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Valar Atomics is seeking a Head of Facilities to lead all operations of a combined office and advanced manufacturing facility in Hawthorne, California. This is a director-level role responsible for scaling facility operations to support the company's mission of making clean, high-temperature nuclear power scalable and deployable at speed.
Key responsibilities include:
• End-to-end facility operations management, ensuring safety, reliability, and operational excellence across all building systems
• Oversight of critical infrastructure (HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire and life safety) with preventive maintenance programs and rapid response protocols
• Management of HVAC and environmental systems to maintain required operating conditions for engineering and production while optimizing energy efficiency
• Utilities management (power, water, gas) including uptime, redundancy planning, capacity forecasting, and cost control
• Compliance with OSHA, building codes, fire regulations, and environmental standards; ownership of audit and inspection readiness
• Physical security and access control systems management
• Parking, site traffic flow, and logistics coordination for employees, visitors, and vendors
• Facility maintenance and cleanliness across offices, restrooms, and common areas
• Partnership with external project management firms, contractors, and architects on construction, renovations, and site expansion
• Leadership of facility build-outs from concept through execution, including budgeting, permitting, and timeline management
• Emergency preparedness planning and incident response protocols; 24/7 emergency point of contact for facility issues
• Building and managing a high-performing facilities team (technicians, custodial, and others)
• Third-party vendor management (janitorial, maintenance, security) including SLA establishment, contract negotiation, and performance oversight
The ideal candidate operates with extreme ownership, moves quickly to prioritize business-critical issues, and is comfortable switching between hands-on execution and strategic planning. This role requires both operational excellence and the ability to scale infrastructure rapidly alongside a fast-growing advanced manufacturing company.
