Director Instrumentation, Control, and Electrical – Power Conversion
valaratomics
4 months ago
Full-time
On-site
Torrance, California, United States
$225,000 - $300,000 USD yearly
Leadership
Moneyboard classification: Published range reaches threshold
Reported USD annual base: $225,000–$300,000
Original source: Greenhouse
About Valar Atomics
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.
The Team
As part of the Engineering organization, Instrumentations & Controls designs the systems that monitor, automate, and protect Valar's facilities and reactor technologies. The team develops reliable control architectures that enable safe and efficient operations.
The Role
Our HTGR power conversion system will be built around a secondary loop Brayton cycle, high-speed turbomachinery operating on helium, sCO2, and even air at extreme temperatures and pressures, paired with development generator sets and a purpose-built test facility program. The Director of IC&E for Power Conversion owns the full instrumentation, control, and electrical architecture across this system: from early R&D and rig design through test facility construction, commissioning, and ultimately integrated plant operation.
This role demands someone who can operate at two levels simultaneously with a hands-on technical authority who understands turbomachinery dynamics, high-speed generator control, and test system instrumentation at a deep level, and a team leader who builds and develops the IC&E organization around the power conversion program. Candidates from oil & gas, aerospace propulsion, industrial turbomachinery, or power generation are strongly preferred. Nuclear background is a plus, not a prerequisite.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership — Turbomachinery & Power Conversion
Own the IC&E design basis for the primary to secondary coolant loop Brayton cycle power conversion unit (PCU), including compressor, turbine, recuperator, and intercooler control systems
Define instrumentation strategy for high-speed rotating machinery — shaft dynamics, vibration monitoring, tip clearance, temperature, pressure, and flow measurement in helium environments
Develop control system architecture for turbomachinery startup, shutdown, load following, trip logic, and speed/load governing
Lead IC&E design for development generator sets — excitation systems, voltage regulation, synchronization, protection relays, and grid interface or islanded operation schemes
Establish electrical power distribution design for the power conversion facility: MV/LV switchgear, variable frequency drives (VFDs), power electronics, and auxiliary systems
Test Facility Design, Construction & Commissioning
Lead IC&E scope for the design and construction of turbomachinery development and test facilities — from instrumentation layout and data acquisition architecture through facility electrical design
Own IC&E commissioning planning and execution
Establish instrumentation calibration programs, measurement uncertainty budgets, and data quality standards for development testing
Program & Team Leadership
Build, lead, and mentor the power conversion IC&E engineering team across disciplines, controls, instrumentation, electrical, and data systems
Define team structure, staffing plans, and competency roadmap as the program scales from R&D through construction and commissioning phases
Manage IC&E scope, schedule, and budget within the broader power conversion program
Select and manage IC&E vendors, system integrators, and instrumentation suppliers; define qualification, calibration, and acceptance requirements
Collaborate closely with turbomachinery, mechanical, thermal-hydraulics, systems engineering, and the reactor IC&E team to ensure integrated plant control architecture is coherent across the PCU–reactor interface
Phase Continuity
Carry IC&E ownership across all power conversion program phases: conceptual design → detailed engineering → test facility procurement and construction → commissioning and integrated testing → reactor plant integration
You Will Be Successful in This Role If
You enjoy solving first-of-a-kind engineering challenges where there is no existing playbook
You communicate effectively with executives, regulators, customers, and engineering teams, translating complex technical concepts into clear decisions.
You thrive in fast-moving environments where priorities evolve, but safety and engineering quality remain uncompromising.
Basic Qualifications
15+ years of engineering experience in instrumentation, control systems, and/or electrical design for rotating machinery, turbomachinery, or high-performance industrial systems
Demonstrated hands-on experience with turbomachinery control systems — speed governing, surge protection, bearing monitoring, trip logic, or equivalent
Experience leading IC&E scope on test facilities, development rigs, or capital construction projects
Strong foundation in electrical systems design: switchgear, motor drives, protection and controls, and facility power distribution
Experience managing IC&E teams and vendor relationships across multiple project phases
Preferred Skills and Experience
Experience with high-speed generators, excitation systems, and power conversion electronics
Background in Brayton cycle, gas turbine, or compressor-expander systems
Familiarity with helium or other working fluid systems and associated instrumentation challenges (low viscosity, high thermal conductivity, leak detection)
Experience with high-bandwidth data acquisition systems and dynamic measurement in rotating machinery applications
Nuclear industry experience, commercial, defense, or national laboratory particularly in power conversion or balance
Reported USD annual base: $225,000–$300,000
Original source: Greenhouse
About Valar Atomics
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.
