Director of Infrastructure

Valar Atomics is a nuclear energy company focused on scaling high-temperature gas reactors (HTGRs) for grid-independent industrial applications. The company is developing what it calls gigasites, large-scale facilities housing hundreds of nuclear reactors intended to power heavy industry, data centers, hydrogen production, and clean hydrocarbon fuel synthesis. Their reactor design uses TRISO fuel, a graphite moderator, and helium coolant, a combination the company highlights for its strong safety profile and proliferation resistance. By operating outside the traditional electricity grid, Valar Atomics aims to unlock economies of scale that have historically eluded the nuclear industry. Valar Atomics' mission centers on making nuclear energy the cheapest and most reliable energy source in the world, with a particular emphasis on decarbonizing industrial processes and enabling clean fuel production. Their hydrogen output, generated via a sulfur-iodine thermochemical cycle, can be combined with captured CO2 to produce synthetic hydrocarbons through a modified Fischer-Tropsch process, offering a pathway to drop-in clean fuels. The company also targets the surging power demands of AI data centers, which are projected to require over 200 additional terawatt-hours of grid power by 2030. The company is currently advancing its Ward 250 project, a test reactor being developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, the San Rafael Energy Research Center, and the State of Utah, with a target go-live date of July 4, 2026, America's 250th birthday. The reactor has already been physically transported to Emery County, Utah, with logistical support from the U.S. military. Four executive orders issued under the Trump administration provided a mandate supporting the project's accelerated deployment timeline.

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 Construction and Infrastructure organization delivers the facilities, infrastructure, and construction projects required to support Valar's mission. The team manages planning, execution, and delivery of complex capital projects while ensuring quality, safety, and operational readiness.

The Role

The Director of Infrastructure leads the design and delivery of site-specific infrastructure supporting reactor deployment. This role owns civil, structural, architectural, site development, and utilities engineering, translating reactor requirements into practical, buildable designs.

You will operate at the intersection of engineering and construction—driving FOAK iterations while building toward standardized, repeatable site designs. Success is defined by delivering construction-ready plans, improving cost and schedule each iteration, and building a high-performing internal engineering function.

This role is a key integrator across reactor engineering and construction execution, ensuring designs work in the field—not just on paper.

Key Responsibilities 

• Lead design and delivery of site infrastructure packages (civil, structural, architectural, utilities)
• Translate system requirements into constructable, field-ready designs
• Directly manage external engineering partners—owning output, schedule, and quality
• Serve as primary interface to construction teams, supporting field execution and resolving issues in real time
• Build and scale internal infrastructure engineering capability (team, standards, systems)
• Drive iteration-to-iteration improvements in cost, schedule, and constructability
• Develop standardized, repeatable site design packages
• Integrate closely with nuclear, mechanical, electrical, and piping teams
• Support permitting and local approvals
• Select and manage vendors, consultants, and contractors

You Will Be Successful in This Role If

• You deliver buildable engineering that minimizes total installed cost and holds up under changing inputs
• You keep projects moving with incomplete information, making practical, conservative decisions
• You fully own external engineering output—driving consultants hard and never operating passively
• You quickly separate real risks from noise and make clear, defensible calls
• You improve each iteration—reducing cost, complexity, and schedule while increasing repeatability
• You proactively resolve integration issues before they hit the field
• You build toward vertical integration, reducing reliance on external firms over time

Basic Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil, Structural, or related field (or equivalent hands-on experience)
• 6–10+ years delivering civil/structural/site infrastructure projects that were actually constructed
• Demonstrated track record of real-world scope (e.g., large-scale sites, major concrete/utility work, multi-acre developments)
• Experience taking projects from design through construction, including field support and issue resolution
• Proven ability to directly manage external engineering firms for performance and constructability
• Strong knowledge of site development, utilities, grading, drainage, and building systems
• Experience with Utah (or similar) permitting and regulatory environments
• Ability to own technical deliverables as both an individual contributor and leader

Preferred Skills and Experience 

• Professional Engineer (PE) license
• Experience in design-build, EPC, or integrated project delivery
• Experience developing standardized, repeatable design systems
• Strong understanding of construction cost drivers
• Experience building internal engineering teams and processes

Location

This role is based primarily in Orangeville, UT, with significant onsite involvement supporting engineering and construction activities.

Approximately 25% travel to Los Angeles is expected to support coordination and project execution.

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).