Production Quality Engineer

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 Engineer, you will provide technical quality engineering support directly to the production floor for HTGR reactor component and fuel-related manufacturing activities. This role sits within the Torrance manufacturing and fuel fabrication environment. This role serves as the technical quality authority for production processes, working alongside Production Quality Supervisors, Technicians, and Inspectors to define inspection methods, evaluate process capability, disposition nonconforming material, and drive root cause and corrective action for production quality issues. You will partner closely with Manufacturing Engineering, Design Engineering, and Operations to ensure production processes are controlled, verifiable, and capable of meeting engineering requirements at production tempo. This is a hands-on floor engineering role. You will spend significant time directly on the production floor evaluating process performance, reviewing nonconformances, supporting inspection planning, and working through technical problems with operators, technicians, and manufacturing engineers in real time. Key Responsibilities • Develop and maintain inspection plans, control plans, and verification methods for production processes, ensuring alignment with engineering drawings, specifications, and process control requirements. • Serve as the technical disposition authority for production nonconformances, making timely, technically defensible use-as-is, rework, repair, or scrap decisions with appropriate engineering justification, even under schedule pressure. • Lead root cause analysis and corrective action (CAPA) for production quality issues, applying structured problem-solving methods (8D, 5-Why, fishbone, etc.) and taking ownership of issues through to closure. • Evaluate process capability and measurement system performance, including Cp/Cpk studies, Gauge R&R, and other Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA) activities, favoring data-driven decisions over reflexive inspection or rejection. • Work directly on the production floor alongside operators, technicians, and manufacturing engineers to solve quality problems in real time. • Partner with Manufacturing Engineering and Design Engineering to resolve manufacturability issues, process deviations, and engineering change impacts affecting production quality. • Support Production Quality Supervisors and Technicians with technical guidance on inspection methods, gauge selection, sampling plans, and verification strategy. • Support development and technical content of Quality Plan Certification Training Syllabi for Operator Verification Certification (OVC), enabling delegated verification where appropriate. • Analyze production quality data and trends to identify systemic issues, recurring nonconformances, and opportunities for process improvement. • Participate in internal audits of production processes and support external audit and customer quality reviews as the technical subject matter expert. • Support qualification and verification activities as production processes transition from prototype to sustained production. Basic Qualifications • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Materials Engineering, Quality Engineering, or related technical discipline. • 3+ years of experience in quality engineering, manufacturing engineering, or process engineering within a production environment. • Ability to interpret engineering drawings, GD&T, specifications, and process control documentation. • Working knowledge of statistical process control (SPC), process capability analysis (Cp/Cpk), and Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA/Gauge R&R). • Experience with nonconformance and CAPA systems and root cause investigation methodologies. • Strong communication skills across engineering, manufacturing, and quality functions, with the ability to translate technical findings into practical action. • Comfortable working within active manufacturing environments including exposure to industrial noise, fabrication-related fumes, and changing operational conditions while following all safety protocols. Preferred Skills and Experience • Experience supporting nuclear, aerospace, defense, semiconductor, or similarly regulated manufacturing environments. • Familiarity with NQA-1, ASME, AS9100, IATF 16949, or similar quality management standards. • Experience with APQP/PPAP, PFMEA, and process control plan development. • Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, or equivalent process improvement certification. • Experience using statistical analysis tools (Minitab, JMP, or similar) for process and data analysis. • Experience supporting or implementing Operator Verification Certification (OVC) or similar delegated-verification programs • Experience transitioning manufacturing processes from prototype/R&D to sustained production. 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 $90,000—$125,000 USD