The Team
As part of the Engineering organization, Instrumentations & Controls designs the systems that monitor, automate, and protect Valar's facilities and reactor technologies. The team develops reliable control architectures that enable safe and efficient operations.
The Role
Our HTGR power conversion system will be built around a secondary loop Brayton cycle, high-speed turbomachinery operating on helium, sCO2, and even air at extreme temperatures and pressures, paired with development generator sets and a purpose-built test facility program. The Director of IC&E for Power Conversion owns the full instrumentation, control, and electrical architecture across this system: from early R&D and rig design through test facility construction, commissioning, and ultimately integrated plant operation.
This role demands someone who can operate at two levels simultaneously with a hands-on technical authority who understands turbomachinery dynamics, high-speed generator control, and test system instrumentation at a deep level, and a team leader who builds and develops the IC&E organization around the power conversion program. Candidates from oil & gas, aerospace propulsion, industrial turbomachinery, or power generation are strongly preferred. Nuclear background is a plus, not a prerequisite.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership — Turbomachinery & Power Conversion
Own the IC&E design basis for the primary to secondary coolant loop Brayton cycle power conversion unit (PCU), including compressor, turbine, recuperator, and intercooler control systems
Define instrumentation strategy for high-speed rotating machinery — shaft dynamics, vibration monitoring, tip clearance, temperature, pressure, and flow measurement in helium environments
Develop control system architecture for turbomachinery startup, shutdown, load following, trip logic, and speed/load governing
Lead IC&E design for development generator sets — excitation systems, voltage regulation, synchronization, protection relays, and grid interface or islanded operation schemes
Establish electrical power distribution design for the power conversion facility: MV/LV switchgear, variable frequency drives (VFDs), power electronics, and auxiliary systems
Test Facility Design, Construction & Commissioning
Lead IC&E scope for the design and construction of turbomachinery development and test facilities — from instrumentation layout and data acquisition architecture through facility electrical design
Own IC&E commissioning planning and execution
Establish instrumentation calibration programs, measurement uncertainty budgets, and data quality standards for development testing
Program & Team Leadership
Build, lead, and mentor the power conversion IC&E engineering team across disciplines, controls, instrumentation, electrical, and data systems
Define team structure, staffing plans, and competency roadmap as the program scales from R&D through construction and commissioning phases
Manage IC&E scope, schedule, and budget within the broader power conversion program
Select and manage IC&E vendors, system integrators, and instrumentation suppliers; define qualification, calibration, and acceptance requirements
Collaborate closely with turbomachinery, mechanical, thermal-hydraulics, systems engineering, and the reactor IC&E team to ensure integrated plant control architecture is coherent across the PCU–reactor interface
Phase Continuity
Carry IC&E ownership across all power conversion program phases: conceptual design → detailed engineering → test facility procurement and construction → commissioning and integrated testing → reactor plant integration
You Will Be Successful in This Role If
You enjoy solving first-of-a-kind engineering challenges where there is no existing playbook
You communicate effectively with executives, regulators, customers, and engineering teams, translating complex technical concepts into clear decisions.
You thrive in fast-moving environments where priorities evolve, but safety and engineering quality remain uncompromising.
Basic Qualifications
15+ years of engineering experience in instrumentation, control systems, and/or electrical design for rotating machinery, turbomachinery, or high-performance industrial systems
Demonstrated hands-on experience with turbomachinery control systems — speed governing, surge protection, bearing monitoring, trip logic, or equivalent
Experience leading IC&E scope on test facilities, development rigs, or capital construction projects
Strong foundation in electrical systems design: switchgear, motor drives, protection and controls, and facility power distribution
Experience managing IC&E teams and vendor relationships across multiple project phases
Preferred Skills and Experience
Experience with high-speed generators, excitation systems, and power conversion electronics
Background in Brayton cycle, gas turbine, or compressor-expander systems
Familiarity with helium or other working fluid systems and associated instrumentation challenges (low viscosity, high thermal conductivity, leak detection)
Experience with high-bandwidth data acquisition systems and dynamic measurement in rotating machinery applications
Nuclear industry experience, commercial, defense, or national laboratory particularly in power conversion or balance