The Safety Basis and Unreviewed Safety Question (USQ) Coordinator

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, Configuration Management maintains the integrity and traceability of technical information throughout the product lifecycle. The team ensures controlled changes, accurate documentation, and consistent configuration across programs.

 

The Role 

The Safety Basis and Unreviewed Safety Question (USQ) Coordinator coordinates the safety case for Valar Atomics' operating reactor facility, interfacing daily with the design, licensing, and safety analysis teams: the analysis that proves the plant can be operated safely, and the process that keeps every design change, test, and operating discovery honest against it. The role runs the Unreviewed Safety Question process end to end, from intake to approval to regulator submittal, leads the response when an operating discovery challenges the analysis, and is the single point where design intent, licensing commitments, and safety analysis meet. Done well, this makes change control fast because it is trusted, and gives each new reactor a safety case it inherits rather than rebuilds. The role suits someone from nuclear or another high consequence regulated industry who wants ownership of a critical process and can hold a conservative line under schedule pressure. This position will be located in Torrance, California, with regular presence at the reactor site in Orangeville, UT.

The Safety Basis and USQ Coordinator will report to the Director of Licensing Documentation and Technical Publishing and be assigned to work with Facility Design Authority and Operations Manager.

 

Key Responsibilities 

• Coordinate the plant safety analysis and technical safety requirements with the design, licensing, and safety analysis teams, and keep them current as the design and the plant evolve
• Run the Unreviewed Safety Question process: screenings, determinations, approvals, records, deadlines, and regulator submittals
• Lead the evaluation and reporting of discovered conditions that may challenge the safety analysis
• Ensure every design change is screened for safety basis impact before it is implemented
• Support the safety case for new reactor designs and its traceability to design requirements
• Qualify and train USQ evaluators and build a team that can carry the process across multiple reactors
• Be the technical point of contact to the regulator on safety basis matters
• Improve the safety basis process so each successive reactor is licensed faster than the last

 

Basic Qualifications  

• 4+ years of experience in safety analysis, licensing, safety basis, change control, or safety engineering in nuclear or another high consequence regulated industry such as aerospace, defense, chemical, or oil and gas
• Understanding of how a safety case is built, approved, maintained, and changed
• Ability to run a controlled, deadline driven process and coordinate across engineering teams with minimal supervision
• Sound judgment and the confidence to make conservative calls under schedule pressure
• Strong technical writing and communication skills

 

Preferred Skills and Experience  

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in engineering or a physical science
• Experience with nuclear safety analysis, Unreviewed Safety Question evaluation, or an equivalent change evaluation process
• Experience working with a regulator or authorization authority
• Experience with change control or configuration management in a regulated environment
• Experience preparing safety or licensing documents for a new facility
• Experience with requirements and lifecycle management tools (Polarion, DOORS, Jama, etc.)

 

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).