Director, Nuclear Instrumentation & Electronics

The role

You will build and lead a new product organization that designs, qualifies, and manufactures nuclear instrumentation and electronics. This role owns the full product lifecycle for neutron detectors, radiation monitors, and signal processing electronics to support reactor production.

What you will do

• Build and lead the Nuclear Instrumentation & Electronics organization
• Define and own the product roadmap for nuclear instrumentation and electronics
• Own design of neutron flux detection hardware
• Own design of radiation monitoring instrumentation
• Own design of nuclear signal processing electronics
• Lead equipment qualification programs
• Ensure designs meet applicable nuclear safety system requirements
• Stand up and scale manufacturing operations
• Drive design for manufacturability, test, and cost
• Establish and maintain the nuclear quality program

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Nuclear Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Engineering Physics, or a related discipline
• 12+ years of experience in radiation detection, nuclear instrumentation, or high-reliability electronics design and manufacturing
• 5+ years leading engineering or product teams
• Deep technical knowledge of radiation detection physics and detector design
• Hands-on background in analog and mixed-signal electronics
• Demonstrated experience taking hardware products from design through qualification and into production
• Experience operating under a formal quality program in nuclear, aerospace, defense, medical device, or a comparably regulated industry
• Working knowledge of nuclear equipment qualification and safety system standards, including IEEE 323, IEEE 344, IEEE 603, and Reg Guide 1.180
• Proven ability to build teams from the ground up, hire and develop strong engineers, and deliver on aggressive schedules

Nice to have

• Master's or PhD in Nuclear Engineering, Physics, or Electrical Engineering with a focus on radiation detection or instrumentation
• Professional Engineer (PE) license or eligibility
• Direct experience designing or manufacturing fission chambers, ion chambers, self-powered neutron detectors, or radiation monitors at a nuclear instrumentation vendor, national laboratory, or reactor
• Experience with nuclear safety-related hardware development under 10 CFR 50 Appendix B and NQA-1, including commercial grade dedication and 10 CFR Part 21 programs
• Experience with FPGA-based or digital signal processing for nuclear instrumentation, including firmware V&V for safety-related applications
• Experience with NRC or Agreement State materials licensing for special nuclear material or byproduct material
• Experience scaling hardware manufacturing in a startup or rapid-growth environment, including standing up new production facilities
• Familiarity with HTGR or other advanced reactor instrumentation challenges
• Experience with electronics manufacturing standards (IPC-A-610, J-STD-001) and radiation-tolerant component selection

Benefits

• Competitive base salary
• Equity ownership
• Comprehensive medical benefits
• Unlimited PTO
• Free daily lunch and dinner provided onsite
• Generous PPE stipend

Before you apply

• Candidates must be eligible to access technology controlled under U.S. export control regulations, including 10 CFR Part 810
• 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 a team of builders, engineers, and operators focused on fast-to-deploy, factory-made nuclear energy.