Principal Instrumentation & Controls Engineer – Hardware

The role

The Principal Instrumentation & Controls Engineer owns the technical direction of instrumentation and control hardware for reactor and nuclear fuel manufacturing facilities. This role defines hardware architecture, technology roadmaps, and design philosophies for a first-of-a-kind nuclear program.

What you will do

• Define and own the I&C hardware architecture and technology roadmap.
• Author and own the discipline's design philosophy and basis documents.
• Direct measurement technology strategy for first-of-a-kind and severe-service conditions.
• Own the discipline's standards program and approve standards for release.
• Serve as the discipline design authority for architecture decisions and safety-significant designs.
• Own the technical integrity of safety instrumented system hardware.
• Lead the discipline's engagement in program reviews including PDR, CDR, and HAZOP/LOPA.
• Direct root cause investigations for significant failures and events.
• Support the nuclear licensing effort and represent the company to regulators.
• Build the discipline's engineering capability and mentor staff and senior engineers.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Electronic, Mechanical, Chemical, or Systems Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of instrumentation or I&C engineering experience in process industries.
• Demonstrated end-to-end ownership of instrumentation hardware scope across multiple major capital projects.
• Track record of architecture-level technical leadership.
• Recognized technical authority in at least one deep area of the discipline.
• Deep, hands-on command of the full instrumentation hardware domain.
• Substantial safety instrumented system experience across the IEC 61511 lifecycle.
• Experience directing and developing other engineers, including senior-level engineers.
• Experience representing an engineering discipline to external parties.

Nice to have

• Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• ISA Certified Automation Professional (CAP) or ISA84 Safety Instrumented Systems expert credential, or equivalent.
• Nuclear industry experience, including 10 CFR 50 Appendix B / NQA-1 quality programs, nuclear-qualified instrumentation, radiation and criticality monitoring, or instrumentation content of a nuclear s
• Experience selecting, developing, or qualifying instrumentation for novel or severe service high-temperature, high-pressure gas, corrosive, high-purity, or molten salt.
• Experience on first-of-a-kind or prototype plants.
• Participation in industry standards committees or working groups (ISA, IEEE, IEC, or equivalent).
• Experience with OT network and cybersecurity architecture at the physical layer, including IEC 62443 or NIST SP 800-82.
• Experience with instrument asset management systems, sizing software suites, or electrical/instrumentation CAD platforms.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary
• Equity ownership in a rapidly growing advanced energy company
• Comprehensive medical benefits
• Unlimited PTO
• Free daily lunch
• 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

Before you apply

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

About the company

Valar Atomics aims to make clean, high-temperature nuclear power scalable. The company is building a first pilot plant in Orangeville, Utah to demonstrate advanced nuclear systems and fuel fabrication.