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Salary: USD 196,000 - 240,000 / annual
Valar Atomics is building scalable, factory-made advanced nuclear systems to unlock abundant clean energy for industrial applications, hydrogen production, and next-generation manufacturing. The company is developing its first pilot plant in Orangeville, Utah, and is seeking a Principal Automation and Controls Engineer to own the technical direction of the controls software discipline across reactor and nuclear fuel manufacturing facilities.
In this principal-level role, you will define and architect the control system and plant data infrastructure for a first-of-a-kind nuclear program. Your responsibilities span the full controls software domain—PLC and DCS applications, SCADA and HMI, batch control, alarm management, safety logic, historians, plant data integration, and enterprise systems—but at the level of architecture, strategy, and design authority rather than routine development.
Key responsibilities include:
**Architecture and Technical Strategy:**
- Define and own the control system architecture and technology roadmap across reactor and fuel manufacturing facilities, including PLC/DCS, SCADA, SIS, and HMI platform strategy, controller and server segregation, and plant data architecture from historian through enterprise integration.
- Author and own the discipline's philosophy and basis documents—control system architecture basis, alarm philosophy, HMI philosophy, batch architecture basis, software validation and testing philosophy, and configuration management and change control philosophy.
- Direct control strategy development for first-of-a-kind plant control problems where no established solution exists, sponsoring trade studies, platform evaluations, prototyping campaigns, and validation strategies.
- Own the discipline's standards program: set the framework and priorities for coding standards, template libraries, display and alarm standards, and testing practice; delegate authorship to staff and senior engineers; drive convergence across projects and sites.
- Evaluate emerging controls and data technology and assess applicability to the program.
**Technical Authority and Leadership:**
- Hold final technical approval authority within the controls discipline.
- Direct the resolution of the highest-consequence and most novel control problems.
- Represent the discipline in licensing, cybersecurity, and strategic vendor engagements.
- Build the engineering capability of the organization around you.
- Participate in industry standards committees or working groups (ISA, IEEE, IEC, or equivalent).
You will work alongside I&C Hardware, electrical, process, and nuclear safety engineers in an environment that blends traditional control systems with modern software and data integration practice. The team values operator-focused design, data integrity, disciplined documentation, and a safety-first culture.
**Requirements:**
- Deep expertise in control systems architecture, PLC/DCS programming, SCADA/HMI design, and plant data systems.
- Demonstrated experience as a principal or staff-level engineer in industrial automation, process control, or similar domains.
- Proficiency in ISA-88 batch control, alarm management philosophy, and safety instrumented systems (SIS).
- Experience with GAMP 5 or 21 CFR Part 11 regulated software validation environments.
- Track record of defining technical standards, architecture frameworks, and engineering best practices.
- Strong communication skills for representing the discipline in cross-functional and regulatory contexts.
- Participation in or familiarity with industry standards development (ISA, IEEE, IEC) is valued.
- Must be legally authorized to work in the United States as a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
