Geared toward experienced manufacturing quality professionals comfortable with nuclear reactor component production and traceability systems, working in a collaborative, high-accountability environment in Torrance, California.
Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.
Original posting from Valar Atomics via Greenhouse
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 Regulations & Safety organization, Quality Assurance establishes the systems and standards that ensure products and processes consistently meet the highest levels of quality and compliance. The team promotes continuous improvement and operational excellence across the company.
The Role
As Production Quality Supervisor, you will lead day-to-day quality execution on the production floor supporting HTGR reactor component and fuel-related manufacturing activities. This role sits within the Torrance manufacturing and fuel fabrication environment.
This role sits directly within active production operations and is responsible for ensuring disciplined, traceable, and technically defensible manufacturing execution across build, assembly, test, and inspection activities. You will lead Production Quality Technicians and Inspectors while working closely with Production Quality Engineers, manufacturing leadership, operators, and Operations Quality leadership to ensure quality requirements are understood, executable, and consistently implemented under real-world production conditions.
This role is highly operational and hands-on. You will coordinate inspections, verification activities, hold points, traceability systems, nonconformance and CAPA closure, and controlled work execution while helping maintain production momentum under aggressive schedules and evolving technical conditions. Success in this role requires strong floor leadership, manufacturing quality experience, technical judgment, operational awareness, and the ability to maintain execution discipline without creating unnecessary bureaucracy or disruption.
Key Responsibilities
Lead day-to-day floor execution activities for the production quality organization supporting reactor component fabrication, assembly, testing, and controlled production execution.
Supervise Production Quality Technicians and Inspectors while reinforcing disciplined execution, procedural compliance, technical rigor, and traceability integrity across all production quality activities.
Coordinate inspection activities, hold points, in-process verification, and controlled workflows across manufacturing cells, work centers, and production disciplines.
Provide quality oversight of production activities including material handling, fabrication, assembly, testing, and final inspection.
Ensure build records, material traceability, inspection documentation, and controlled execution documentation remain accurate, complete, retrievable, and audit-ready.
Support investigation and resolution of nonconformances, production discrepancies, workmanship concerns, procedural deviations, and technical documentation gaps.
Work directly with manufacturing leadership, Production Quality Engineers, Operations, and Engineering to ensure technically defensible and operationally executable quality solutions.
Help identify emerging execution risks, traceability gaps, process performance concerns, and operational weaknesses before they become major production impacts.
Mentor and develop floor quality personnel while helping establish scalable production quality execution standards and verification discipline across the organization.
Support Operator Verification Certification (OVC) implementation on the floor, coordinating with the Quality Department on certification, currency, and delegation of verification activities.
Participate in internal audits of production quality processes and support external audit readiness.
You Will Be Successful in This Role If
You lead through technical competence, operational awareness, execution discipline, and professionalism rather than bureaucracy or positional authority.
You are comfortable operating within demanding production environments involving changing priorities, evolving designs, schedule pressure, and cross-functional coordination.
You can effectively balance technical rigor, procedural compliance, operational practicality, and production urgency without compromising execution integrity.
You communicate clearly and professionally across operators, technicians, engineers, and leadership teams while maintaining productive working relationships under pressure.
You naturally identify operational risks, execution weaknesses, traceability gaps, and process concerns before they become larger failures.
You thrive in high-accountability environments where ownership, urgency, adaptability, and mission commitment are expected daily.
Basic Qualifications
High school diploma or equivalent required; technical degree or engineering-related education preferred.
7+ years of experience supporting quality execution within manufacturing, production, nuclear, aerospace, semiconductor, defense, or similarly demanding technical environments.
3+ years of experience leading production quality personnel, inspection teams, or manufacturing quality execution activities.
Ability to interpret engineering drawings, specifications, work instructions, travelers, and controlled documentation.
Familiarity with production verification activities, inspection methods, material traceability systems, and regulated quality systems.
Comfortable working within active manufacturing environments including exposure to industrial noise, fabrication-related fumes, and changing operational conditions while following all safety protocols.
Flexible and willing to support demanding production schedules including extended hours, weekends, and rapid-response floor problem solving when necessary.
Preferred Skills and Experience
Prior experience supporting nuclear manufacturing, NQA-1 environments, DOE projects, ASME-related fabrication activities, or similarly regulated technical programs.
Manufacturing quality experience spanning machining, welding, assembly, fabrication, and industrial production activities.
Experience coordinating quality execution across multiple work centers, shifts, or production cells.
Familiarity with nonconformance systems, CAPA tracking, traceability systems, controlled work execution, and field verification methodologies.
Experience supporting root cause investigations, corrective actions, and operational quality problem solving within complex manufacturing environments.
Working familiarity with dimensional inspection methods, gauges, and technical verification workflows.
Experience supporting or implementing Operator Verification Certification (OVC) or similar delegated-verification programs.
Strong operational judgment and ability to make technically defensible decisions under ambiguity and schedule pressure.
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$80,000—$115,000 USD