Licensing 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 

As part of the Regulations & Safety organization, Regulatory & Licensing manages engagement with regulatory authorities and supports licensing activities for Valar's technologies and facilities. The team ensures regulatory compliance while advancing strategic business objectives.  

 

The Role 

The Licensing Project Manager manages the scope, schedule, budget, and execution workflow of assigned licensing projects. Working with the Project Licensing Lead, the Licensing Project Manager coordinates work across licensing engineers, program owners, engineering, and operations; runs the project's tracking systems; and keeps deliverables off the critical path through disciplined workflow management.

Key Responsibilities 

• Develop and maintain the licensing project schedule, including document gestation periods, review-cycle counts, and regulator review durations; integrate with the overall project schedule.
• Run the project workflow: single-point assignment of incoming items, action tracking with automated reminders, and active (not passive) review and approval steps.
• Maintain the comment resolution and commitment trackers; ensure no comment source (letter, email, meeting, or call) escapes consolidated tracking.
• Coordinate inputs across engineering, operations, and program owners; communicate exactly what is needed from each contributor and by when.
• Assemble and control submittal packages; verify completeness and consistency before transmittal.
• Report progress, risks, and compensatory actions to the Project Licensing Lead and Director of Licensing.
• Maintain the project's reference library and chapter care packages so contributors start from controlled, current baselines. 

 

Basic Qualifications  

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, or a related field.
• Seven (7) or more years of project experience in engineering, licensing, construction, or operations, or related experience, including five (5) years in the nuclear field. 

 

Preferred Skills and Experience  

• Project Management Professional (PMP) or equivalent certification.
• Licensing or safety basis project management experience.
• Experience coordinating regulator submittals and comment resolution. 

 

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).