Lead Electrical Engineer — Nuclear Power Plant Architect

Valar Atomics Inc.; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity ownership in a rapidly growing?

Unlimited PTO

Free daily lunch and dinner onsite

Generous PPE stipend

High-impact startup environment with |

Job summary

Valar Atomics is seeking a Lead Electrical Engineer to build and lead its electrical engineering team, owning the full plant electrical architecture from grid interconnection to LV systems.

You will recruit and mentor engineers across the ladder, drive multi-area delivery in reactor, fuel manufacturing, power generation, and distribution, and ensure safety-driven, quality-focused engineering across the program.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related discipline.
• 10+ years of electrical engineering experience across power generation, utility, process, or industrial projects.
• Experience leading an electrical engineering team: assigning and directing work, reviewing and approving other engineers' output, and developing engineers — not solely project or matrix leadership.
• Experience building an engineering team through direct hiring: defining roles, recruiting, interviewing, and onboarding engineers you then led.
• Substantial power generation electrical experience, including generator integration, excitation, generator and interconnection protection, GSU transformers, switchyard or substation scope, and grid interconnection requirements.
• Demonstrated design proficiency across LV, MV, and HV systems — from utility/transmission-level interconnection and switchyards through MV distribution to LV process and facility systems, including the studies, protection, and equipment specification appropriate to each voltage class.
• Expert-level proficiency in power system analysis (SKM Power Tools, ETAP, PSS/E, or equivalent), including ownership or approval of load flow, short circuit, arc flash, and protection coordination studies.
• Demonstrated end-to-end ownership of electrical scope on at least one major capital project, from front-end design through energisation and commissioning.
• Strong working knowledge of applicable codes and standards (NEC/NFPA 70, IEEE including the C37 protection series, NEMA, ANSI, IEC).
• Experience representing an electrical discipline to external parties — utilities, AHJs, regulators, or major vendors.

Responsibilities

• Build the electrical engineering team: define roles and requisitions across the engineer ladder, recruit and interview candidates, own hiring recommendations, and onboard and integrate new engineers.
• Lead the team day to day: assign and prioritize work across the four plant areas, direct and review technical output, manage performance, and develop each engineer's technical depth and progression along the ladder.
• Own engineering resourcing strategy: workload forecasting across Reactor, Nuclear Fuel Manufacturing, Power Generation, and Power Distribution scopes; internal versus contractor engineering allocation; and technical direction and oversight of engineering subcontractors and consultants.
• Establish the discipline's ways of working — checking practice, calculation and study bases, design standards, and documentation discipline — and evolve their ownership to Staff and Principal engineers as the team grows.
• Own electrical engineering delivery across all four plant areas: the scope, quality, and schedule of power system studies, designs, specifications, and construction and commissioning support produced by the team.
• Own the plant electrical architecture end-to-end across voltage classes: HV utility interconnection and switchyard, generator and generator step-up (GSU) transformer integration, MV distribution, LV process and facility systems, emergency and standby power, and DC/UPS systems.
• Own the power generation electrical scope: generator specification and integration with the power conversion system, excitation and voltage regulation, generator and interconnection protection, synchronization, auxiliary power, and grid code and interconnection technical requirements.
• Serve as the discipline's senior technical authority: approve power system studies, one-line development, protection philosophy and relay settings, and major equipment specifications, delegating approval authority to Staff and Principal engineers as they are hired.
• Own the utility and AHJ technical relationships: interconnection studies and agreements, protection interface requirements, code interpretation and compliance strategy, and inspection support.
• Lead the electrical discipline in interdisciplinary design reviews, HAZOP studies, and licensing-support activities; represent the discipline's position at program level and own resolution of cross-discipline conflicts.
• Lead vendor engagement for major electrical packages: pre-qualification, technical bid evaluation, award recommendation, factory acceptance activities, and escalation of systemic vendor issues.

Skills

Electrical engineering

Team leadership

Power systems

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

SKM Power Tools

ETAP

PSS/E

Job description

Valar Atomics is seeking a Lead Electrical Engineer to build and lead its electrical engineering team, owning the full plant electrical architecture from grid interconnection to LV systems.

You will recruit and mentor engineers across the ladder, drive multi-area delivery in reactor, fuel manufacturing, power generation, and distribution, and ensure safety-driven, quality-focused engineering across the program.