Infrastructure Project Manager

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 

As Infrastructure Project Manager, you will manage the execution of infrastructure and facility projects from planning and design through construction, commissioning, and turnover. You will coordinate internal stakeholders, design consultants, contractors, vendors, and project teams to deliver projects safely, on schedule, within budget, and in accordance with technical and operational requirements. Success in this role is measured by schedule and budget performance, forecast accuracy, design and construction quality, disciplined change-order and RFI management, safety performance, and smooth commissioning and turnover. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Manage infrastructure projects from concept through design, construction, commissioning, and closeout. 
• Develop and maintain project scope, schedule, budget, and execution plans, including milestones, deliverables, and decision requirements. 
• Track progress, proactively identify risks, issues, and dependencies, and provide regular project reporting to leadership. 
• Lead project meetings and maintain clear action-item ownership. 
• Coordinate architects, engineers, consultants, and internal technical stakeholders, ensuring design deliverables align with project requirements. 
• Lead design reviews, constructability reviews, and value-engineering activities, and resolve multidisciplinary design conflicts. 
• Track RFIs, submittals, design changes, and technical decisions. 
• Partner with construction managers, general contractors, and trade contractors to monitor progress and resolve field issues affecting cost, schedule, quality, or safety. 
• Review change orders and contractor claims, and ensure design intent and project requirements are maintained through construction. 
• Support site logistics, construction sequencing, and turnover planning. 
• Develop and maintain budgets and cost forecasts, tracking commitments, actual costs, contingencies, and change orders. 
• Maintain critical-path schedules, identify recovery opportunities, and coordinate procurement of long-lead equipment, escalating cost and schedule risks early. 
• Work closely with Infrastructure Design, Construction, Facilities, Operations, Procurement, Finance, EHS, IT, and other teams to translate business and operational requirements into actionable project requirements aligned with broader site plans. 
• Coordinate commissioning, startup, punch-list completion, and closeout, including as-builts, O&M manuals, training, and asset turnover to Facilities and Operations. 

Basic Qualifications  

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Architecture, or a related field. 
• 5+ years of experience managing construction, infrastructure, facilities, engineering, or capital projects. 
• Experience managing projects through design and construction. 
• Strong understanding of construction documents, schedules, budgets, contracts, and change management. 
• Experience managing architects, engineers, contractors, and vendors. 
• Strong organizational and communication skills. 
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment. 

Preferred Skills and Experience  

• Experience with industrial, advanced manufacturing, data center, semiconductor, aerospace, defense, laboratory, or other technically complex facilities. 
• Experience managing projects valued at $10M–$100M+. 
• PMP, PE, CCM, or equivalent certification. 
• Experience with mission-critical infrastructure and utility systems. 
• Experience with commissioning and operational readiness. 
• Experience working on the owner/operator side of capital projects. 
• Experience with Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, Procore, or similar project-management platforms. 

What We Offer  

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

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).