Senior Quality Engineer

<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]"><strong>About Valar Atomics</strong></p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">At Valar Atomics, we're redefining what's possible in energy. Our mission is to make clean, high-temperature nuclear power scalable—unlocking abundant energy for industry, hydrogen, and next-generation manufacturing. We are a team of builders, engineers, and operators who believe nuclear energy should be fast to deploy, factory-made, and built for the real world. Our first pilot plant in Orangeville, Utah will demonstrate how advanced nuclear systems and fuel fabrication can power the future. Joining Valar Atomics means becoming part of a company where autonomy, ownership, and impact exist at every level.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]"><strong>The Role</strong></p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">Valar Atomics is building something that has not existed before: a path to scale nuclear energy for heavy industrial power and clean hydrocarbon fuel production, at speed, with credibility, and with purpose. This role exists to ensure that quality enables that mission rather than constrains it, while preserving the safety, rigor, and trust that nuclear technology demands.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">This is not a traditional quality role. It is a founding leadership position for someone who will operate as the Quality Lead's right hand—executing tactically today while architecting the Quality organization and systems of tomorrow's highly vertically integrated enterprise—and converting to a people leader when the time is right. Valar Atomics operates in a fast-moving R&amp;D environment with rapidly evolving designs and ambitious schedules. Our Quality program is designed to be fit-for-purpose and risk-informed, ensuring appropriate rigor and compliance while enabling rapid learning and iteration as the technology advances. In the first 6–12 months, you'll independently own and close critical quality problems, become a sought-out partner to engineering teams, put early-stage quality controls in place that regulators, customers, and leadership can trust, define a clear roadmap from today's pragmatic controls to a future world-class Quality Management System, and begin shaping the structure, tooling, and cultural norms of the future Quality organization.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]"><strong>Key Responsibilities</strong></p> <ul class="[li_&amp;]:mb-0 [li_&amp;]:mt-1 [li_&amp;]:gap-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3"> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Act as a solutions owner for quality-related challenges across R&amp;D and early commercial activities, embedding directly with teams to understand real constraints and enable compliant execution at speed.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Develop creative, defensible approaches to demonstrating compliance without unnecessary drag.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Co-architect Valar's Quality Management System from the ground up, defining near-term quality fundamentals and a roadmap for scaling rigor as Valar transitions from R&amp;D to commercial execution.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Build prevention-focused systems that scale cleanly rather than inspection-heavy controls that calcify.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Apply nuclear quality assurance principles with judgment, distinguishing between regulatory intent and historical habit.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Serve as a credible technical interface with regulators, auditors, and external stakeholders.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Leverage modern tools, data, automation, and AI responsibly to increase speed and rigor simultaneously, treating quality as an information system as much as a compliance system.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Operate as a servant leader, anchoring every decision in Valar's mission, investing in the team, and ensuring quality serves as an enabler of safe execution.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Mentor others and help lay the foundation for a future Quality organization as Valar scales.</li> </ul> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]"><strong>You Will Be Successful in This Role If</strong></p> <ul class="[li_&amp;]:mb-0 [li_&amp;]:mt-1 [li_&amp;]:gap-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3"> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">You operate effectively in ambiguity and make defensible, context-aware decisions grounded in safety, technical rigor, and regulatory intent.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">You build credibility with engineers, operators, and leadership, becoming a partner rather than a gatekeeper.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">You think in systems, anticipating second- and third-order effects rather than optimizing locally.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">You distinguish regulatory intent from historical habit and apply nuclear quality assurance principles with judgment, not reflex.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">You earn trust across disciplines through transparency, competence, and follow-through.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">You're comfortable leading without authority and accepting authority later without ego.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">You use modern tools, including AI, to compress cycle time without sacrificing rigor, and you believe technology should augment human judgment rather than replace accountability.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">You're deeply aligned with Valar's mission and make decisions through the lens of long-term impact rather than local optimization.</li> </ul> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]"><strong>Basic Qualifications</strong></p> <ul class="[li_&amp;]:mb-0 [li_&amp;]:mt-1 [li_&amp;]:gap-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3"> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Prior experience in nuclear quality assurance (R&amp;D, commercial, or both) sufficient to innovate responsibly.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Broad quality engineering background spanning design, manufacturing, suppliers, and testing.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Experience building or significantly reshaping quality systems, not just operating mature ones.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Demonstrated ability to execute with minimal direction in incomplete systems.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Strong pattern recognition and judgment under pressure.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Comfort working in high-intensity, rapidly changing environments.</li> </ul> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]"><strong>Preferred Skills and Experience</strong></p> <ul class="[li_&amp;]:mb-0 [li_&amp;]:mt-1 [li_&amp;]:gap-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3"> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Experience interfacing directly with regulators, auditors, or external stakeholders in a nuclear or other safety-critical industry.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Experience leading or mentoring quality teams through periods of organizational growth.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Background applying modern tools, automation, or AI to quality systems and workflows.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Exposure to advanced reactor, fuel fabrication, or other first-of-a-kind nuclear programs.</li> </ul> <p><strong>What We Offer</strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>Competitive base salary&nbsp;</li> <li>Equity ownership in a rapidly growing advanced energy company&nbsp;</li> <li>Comprehensive medical benefits&nbsp;</li> <li>Free daily lunch and dinner provided onsite&nbsp;</li> <li>High-impact startup environment with significant ownership and autonomy&nbsp;</li> <li>Opportunities for rapid career growth and internal advancement&nbsp;</li> <li>Direct collaboration with experienced operators, engineers, and industry leaders&nbsp;</li> <li>The opportunity to help build and scale transformative energy technology from the ground up</li> </ul> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]"><strong>Equal Employment Opportunity Statement</strong></p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">Valar Atomics is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable law.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">We are committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment and will provide reasonable accommodation as required by law.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States as a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (green card holder).</p><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="title">Salary</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$150,000</span><span class="divider">&mdash;</span><span>$200,000 USD</span></div></div></div>