Turbomachinery Secondary Flow Engineer

Valar Atomics Inc.; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity ownership

Unlimited PTO

Free onsite meals

PPE stipend

High-impact startup

Career growth

Collaboration with experts

Ground-up energy tech

Job summary

Valar Atomics is hiring a secondary flow engineer to join the turbomachinery team and advance power generation capability. You’ll define the secondary flow path, collaborate with cross-functional teammates to deliver a manufacturable, high-efficiency design, and influence system architecture as an early hire.

This role offers equity, generous PTO, daily onsite meals, and rapid growth in a high-impact startup environment with autonomy and direct collaboration with operators and engineers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering required.
• Experience with secondary flow systems from a systems or seal design perspective.
• Experience with rotating seal design or seal procurement.

Responsibilities

• Define the secondary flow path for Valar’s turbomachinery.
• Own procurement or manufacture of seals.
• Conduct trade studies of seal configurations and drive architecture decisions.

Skills

Secondary flow analysis

Rotating seal design

Seal procurement

3D CFD analysis

Thermodynamic cycle analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Master's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

AxStream

Concepts NREC

Dyrobes

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 Engineering organization, Power Conversion develops the technologies that efficiently transform reactor-generated heat into usable electrical power. The team focuses on maximizing system performance, reliability, and commercial viability.

The Role

Valar Atomics is seeking a secondary flow engineer to join the turbomachinery team and advance power generation capability. In this role, you’ll be responsible for the definition of the secondary flow path for Valar’s power generation turbomachinery. You’ll be working with cross-functional team members to define a manufacturable, high efficiency, robust design. As an early hire in turbomachinery, you will be able to directly influence design decisions on the system architecture.

Key Responsibilities

• Responsible engineer for secondary flow passages
• Own procurement or manufacture of seals
• Conduct trade studies of seal configurations and drive actionable architecture decisions from them

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering
• Experience analyzing secondary flow systems from either a systems perspective or from a seal design perspective
• Experience with rotating seal design or seal procurement

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Master's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering
• Experience with commercially available secondary flow analysis packages (AxStream, Concepts NREC, Dyrobes)
• Experience with supercritical CO2
• Experience conducting 3D CFD analyses of secondary flow paths in turbomachinery
• Experience with thermodynamic cycle analysis

What We Offer

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

$140,000 - $215,000 USD

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