Engineering Manager, Numenor (Reactor)

Location: Torrance, California, United States

Department: Mechanical Engineering

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

The Numenor team is building Valar’s next reactor, the flagship program that will define how we deliver nuclear power at scale. This dedicated team owns the entire plant, from the reactor core and helium systems to cooling, plant modules, and the Citadel, uniting mechanical, systems, safety, IC&E, quality, and supply chain under one mission. The work starts with bringing the first unit to life and ends with a production line that delivers reactors faster with every build. What this team builds will power the critical infrastructure of the future.

The Role

Valar Atomics seeks an Engineering Manager for the reactor program. This role will build and lead a team of Responsible Engineers and designers for a group of mechanical systems, either the reactor side (reactor core and graphite, control rod drives, helium pressure boundary, heat transport, cavity cooling, and helium services) or the plant side (power conversion, heat rejection, the reactor complex and Citadel, service modules, and plant services). The role will lead the team from the first unit through scaled production, delivering reactors at an increasing rate.

The role demands someone who leads engineers hands-on with a hardware-first mentality, owning people, schedule, and delivery, while the Responsible Engineers keep technical signature and ensure the design basis is met. We are looking for someone who obsessively removes blockers for the team every day, so the Responsible Engineers can focus on engineering and delivering functional systems.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership

• Hire, onboard, and mentor the Responsible Engineers, engineers, and designers for your group of systems.
• Set workload and priorities for the team, and remove blockers so it can move as fast as possible.
• Manage scope, schedule, and budget for your systems within the reactor program.
• Run performance, growth, and staffing for the team as the program scales.

Delivery

• Own schedule and delivery for each system, from design through IFC, build, and test.
• Track RE deliverables against each system’s baseline and raise slips early to the Director and program controls.
• Coordinate each system’s readiness for design reviews, design freeze, and IFC.

Integration

• Drive interface closure between systems with systems engineering and the plant model.
• Work closely with procurement and supply chain so parts and vendors arrive on time.
• Work with licensing, quality, safety, IC&E, and manufacturing so the design builds right the first time, and faster with each unit.

Basic Qualifications

• 5+ years of mechanical engineering on complex hardware, such as pressure systems, heat transfer equipment, mechanisms, or large structures.
• 3+ years managing engineers with direct reports.
• Delivered hardware from design through build and test against a schedule.
• Led mechanical systems on first-of-a-kind hardware from concept through build, test, and commissioning.
• Strong base in mechanical design, drawings, analysis, and design reviews.
• Experience managing vendors and key suppliers through design and fabrication.
• Comfortable working hands-on with the team on the shop floor and with vendors.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience with high-temperature, high-pressure systems, such as pressure vessels, heat exchangers, and piping.
• Hardware delivery: first-of-a-kind hardware taken from design through build and test, in aerospace, power generation, oil and gas, or defense.
• Helium or other gas systems, precision mechanisms, or rotating equipment.
• Power conversion, heat rejection, or balance of plant, including skids and modular systems built in a factory and installed on site.
• Working knowledge of ASME pressure vessel and piping codes (Section VIII, B31.1, B31.3).
• Design for manufacture and scaling from prototype to series production.
• Nuclear industry experience: commercial, defense, or national laboratory. A plus, not a prerequisite.
• PE license (Mechanical): a plus.

What We Offer

• 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

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

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.

We are committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment and will provide reasonable accommodation as required by law.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States as a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (green card holder).