Head of Licensing & Regulatory Strategy

Valar Atomics; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity ownership

Unlimited PTO

Free daily lunch and dinner onsite

Generous PPE stipend

High-impact startup environment

Rapid career growth

Direct collaboration with operators,2

Job summary

Valar Atomics is seeking a Director of Licensing to lead the corporate licensing function across all facilities and projects in the United States. You will set regulatory strategy, build and direct the licensing organization, and oversee processes and regulator engagement with DOE/NRC pathways.

You will allocate resources across concurrent campaigns, maintain licensing bases, and ensure submissions are complete and compliant, driving efficiency and growth in a fast-moving startup environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related science field.
• Fifteen (15) or more years of nuclear licensing and regulatory affairs experience, or related leadership experience.
• Demonstrated experience developing and submitting major license applications or safety basis documents and managing regulator reviews to approval.

Responsibilities

• Establish and lead the licensing organization: staffing, role definition, workload allocation across concurrent projects, and development of licensing engineers and project leads.
• Set the regulatory strategy for each facility and project, including selection and sequencing of authorization pathways and preservation of pathway options.
• Own the licensing function's processes and infrastructure: intake and triage workflows, review and active-approval processes, comment and commitment tracking, document production standards, and knowledge management.
• Serve as the senior company point of contact with regulator leadership; negotiate review paths, schedules, and engagement protocols before reviews begin.
• Oversee maintenance of the licensing bases for operating facilities, including change control and amendment strategy.
• Approve regulatory submittals and ensure they are complete, accurate, and consistent with licensing strategy and commitments.
• Ensure program owners receive the regulatory briefings, compliance matrices, templates, and guardrails needed to develop compliant programs without duplication.
• Establish metrics and drive continuous improvement in licensing efficiency, rigor, and rework avoidance.
• Develop and manage the licensing budget; select and manage supporting contractors and consultants.

Skills

Nuclear licensing leadership

Regulatory engagement with regulators

Licensing process ownership

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or related science

Job description

Valar Atomics is seeking a Director of Licensing to lead the corporate licensing function across all facilities and projects in the United States. You will set regulatory strategy, build and direct the licensing organization, and oversee processes and regulator engagement with DOE/NRC pathways.

You will allocate resources across concurrent campaigns, maintain licensing bases, and ensure submissions are complete and compliant, driving efficiency and growth in a fast-moving startup environment.