Senior Instrumentation & Controls Engineer - Hardware

Valar Atomics • Orangeville, UT

4d

About The Position

Valar Atomics is seeking an I&C Hardware Engineer to specify, design, install, commission, and maintain instrumentation and control hardware for nuclear fuel manufacturing facilities. The role covers field instruments and final elements, control panel and I/O architecture, hazardous area classification, safety instrumented system hardware, field wiring and network infrastructure, calibration, loop commissioning, and control loop tuning. The work supports capital projects and ongoing plant operations.

The position is part of the I&C and Controls Engineering team within the Fuel Manufacturing group. It collaborates with I&C Software, process, electrical, mechanical, and nuclear safety engineers in a hands-on, safety-first environment. The role combines technical design and documentation with commissioning, troubleshooting, contractor coordination, and support for reliable plant operations and nuclear safety.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Electronic, Mechanical, Chemical, or Systems Engineering, or a related discipline.
• At least 5 years of instrumentation or I&C engineering experience in process industries.
• Hands-on experience specifying and sizing field instruments and control valves, and producing instrument data sheets.
• Experience developing instrumentation deliverables, including loop diagrams, hook-up drawings, I/O lists, and cable schedules.
• Working knowledge of hazardous area classification (NEC Article 500/505 or IEC 60079) and intrinsic safety principles.
• Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, electrical schematics, loop diagrams, and instrument data sheets.
• Experience with instrument calibration, loop checking, and field commissioning.
• Experience commissioning instrumentation and tuning regulatory control loops.
• Working knowledge of control panel design, I/O architecture, and field wiring practices, including grounding, shielding, and signal segregation.
• Working knowledge of field signal types and device protocols, including 4-20 mA/HART, Foundation Fieldbus, PROFIBUS PA, and Modbus RTU.
• Familiarity with safety instrumented system hardware and IEC 61511 lifecycle concepts.

Nice To Haves

• ISA Certified Automation Professional (CAP), Certified Control Systems Technician (CCST), or equivalent credentials.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license or eligibility.
• Experience with SIL verification calculations and IEC 61511 lifecycle documentation.
• Experience with control valve and flow element sizing software (Emerson, Fisher, Flowserve, Samson, or equivalent).
• Experience with instrument asset management systems (Emerson AMS, Siemens PDM, Honeywell FDM, or equivalent) and HART or Foundation Fieldbus device configuration.
• Experience with analytical instrumentation such as gas analysers, mass spectrometry, moisture analysers, pH, and conductivity measurement.
• Experience with radiation monitoring instrumentation, criticality monitoring, or nuclear-qualified instrumentation.
• Experience selecting instrumentation for corrosive, high-purity, high-temperature, or molten salt service, including wetted-parts material compatibility.
• Experience with instrument installation in cleanroom, glovebox, or contamination-controlled environments.
• Familiarity with GAMP 5, 21 CFR Part 11, or nuclear quality requirements (NQA-1, 10 CFR 50 Appendix B) as applied to instrumentation and calibration records.
• Experience with electrical and instrumentation CAD tools (AutoCAD Electrical, SmartPlant Instrumentation / INtools, AVEVA, or equivalent).
• Familiarity with IEC 62443 or NIST SP 800-82 as applied to physical OT network infrastructure supporting network segmentation.

Responsibilities

• Select, size, and specify field instrumentation, including flow, pressure, differential pressure, temperature, level, and analytical devices; prepare instrument data sheets, specifications, and requisitions.
• Size and specify final control elements, including control valves, actuators, positioners, regulators, on-off valves, and flow elements; perform valve sizing, noise and cavitation checks, and actuator thrust verification.
• Design control panels and remote I/O architecture, including enclosure layout and rating, I/O allocation, terminals and marshalling, power distribution, UPS sizing, isolators, and intrinsic safety barriers.
• Perform hazardous area classification and select equipment for classified areas in accordance with NEC Article 500/505 or IEC 60079; prepare intrinsic safety loop calculations and verify entity parameters.
• Develop and maintain instrumentation documentation, including instrument indexes, loop diagrams, hook-up drawings, I/O lists, instrument location plans, cable schedules, and P&ID instrumentation mark-ups.
• Support safety instrumented system hardware, including SIL determination input, sensor and final element selection, redundancy and voting architecture, proof test intervals and procedures, and SIL verification calculations under IEC 61511 and IEC 61508.
• Tune PID and advanced regulatory control loops; commission field instrumentation; diagnose and resolve loop deviations, valve response problems, and measurement quality issues.
• Establish and execute the instrument calibration program, including procedures, ranges, tolerances, traceability to NIST-referenced standards, records, and recall scheduling.
• Specify and oversee installation of field wiring and physical OT network infrastructure, including cable schedules, tray and conduit routing, media selection, signal and power segregation, grounding and shielding, and field switch and cabinet placement.
• Prepare and execute hardware FAT, SAT, and commissioning plans; perform continuity checks, loop checks, calibration verification, and end-to-end interlock testing; produce turnover and as-built documentation.
• Diagnose and resolve field faults, including I/O channel failures, transmitter drift, positioner and actuator faults, and wiring, grounding, or noise-induced signal problems; conduct root cause analysis and document corrective actions.
• Support instrument reliability engineering, including criticality and spares analysis, failure rate data collection, preventive and predictive maintenance strategy, and obsolescence planning.
• Coordinate with process, mechanical, and piping engineers on instrument installation details, including process connections, tapping point location, impulse lines, manifolds, heat tracing, and wetted-part material compatibility.
• Coordinate with I&C Software Engineers on I/O assignment, tag naming, signal scaling, loop commissioning, and control tuning parameter changes to keep field hardware and control logic consistent.
• Provide technical direction to contractors, vendors, and installation crews on I&C hardware scope; review and redline vendor packages and installation deliverables for compliance with project standards and nuclear quality requirements.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary
• Equity ownership in a rapidly growing advanced energy company
• Comprehensive medical benefits
• Unlimited PTO
• Free daily lunch
• 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

What This Job Offers

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