Manager, Mechanical Design — Equity, Autonomy, Impact

Valar Atomics; New Mexico; On-site; USD 173,000 - 211,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Equity ownership

Medical benefits

Unlimited PTO

Free daily lunch and dinner onsite

PPE stipend

High-impact startup environment

Career growth opportunities

Collaboration with experienced leaders

Job summary

Valar Atomics is building a high-performance mechanical design team to support fuel equipment design, high-temperature gas reactions, and turbomachinery. The Manager of Mechanical Design leads cross-functional teams with hands-on engineering leadership, shaping interfaces across programs and driving robust, manufacturable solutions.

Ideal candidates bring 5+ years in mechanical design, 2+ years in leadership, and strong SolidWorks/NX/PLM skills.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of mechanical design experience including piping, harnessing, and complex assemblies.
• 2+ years of experience managing a mechanical design team.
• Deep expertise in SolidWorks, NX, or a similar program.
• Deep expertise in PLM software and working in a manufacturing environment.
• Proven ability to build teams and deliver on aggressive schedules.
• Experience with ASME BPVC and ASME B31 design.
• Experience in startup or rapid-growth environments.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead an in-house Mechanical Design organization, including hiring, organizational design, technical standards, and development of mechanical designers.
• Own the highest level assemblies, bills of materials, and layouts for all of our projects.
• Manage software selection, templates, workflows, and cross-functional decision making.
• Collaborate with our in-house software engineering team on interfaces between models, supply chain systems, and manufacturing systems.
• Define and enforce requirements for 3D modelling and 2D drawings.

Skills

Leadership

Team building

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Attention to modelling detail

Tools

SolidWorks

NX

PLM software

Job description

Valar Atomics is building a high-performance mechanical design team to support fuel equipment design, high-temperature gas reactions, and turbomachinery. The Manager of Mechanical Design leads cross-functional teams with hands-on engineering leadership, shaping interfaces across programs and driving robust, manufacturable solutions.

Ideal candidates bring 5+ years in mechanical design, 2+ years in leadership, and strong SolidWorks/NX/PLM skills.