environment emphasizing operator-focused design, data integrity, disciplined documentation, and nuclear quality requirements.

Valar Atomics is developing clean, high-temperature nuclear power intended for industrial applications, hydrogen, and next-generation manufacturing. Its first pilot plant in Orangeville, Utah, is intended to demonstrate advanced nuclear systems and fuel fabrication.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Electronic, Computer, or Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline.
• At least 10 years of controls software, PLC/DCS, or SCADA engineering experience in process industries.
• End-to-end ownership of controls software scope across multiple major capital projects, including at least one project taken from functional specification through commissioning, startup, and initial operations.
• Architecture-level technical leadership defining control system architecture, platform strategy, or software standards and practices adopted across an organization or program.
• Recognized technical authority in at least one discipline area, evidenced by design authority roles, published work, standards participation, or a verifiable reputation as a final technical reference.
• Deep hands-on command of PLC/DCS application architecture across IEC 61131-3 languages, SCADA and HMI systems, ISA-88 batch, ISA-18.2 alarm management, historians and data modelling, enterprise integration, and software configuration management.
• Substantial safety application software experience under IEC 61511, including formal validation regimes and approval or independent-review authority over safety logic.
• Working command of OT cybersecurity architecture under IEC 62443 or NIST SP 800-82, sufficient to own control system security strategy and defend it to assessors.
• Experience directing and developing other engineers, including senior-level engineers, and reviewing and approving their work as a formal checker or design authority.
• Experience representing an engineering discipline to external parties, regulators, assessors, certification bodies, major platform vendors, or client design authorities.
• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States as a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.

Nice To Haves

• Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• ISA Certified Automation Professional (CAP), platform certifications, or equivalent credentials.
• Nuclear digital I&C experience, including software qualification under NQA-1 or 10 CFR 50 Appendix B, digital I&C safety case content, or familiarity with IEC 61513, IEC 60880, or IEEE 7-4.3.2.
• Experience defining control system architecture for first-of-a-kind or prototype plants without established precedent.
• Experience leading or defending cybersecurity assessments of industrial control systems.
• Experience with virtualized or containerized control system infrastructure at an architecture and lifecycle-strategy level.
• Participation in industry standards committees or working groups such as ISA, IEEE, or IEC.
• Experience with GAMP 5 or 21 CFR Part 11 regulated software validation environments.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the control system architecture and technology roadmap across reactor and fuel manufacturing facilities, including PLC/DCS, SCADA, SIS, HMI, controller and server segregation, and plant data architecture.
• Author and own discipline philosophy and basis documents covering control system architecture, alarms, HMI, batch architecture, software validation and testing, configuration management, and change control.
• Direct control strategy development for first-of-a-kind plant problems, including trade studies, platform evaluations, prototyping, and validation strategies.
• Own the discipline standards program, set priorities for coding standards, templates, display and alarm standards, and testing practices, delegate authorship, approve standards, and drive convergence across projects and sites.
• Evaluate emerging controls and data technologies and decide what to adopt, pilot, or exclude, balancing innovation, nuclear quality, and long-term supportability.
• Serve as the discipline design authority with final technical approval for architecture decisions, safety-significant applications, standards deviations, and concessions; adjudicate technical disputes and represent the discipline in program-level conflicts.
• Own the technical integrity of safety application software across the fleet under IEC 61511, including development and validation regimes, independence and review requirements, and approval of safety-significant software changes.
• Own software quality governance, including assurance for in-house, contractor, and integrator code; audit and surveillance approaches; and acceptance criteria for applications entering operation.
• Lead the discipline's engagement in major program reviews, including design reviews, safety case and licensing reviews, cybersecurity assessments, and software readiness reviews for commissioning and startup.
• Direct root cause investigations into significant software-related events and approve corrective action strategies, ensuring findings inform architecture, standards, and training.
• Personally execute or lead engineering for problems warranting the discipline's most senior technical expertise.
• Support nuclear licensing as the senior controls software representative, contribute to and defend digital I&C and software safety-case content, and support regulatory interactions and audits.
• Represent Valar Atomics to controls platform vendors and system integrators; own long-term technical relationships, roadmap influence, qualification expectations, and escalation of systemic vendor quality issues.
• Represent the company in relevant industry and standards forums and incorporate emerging digital I&C, cybersecurity, and standards developments into company strategy.
• Build the discipline's engineering capability by defining technical competencies, shaping role definitions and the technical career ladder with the Director, setting hiring standards, and leading technical interviews for senior positions.
• Mentor staff and senior engineers toward independent technical authority, delegating ownership with appropriate oversight.
• Advise IC&E leadership on technical risk, resourcing, and program sequencing, and provide independent judgment when schedule or cost pressures intersect with software quality and safety.
• Maintain disciplined engineering records consistent with nuclear quality requirements, including traceability of design decisions, software changes, and test results.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary
• Equity ownership
• 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: Principal