Senior Supplier Quality Manager
About The Position
Valar Atomics is redefining energy with a mission to make clean, high-temperature nuclear power scalable. We are a team of builders, engineers, and operators focused on factory-made, real-world nuclear systems. Our first pilot plant in Orangeville, Utah will demonstrate advanced nuclear systems and fuel fabrication. Joining Valar Atomics offers autonomy, ownership, and impact. The Quality Assurance team, within Regulations & Safety, establishes systems and standards for product and process quality and compliance, promoting continuous improvement and operational excellence. As Senior Supplier Quality Manager, you will build and lead the Supplier Quality organization. This team will ensure Valar's external supply base meets engineering, quality, and regulatory requirements as the company scales. This role reports to the Head of Quality with a dotted-line to Procurement, maintaining operational integration and oversight independence. Valar is vertically integrated, but the supply base is critical, covering raw materials, components, services, and subcontractors. The role involves building supplier capability, preventing escapes, and applying a risk-informed approach. You will lead Supplier Quality Engineers, Auditors, Procurement Engineers, and Receiving Inspectors, overseeing supplier qualification, development, auditing, inspection strategy, and Procurement Engineering. You will collaborate with Procurement, Engineering, and Operations Quality to ensure requirements are clearly communicated, executed, and verified. This is a founding leadership position where you will operate hands-on while architecting scalable supplier quality systems for commercial deployment.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Quality Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- 10+ years of experience in supplier quality, quality engineering, or manufacturing quality within regulated technical industries such as nuclear, aerospace, defense, power generation, semiconductor, or medical devices.
- 5+ years of experience leading supplier quality teams, audit programs, or supplier development activities.
- Demonstrated experience qualifying, auditing, and developing suppliers, including fabrication, machining, and special process suppliers (e.g., welding, NDE, heat treatment, coatings).
- Strong working knowledge of purchase order quality flow-downs, supplier corrective action (SCAR) processes, nonconformance systems, and root cause analysis methodologies.
- Ability to interpret engineering drawings, GD&T, specifications, and technical procurement requirements.
- Willingness and ability to travel to supplier facilities and Valar sites, up to 50% at times, including extended stays during key build phases.
Nice To Haves
- Direct experience with nuclear quality assurance programs and risk informed quality systems, including 10 CFR 50 Appendix B, 10 CFR Part 21, and ASME code procurement.
- Hands-on experience establishing or leading a Procurement Engineering function, including definition of technical procurement requirements, critical characteristics, and acceptance methods for procured items.
- Certified Lead Auditor (ISO 9001, AS9100, or equivalent) with experience leading supplier and third-party audits.
- Familiarity with NADCAP special process accreditation, source inspection programs, and construction subcontractor quality oversight.
- Experience with APQP/PPAP, first article inspection (AS9102 or equivalent), PFD, PFMEA, and process control plan review for supplier processes.
- Experience building supplier quality organizations, systems, and Approved Supplier List governance within scaling or startup environments.
- Familiarity with supplier performance analytics, scorecard systems, and data-driven supplier risk management.
Responsibilities
- Build, lead, and develop the Supplier Quality organization, including Supplier Quality Engineers, Supplier Auditors, Procurement Engineers, and Receiving Inspectors.
- Own the supplier qualification and approval process, including capability assessments, quality system evaluations, special process qualification, and maintenance of the Approved Supplier List.
- Develop and execute a risk-based supplier audit program covering quality system audits, process audits, and source surveillance across fabrication, special process, and construction subcontractor suppliers.
- Support and mentor the Procurement Engineering function, ensuring technical procurement requirements, critical characteristics, and acceptance and verification methods for procured items are clearly defined and technically defensible.
- Define and continuously improve source inspection and receiving inspection strategy, applying graded rigor based on safety significance, complexity, and supplier performance.
- Ensure engineering, quality, and regulatory requirements are accurately flowed down through purchase orders, specifications, and supplier quality clauses in partnership with Procurement and Engineering.
- Lead resolution of supplier nonconformances and supplier corrective actions (SCARs), driving root cause analysis, corrective action verification, and prevention of recurrence.
- Establish supplier performance monitoring, including scorecards, escape tracking, on-time quality metrics, and structured supplier development plans for critical or underperforming suppliers.
- Support make/buy decisions, new supplier selection, and early supplier involvement to ensure manufacturability, inspectability, and quality requirements are addressed before hardware is committed.
- Serve as a credible technical interface with suppliers, regulators, auditors, and customers on supplier quality matters, and support internal and external audits of the supplier quality program.
- Help define and institutionalize scalable supplier quality systems, procedures, and training aligned with Valar's graded, risk-informed quality framework.
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
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
