Senior Mechanical Design Lead - Nuclear Energy Systems

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

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Equity ownership

Medical benefits

Free onsite meals

Autonomy and ownership

Career growth

Direct collaboration with leaders

Ground-up impact opportunities

Job summary

Valar Atomics is seeking a Staff Mechanical Design Engineer to design, develop, and validate mechanical systems meeting performance, manufacturability, and cost targets. You will work with cross-functional teams to bring innovative products from concept to production and act as a technical leader and mentor.

You will lead major subsystems design, perform analyses (FEA/CFD), oversee prototypes, and collaborate with electrical, manufacturing, and systems engineers to drive integration and design

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 8+ years of mechanical design and product development experience.
• Proven track record delivering production-ready hardware.
• CAD and drafting standards knowledge.
• Strong knowledge of materials and manufacturing processes.
• Experience performing or overseeing FEA and CFD analyses.

Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical design efforts for major subsystems aligning performance targets, manufacturability, and cost.
• Mentor junior engineers and review mechanical designs for consistency with standards.
• Develop detailed 3D CAD models, assemblies, and drawings with GD&T and tolerance analysis.
• Perform structural, thermal, and fluid analyses (FEA/CFD) to validate performance.
• Oversee prototype fabrication, assembly, testing, and interpretation of results.
• Partner with electrical, manufacturing, and systems engineers for integration and optimization.
• Collaborate with vendors on DFM feedback and process selection.
• Contribute to internal design controls and documentation practices.

Skills

CAD Software

FEA/CFD analyses

Leadership

Technical documentation

Experience: 8+ yrs

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

SolidWorks

Creo

NX

PLM/PDM tools

Job description

Valar Atomics is seeking a Staff Mechanical Design Engineer to design, develop, and validate mechanical systems meeting performance, manufacturability, and cost targets. You will work with cross-functional teams to bring innovative products from concept to production and act as a technical leader and mentor.

You will lead major subsystems design, perform analyses (FEA/CFD), oversee prototypes, and collaborate with electrical, manufacturing, and systems engineers to drive integration and design