Senior University Recruiter

Socket.dev; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Equity ownership

Comprehensive medical benefits

Unlimited PTO

Free daily lunch and dinner onsite

Generous PPE stipend

High-impact startup environment

Job summary

Valar Atomics is seeking a Senior University Recruiter to build and own our university recruiting program from the ground up. Design the full campus recruiting strategy and run it as a scalable function across target schools, internships, and new-grad pipelines.

The ideal candidate has built a university program before, thrives without a playbook, and can balance long-horizon relationship building with urgent technical hiring needs. This foundational role shapes Valar's campus presence.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, including demonstrated ownership of a university or early-career recruiting program
• Experience building a recruiting program or process from the ground up, without an existing playbook to inherit
• Track record of developing school and faculty relationships that convert into hiring pipelines
• Proficiency with an ATS/CRM (Greenhouse, Gem, or similar) and comfort building reporting to track program health
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with experience representing a company to student audiences
• Willingness to travel regularly for campus visits and career fairs (approx. 30-40%)

Responsibilities

• Design and launch Valar's university recruiting strategy from scratch, including target school selection, campus event calendar, and brand presence at career fairs and info sessions
• Build and own the end-to-end internship and new-grad hiring pipeline, from sourcing and screening through offer and close
• Establish and manage relationships with career services offices, faculty, and student organizations at priority schools
• Partner with hiring managers across engineering, nuclear, and operations teams to forecast intern and new-grad headcount needs and calibrate candidate profiles
• Build the systems and processes (Greenhouse and Gem configuration, candidate tracking, conversion reporting) needed to run university recruiting at scale
• Develop a return-offer and conversion strategy to turn interns into full-time hires
• Track and report on program metrics (applications per school, conversion rate, offer-accept rate, cost per hire) and use them to prioritize school investment
• Represent Valar Atomics as an ambassador on campus, communicating the mission and technical work to student audiences

Job description

About Valar Atomics

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, People and Talent attracts, develops, and supports the exceptional individuals who drive Valar's success. The team partners across the company to build a high-performing organization through recruiting, employee development, engagement, and people operations.

The Role

Valar Atomics is seeking a Senior University Recruiter to build and own our university recruiting program from the ground up. This role will design the full campus recruiting strategy - from target school selection and brand presence through internship and new-grad pipelines - and then run it as a steady-state, scalable function. The ideal candidate has built a university program before, is comfortable operating without a playbook, and can balance long-horizon relationship building with the urgency of near-term technical hiring needs. This is a foundational role for someone who wants to own how Valar shows up on campus, not just execute an existing calendar of events.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and launch Valar's university recruiting strategy from scratch, including target school selection, campus event calendar, and brand presence at career fairs and info sessions
• Build and own the end-to-end internship and new-grad hiring pipeline, from sourcing and screening through offer and close
• Establish and manage relationships with career services offices, faculty, and student organizations at priority schools
• Partner with hiring managers across engineering, nuclear, and operations teams to forecast intern and new-grad headcount needs and calibrate candidate profiles
• Build the systems and processes (Greenhouse and Gem configuration, candidate tracking, conversion reporting) needed to run university recruiting at scale
• Develop a return-offer and conversion strategy to turn interns into full-time hires
• Track and report on program metrics (applications per school, conversion rate, offer-accept rate, cost per hire) and use them to prioritize school investment
• Represent Valar Atomics as an ambassador on campus, communicating the mission and technical work to student audiences

Basic Qualifications

• 5+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, including demonstrated ownership of a university or early-career recruiting program
• Experience building a recruiting program or process from the ground up, without an existing playbook to inherit
• Track record of developing school and faculty relationships that convert into hiring pipelines
• Proficiency with an ATS/CRM (Greenhouse, Gem, or similar) and comfort building reporting to track program health
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with experience representing a company to student audiences
• Willingness to travel regularly for campus visits and career fairs (approx. 30-40%)

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience recruiting for engineering-heavy or technical/scientific fields (mechanical, electrical, nuclear, chemical engineering)
• Familiarity with nuclear engineering or adjacent hard-tech and energy university programs
• Experience standing up a Talent function within a startup or rapidly scaling company
• Experience designing internship conversion or return-offer programs

What We Offer

• Competitive base salary
• Equity ownership in a rapidly growing advanced energy company
• Comprehensive medical benefits
• Unlimited PTO
• 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).

Salary: $110,000 — $140,000 USD