Continuous Improvement/Operational Excellence Engineer

Continuous Improvement/Operational Excellence Engineer Hawthorne 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 Role As a Continuous Improvement / Operational Excellence Engineer, you will help design, improve, standardize, and scale the business processes that enable Valar Atomics to execute effectively as it transitions from rapid technology development to commercial deployment. This role exists at the intersection of operational excellence, quality systems, process governance, organizational effectiveness, and enterprise scalability. Valar is building multiple highly integrated businesses simultaneously—including reactor development, fuel production, engineering, manufacturing, construction, supply chain, laboratory operations, and customer support. As the organization grows, the challenge is not simply improving individual activities, but ensuring the end‑to‑end processes connecting these organizations remain efficient, scalable, risk‑informed, and aligned with both regulatory expectations and operational realities. This role serves as one of the enterprise’s primary process architects. You will work across the organization to identify operational friction, process inefficiencies, unclear ownership, governance gaps, excessive complexity, redundant activities, and systemic weaknesses. You will then help develop practical, scalable solutions that improve organizational performance without introducing unnecessary bureaucracy. Success in this role requires a unique combination of process thinking, quality systems knowledge, operational excellence expertise, business process development, organizational design awareness, and the ability to balance execution speed with appropriate governance. The ideal candidate understands that process rigor should be applied through a graded approach that reflects risk, regulatory obligations, consensus standards, operational maturity, and business objectives. Key Responsibilities Lead enterprise‑wide process improvement initiatives across Engineering, Manufacturing, Construction, Supply Chain, Quality, Laboratory Operations, Customer Service, and other business functions. Map, analyze, improve, and standardize end‑to‑end business processes to improve safety, quality, delivery performance, customer satisfaction, organizational effectiveness, and scalability. Evaluate business processes against applicable regulatory requirements, quality management standards, consensus standards, and organizational objectives while ensuring controls remain appropriate for risk. Identify process bottlenecks, organizational friction points, unclear ownership boundaries, redundant activities, excessive handoffs, and non‑value‑added work. Facilitate structured problem‑solving efforts using Lean, Six Sigma, value‑stream mapping, root‑cause analysis, systems thinking, and other continuous improvement methodologies. Develop process architectures, process interaction models, governance frameworks, ownership structures, and performance measurement systems that support sustainable organizational growth. Partner with process owners and leadership teams to define future‑state workflows that improve execution consistency while maintaining operational flexibility where appropriate. Help ensure enterprise processes are effectively implemented through supporting business systems including ERP, CRM, PLM, MES, DMS, QMS, LMS, LIMS, CMMS, and related operational platforms. Establish meaningful process performance metrics, dashboards, scorecards, and management review mechanisms that support data‑driven decision making. Support development of enterprise process governance frameworks that balance regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, quality objectives, and business needs. Coach leaders and teams on process thinking, process ownership, operational excellence principles, and continuous improvement methodologies. Help establish a culture where continuous improvement, disciplined execution, and organizational learning become embedded behaviors throughout the enterprise. You Will Be Successful in This Role If You naturally view organizational problems as process problems waiting to be understood and improved. You can quickly understand how work flows across organizations, identify inefficiencies, and develop practical solutions that improve performance. You are equally comfortable discussing quality system requirements, operational realities, organizational governance, and business objectives. You understand that effective governance and operational excellence are complementary, not competing, objectives. You can distinguish between processes that require strict standardization and processes that benefit from flexibility and innovation. You are capable of influencing organizational change through credibility, collaboration, and logic rather than positional authority. You recognize that enterprise scalability is achieved through thoughtful process design, not additional bureaucracy. Basic Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Systems Engineering, Quality Engineering, Business Operations, Operations Management, or a related technical discipline. 15+ years of experience in operational excellence, continuous improvement, business process development, quality systems, industrial engineering, operations management, or related disciplines. Demonstrated experience improving business processes within manufacturing, engineering, construction, energy, aerospace, defense, semiconductor, nuclear, or similarly complex technical environments. Strong understanding of process mapping, process analysis, root cause analysis, value‑stream mapping, performance measurement, and organizational process improvement methodologies. Familiarity with enterprise business systems and operational workflows commonly supported through ERP, CRM, PLM, MES, DMS, QMS, LMS, LIMS, and CMMS platforms. Strong facilitation, communication, and cross‑functional collaboration skills. Comfortable operating in fast‑paced environments with evolving priorities and organizational structures. Preferred Skills and Experience Strong working knowledge of quality management systems and consensus standards such as ISO 9001, AS9100, IATF 16949, NQA‑1, ISO 13485, or similar frameworks. Familiarity with 10 CFR 830, 10 CFR 50 and other nuclear and industry regulatory governance. Demonstrated experience translating regulatory requirements, quality standards, and governance expectations into practical business processes. Experience designing, documenting, implementing, and governing enterprise‑level business processes across multiple organizational functions. Strong understanding of process ownership models, governance structures, RACI development, process maturity models, and organizational accountability systems. Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, Operational Excellence, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering, or equivalent certifications. Experience facilitating Kaizen events, business process reengineering initiatives, enterprise process transformation efforts, or large‑scale organizational improvement programs. Familiarity with management review systems, KPI development, balanced scorecards, and organizational performance management. Strong systems‑thinking capability with the ability to understand second‑and third‑order impacts of process and organizational design decisions. Experience operating within highly regulated or consensus‑standard‑driven industries where risk‑informed and graded approaches to governance are required. What We Offer Equity ownership in a rapidly growing advanced energy company. Free daily lunch and dinner provided onsite. 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).

$175,000 - $240,000 USD