Director Instrumentation, Control, and Electrical – Reactor
Torrance, CA On-site
$225,000–$300,000 a yearJobFig found this opening at its original source and checks that it remains available.
About the role
Valar Atomics is developing High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactors (HTGR) from first principles spanning early R&D through licensing, construction, and commissioning. The Director of IC&E is a critical technical and organizational leader who will own the full instrumentation, control, and electrical architecture for the reactor plant. This role sits at the intersection of deep engineering and program leadership: you will build and lead the IC&E team while remaining a hands-on technical authority shaping design decisions, safety system philosophy, and regulatory strategy. We expect most candidates to come from oil & gas, power generation, or advanced industrial sectors. Nuclear experience is valued but not required; what matters is your ability to apply rigorous engineering discipline to first-of-a-kind systems and grow into the nuclear regulatory environment with us.
What you'll bring
- 15+ years of engineering experience in instrumentation, control systems, and/or electrical design for complex, safety-critical industrial facilities (oil & gas, power generation, chemical processing, or similar)
- Demonstrated experience leading IC&E or I&C engineering teams on major capital projects
- Deep expertise in process control architectures, safety instrumented systems (SIS), and plant protection logic
- Familiarity with functional safety standards (IEC 61511, IEC 61513, or equivalent)
- Experience engaging with regulators, certifying authorities, or third-party verification bodies
- Proven ability to work across design, procurement, and construction phases of a major project
- Nuclear industry experience (commercial, defense, or national laboratory), particularly I&C or electrical systems for reactor plants
- Knowledge of DOE or NRC licensing processes
- Experience with IEEE nuclear I&C standards (603, 7-4.3.2, 338, etc.)
- Familiarity with neutron instrumentation channels (wide range, source range)
- Experience with first-of-a-kind or novel reactor designs (SMR, HTGR, advanced reactor)
- PE license (Instrumentation, Control, or Electrical)