Physical Security Engineer

Do Apply if you: 

• Get excited getting to learn and not discouraged by your ignorance 

• Can work effectively with only the end goal provided 

• Comfortable saying when something is unrealistic or a problem immediately 

• Able to start work late January / early February 

• Can work on-site 5–7 days a week in Hawthorne, CA 

• Comfortable with frequent travel to our reactor site in Orangeville, UT 
  (Guaranteed travel in February 2026) 

DON’T Apply if you: 

• Require a standard Monday to Friday 9–5 working day 

• Are unwilling to be working weekends and nights 

• Are not authorized to work in the United States (we do not sponsor) 

• Are not eligible to access controlled technical information under applicable U.S. export control regulations (e.g., DOE 10 CFR Part 810); eligibility will be verified. 

About the role 

You’ll own execution and operationalization of Valar Atomics’ physical security systems across our Hawthorne facility and our reactor site in Orangeville, UT. The system design is nearing final, and your job is to turn it into a reliable, maintainable, auditable, day-to-day reality. 

This is a hands-on implementation and operations role. You’ll spend a lot of time in the field working with contractors, installers, and vendors, doing commissioning/acceptance testing, resolving on-site issues fast, and producing SOPs, runbooks, and as-built documentation that hold up during incidents and audits. You won’t be on an island: you’ll work directly with the IT & Security lead and partner closely with Facilities, Operations, and Engineering. 

What you’ll do 

• Execute the deployment of physical security systems that are already largely designed: access control, video surveillance, intrusion/alarm, intercom/entry, and related infrastructure. 

• Own contractor coordination end-to-end: scope clarity, technical direction, daily quality control, punch lists, schedule pressure, and getting installs across the finish line. 

• Lead commissioning and acceptance: functional tests, failover testing, outage-mode behavior, and “what happens when things break” validation. 

• Drive as-built documentation: updated drawings, device inventories, cable schedules/labeling standards, network drops, rack layouts, and system topology. 

• Write and maintain SOPs/runbooks for daily operations: badge lifecycle, access provisioning/deprovisioning, camera requests/retention/export, alarm response, system health checks, and escalation paths. 

• Build practical operational discipline: change control for security system configuration, maintenance windows, backup/restore procedures, and upgrade planning. 

• Coordinate with IT/Security on network and identity dependencies (segmentation, firewall rules, VPN/remote access for vendors, logging/monitoring, time sync). 

• Own vendor relationships: RMAs, support cases, firmware lifecycle, licensing, and keeping the system supportable under real operational constraints. 

• Travel frequently to Orangeville, UT to execute site deployments, resolve issues, and ensure the site’s physical security is operationally tight. 

What you bring 

• Hands-on experience implementing and operating real physical security systems (not just managing projects in a spreadsheet). 

• Proven ability to drive contractors: you can translate requirements into field execution, and you don’t tolerate sloppy installs. 

• Strong commissioning mindset: you test edge cases, failure modes, and recovery; then document it so it’s repeatable. 

• Comfort with structured documentation: SOPs, as-builts, inventories, and incident-ready runbooks. 

• Strong troubleshooting skills across the stack: devices, wiring, power, closets/racks, and basic network fundamentals. 

• High ownership and urgency: you surface risk early, call problems immediately, and keep momentum. 

Nice-to-haves 

• Familiarity with access control systems, VMS platforms, and intrusion/alarm monitoring (any major vendor ecosystem is fine). 

• Experience coordinating low-voltage cabling, door hardware integrations, and field commissioning practices. 

• Comfort partnering with IT on VLANs, PoE switching, firewall rules, and remote vendor access controls. 

• Experience writing security operations procedures that must be followed under stress. 

• Experience in industrial / high-consequence environments where uptime and controlled change matter. 

Working with us 

• Small team, real ownership, direct impact on safety-critical operations. 

• Close collaboration with IT/Security, Facilities, and the broader engineering org. 

• Catered lunches 

• Competitive pay