Senior Cloud DevOps Engineer

Valar Atomics Inc.; Torrance, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 165,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity ownership

Free daily meals onsite

PPE stipend

High autonomy

Job summary

Valar Atomics is seeking an experienced Cloud DevOps Engineer to design, build, and maintain scalable, secure infrastructure primarily on AWS, with Azure support. You will master Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, GitHub Enterprise, and Terraform, enabling fast, reliable deployments in a fast-paced environment.

The role is fully on-site at our Torrance, CA location with relocation not offered. You will work with software, security, and platform teams to elevate observability and reliability while

Qualifications

• 5+ years in DevOps, SRE, or Cloud Infrastructure engineering.
• Hands-on AWS core services (EC2, VPC, IAM, S3, RDS, EKS, Lambda).
• Kubernetes administration in production environments.
• Experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines and GitHub Actions or similar.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain cloud infrastructure on AWS with Azure support.
• Build, manage, and optimize Kubernetes clusters (EKS/AKS).
• Design and maintain CI/CD pipelines across environments.
• Manage GitHub Enterprise workflows, policies, and access controls.
• Write and maintain Terraform modules for IaC across clouds.
• Implement monitoring, logging, and alerting (CloudWatch, Prometheus, Grafana).
• Collaborate with software security and platform teams to improve deployment velocity.
• Enforce security best practices including IAM, secrets management, and least privilege.

Skills

AWS

Kubernetes

CI/CD

GitHub Enterprise

Terraform

Scripting (Bash/Python/Go)

Networking

Docker

Monitoring/Observability

Security best practices

Tools

Terraform

GitHub Enterprise

Docker

Prometheus

Grafana

CloudWatch

Job description

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 Business organization, IT & Enterprise Software delivers the technology infrastructure, enterprise applications, and digital tools that power Valar's operations. The team ensures secure, reliable, and scalable technology solutions that support every function across the company.

The Role

Valar Atomics is looking for an experienced Cloud DevOps Engineer to design, build, and maintain scalable, secure, and highly available infrastructure primarily in AWS , withadditionalsupport for workloads in Azure . The ideal candidate has hands-onexpertisewith Kubernetes , CI/CD pipeline design , GitHub Enterprise , and Terraform , and thrives in a fast-paced environment where automation and reliability are top priorities.

You'llwork closely with software engineering, security, and platform teams to streamline deployments, improve system observability, and drive infrastructure-as-code best practices across the organization.

This position is fully on-site at our Torrance, CA location. Relocation assistance is not available.

Key Responsibilities

• AWS : Design, implement, andmaintaincloud infrastructure primarily on AWS (EC2, S3, VPC, IAM, RDS, Lambda, EKS, etc.), with secondary support for Azure services
• Kubernetes : Build, manage, andoptimizeKubernetes clusters (EKS and/or AKS) for containerized workloads, including scaling, networking, and security configurations
• CI/CD : Design andmaintainCI/CD pipelines to automate build, test, and deployment processes across multiple environments
• GitHub Enterprise : Manage source control workflows, branch policies, and repository administration
• Terraform : Write,maintain, and review Terraform modules to provision and manage infrastructure as code across cloud providers
• Implement monitoring, logging, and alerting solutions to ensure system reliability and rapid incident response (e.g., CloudWatch, Prometheus, Grafana, Azure Monitor)
• Collaborate with development teams to improve deployment velocity, reduce lead time, and supportGitOpspractices
• Enforce and improve cloud security best practices, including IAM policies, secrets management, and compliance standards
• Troubleshoot production issues across cloud infrastructure, container orchestration, and CI/CD pipelines
• Participate in on-call rotation and incident response as needed
• Document infrastructure architecture, runbooks, and operational procedures
• Continuously evaluate and recommend new tools, technologies, and processes to improve system reliability and developer experience

Basic Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in a DevOps, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), or Cloud Infrastructure Engineering role
• AWS : Strong hands-on experience with core services (EC2, VPC, IAM, S3, RDS, EKS, Lambda, CloudFormation, etc.)
• Kubernetes : Solid experience administering and troubleshooting clusters in production environments
• CI/CD : Proven experience building andmaintainingpipelines (e.g., GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI, or similar)
• GitHub Enterprise : Hands-on experience including repository management, branch protection, and access controls
• Terraform : Strongproficiencyfor infrastructure-as-code, including module design and state management
• Proficiencyin scripting languages such as Bash, Python, or Go
• Solid understanding of networking concepts (DNS, load balancing, VPNs, firewalls)
• Experience with containerization technologies (Docker) and container registries
• Familiarity with monitoring and observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana, CloudWatch, Datadog, or similar)
• Strong understanding of security best practices in cloud environments (IAM, secrets management, least privilege access)

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Relevant certifications (AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), Azure Administrator/DevOps Engineer Expert)
• Prior military service in US Airforce or Navy, particularly in communications, networking, cybersecurity, IT, or other technical fields, is highly valued. Relevant military training and operational experience will be considered alongside civilian industry experience.
• Experience withGitOpstools (ArgoCD, Flux)
• Experience with service mesh technologies (Istio,Linkerd)
• Familiarity with policy-as-code tools (OPA, Sentinel)
• Experience working in regulated or compliance-driven environments (SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI-DSS)
• Background in software development or systems engineering

What We Offer

• Equity ownership in a rapidly growing advanced energy company
• 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).

$165,000 - $190,000 USD