Senior Electrical Designer

Valar Atomics•Torrance, CA

4d•$144,000 - $176,000

About The Position

Valar Atomics is seeking a Senior Electrical Designer to develop electrical and instrumentation design deliverables across the Reactor, Nuclear Fuel, Power Conversion, and Power Distribution areas. The work supports programs from early design and licensing through construction, commissioning, and ongoing operations, including power distribution and control system drawings, cable and raceway design, control panel layouts, grounding and lightning protection, hazardous area drawings, and instrument installation details. The senior designer owns drawing packages end-to-end, from development through checking, issue, and as-built incorporation. The role also provides checking, mentoring, and technical direction to junior designers and drafting contractors. The designer works with electrical, I&C hardware and software, process, mechanical, and nuclear safety engineers in a hands-on, safety-first environment where drawing quality and installation integrity support plant reliability and nuclear safety. The position is part of Valar Atomics' Instrumentation, Control & Electrical organization. The company describes its mission as making clean, high-temperature nuclear power scalable, and its first pilot plant is planned for Orangeville, Utah.

Requirements

Associate degree or technical diploma in electrical design, drafting, or engineering technology, or equivalent practical experience.
At least 5 years of electrical or I&C design experience in power generation, process industries, or industrial facilities.
Proficiency with EPLAN (Electric P8 or equivalent) and/or AVEVA Electrical, with willingness to work in both, including producing complete, checked, issue-ready drawing packages and database-driven deliverables such as cable schedules and load lists.
Hands-on experience producing one-line diagrams, schematics, wiring diagrams, cable schedules, and raceway layouts.
Working knowledge of the NEC (NFPA 70) as applied to design deliverables, including wiring methods, conduit fill, cable derating, and grounding requirements.
Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, electrical schematics, loop diagrams, and instrument data sheets.
Familiarity with hazardous area classification drawings and wiring methods for classified areas (NEC Article 500/505 or IEC 60079).
Experience performing field walkdowns, capturing redlines, and producing as-built documentation.
Working knowledge of control panel layout, terminal arrangement, and field wiring practice, including grounding, shielding, and signal segregation.
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

Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline.
Proficiency in both EPLAN and AVEVA Electrical.
Experience with AutoCAD/AutoCAD Electrical, SmartPlant Electrical/Instrumentation (INtools), or Bentley platforms.
Experience with 3D plant design tools (AVEVA E3D, AutoCAD Plant 3D, SmartPlant 3D, or Revit), including clash detection and model-based drawing extraction.
ADDA Certified Drafter, NICET certification, or equivalent credentials.
Experience designing UL 508A listed industrial control panels.
Experience with medium-voltage distribution design (4.16 kV and above), generator connections, and utility interconnection drawings.
Experience with cable separation and raceway design per IEEE 384 or equivalent nuclear separation criteria.
Familiarity with nuclear quality requirements (NQA-1, 10 CFR 50 Appendix B) as applied to design documents, drawing control, and design change traceability.
Experience with electrical installation design in nuclear, cleanroom, glovebox, or contamination-controlled environments.
Familiarity with IEC 62443 or NIST SP 800-82 as applied to the physical OT network layer, including cabinet, switch, and cabling infrastructure supporting network segmentation.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain electrical design deliverables, including single-line and three-line diagrams, schematics, wiring and interconnection diagrams, panel schedules, load lists, and motor elementary diagrams across the plant scopes.
Design power distribution layouts for switchgear, MCCs, panelboards, transformers, UPS and DC systems, receptacle and lighting circuits, and equipment power feeds, using load, voltage-drop, and short-circuit data provided by electrical engineers.
Perform cable and raceway design, including cable schedules, cable sizing and voltage-drop checks, tray and conduit routing, fill and derating calculations, and signal/power segregation, including safety-related and non-safety circuit separation.
Produce control panel and enclosure design drawings, including internal layouts, wiring diagrams, terminal and marshalling arrangements, nameplate schedules, and bills of material consistent with UL 508A practice.
Develop grounding, bonding, and lightning protection layouts, including grounding grids, equipment bonding, instrument and shield grounding, and equipotential plane details.
Prepare hazardous area classification drawings and ensure equipment layouts and wiring methods in classified areas comply with NEC Article 500/505 or IEC 60079.
Develop instrumentation installation deliverables, including hook-up drawings, instrument location plans, loop diagram drafting, junction box layouts, and cable block diagrams in coordination with I&C hardware engineers.
Apply and enforce CAD standards, drawing templates, title blocks, symbol libraries, layer conventions, and file organization for assigned scope and contractor-produced drawings, and contribute improvements to discipline standards.
Generate bills of material and material take-offs for cable, raceway, panels, and installation hardware; support requisitions and procurement technical evaluations.
Perform field walkdowns to verify routing, constructability, and existing conditions; capture redlines and produce as-built drawings and turnover documentation.
Review and redline vendor drawing packages, contractor shop drawings, and installation deliverables for compliance with project standards and nuclear quality requirements.
Coordinate drawing content with piping, structural, mechanical, and HVAC designers to resolve routing conflicts, clearances, and access requirements, including work within 2D and 3D plant models.
Support construction and commissioning teams with drawing clarifications, RFI responses, field change documentation, and punch list resolution.
Maintain drawing revision control and document management practices consistent with nuclear quality requirements, ensuring traceability from design change through as-built incorporation.
Provide checking, mentoring, and technical direction to junior designers and drafting contractors on electrical and I&C design scope.

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
Opportunity to help build and scale transformative energy technology from the ground up