Regulatory Counsel — Government Contracts (Nuclear Startup)

Valar Atomics Inc.; New Mexico; On-site; USD 220,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Equity ownership in a rapidly growing

Comprehensive medical benefits

Unlimited PTO; Free daily lunch and on

PPE stipend

High-impact startup environment with a

Career growth opportunities

Direct collaboration with engineers

Opportunity to build transformative能源

Job summary

Valar Atomics seeks a Government Contracts & Regulatory Counsel to build the regulatory function from the ground up in the United States. You’ll own export controls, government agreements, land-use and permitting, and FOIA/GRAMA processes to enable fast deployment of advanced nuclear technology.

You’ll collaborate with engineers and executives to draft policies, manage outside counsel, and help scale from pilot operations to commercial deployment across federal and state agencies.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school and in good standing with the State Bar of California, or eligible to register as California Registered In-House Counsel.
• 5+ years of experience in government contracts, regulatory, or export control practice at a law firm, in-house legal department, or government agency.
• Hands-on experience with U.S. export control regimes (EAR, ITAR, and/or 10 CFR Part 810).
• Experience drafting and negotiating agreements with federal, state, or local government entities.
• Strong writing skills, sound judgment, and the ability to translate complex legal requirements into practical guidance for technical teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead export control compliance, including 10 CFR Part 810, EAR, and ITAR; advise on classification and foreign national access.
• Draft, negotiate, and manage agreements with government entities; manage flow-down and compliance obligations.
• Prepare regulatory comments and submissions on rules affecting advanced nuclear and energy infrastructure.
• Manage FOIA/GRAMA responses and protect confidential business information in submissions.
• Build compliance policies and training from scratch to scale with company growth.
• Design and operate trade compliance programs (TCT, screening, recordkeeping).
• Support land access and permitting with federal/state agencies (BLM, SITLA, NEPA).
• Manage FOCI matters and filings with government agencies.

Skills

Export controls

Regulatory compliance

Contract drafting

Negotiation

Legal writing

Education

J.D. from an accredited law school (CA Bar eligible)

Job description

Valar Atomics seeks a Government Contracts & Regulatory Counsel to build the regulatory function from the ground up in the United States. You’ll own export controls, government agreements, land-use and permitting, and FOIA/GRAMA processes to enable fast deployment of advanced nuclear technology.

You’ll collaborate with engineers and executives to draft policies, manage outside counsel, and help scale from pilot operations to commercial deployment across federal and state agencies.