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Project Manager - Numenor Pod

Hawthorne

About Valar Atomics

Valar Atomics is building a fleet of advanced nuclear reactors at gigasites across the U.S. — starting with Gigasite One in Utah, then replicating. We move at the pace defense-tech and aerospace move, not the pace nuclear has historically moved. The goal is to build reactors at the cadence of a manufacturer, not a one-off megaproject. The Project Development team takes site control through Final Investment Decision and hands to Delivery for construction and commissioning — a pod model designed for replication, not bespoke execution.

About the role

This is the first project hire for the Gigasite One (GS1) pod and the role that sets the cultural and operational tone for every pod that follows. The Project Manager owns end-to-end project execution for Numenor — integrated CPM schedule, gate readiness, EPC and vendor management, cost and risk integration — and shapes the controls function the Project Controller (GS1P-PC) will later run. You'll partner with Engineering on ICDs and design freezes, with Delivery on the handoff spec, with the Head of Regulatory Affairs on the regulatory critical path, with MSG (cost, finance, supply chain, real estate) on program-services integration, and with the in-pod Operations Manager on the procedures and team-to-team interfaces that hold the operating system together. The integrated CPM baseline, the gate-package conventions, the change-order discipline framework, and the handoff spec to Delivery are not yet written — you write them. Clear director-track potential as the project organization scales.

Key responsibilities

Schedule and gate ownership

  • Develop and maintain the integrated CPM schedule for the Numenor pod from site identification through FID with continued development-partner role through commissioning.
  • Run weekly progress updates, critical-path analysis, and 3-week / 6-month look-aheads in coordination with the construction lead.
  • Lead quarterly schedule risk analysis (SRA) and produce the schedule basis memorandum.
  • Drive gate package readiness across FEL-1 / FEL-2 / FEL-3, NRC ESP/COL milestones, DOE program milestones (NRIC / GAIN / ARDP as applicable), and customer-facing offtake milestones.
  • Own the master milestone list and the gate decision log.

Vendor and EPC contractor management

  • Lead EPC contract execution from award through close-out — scope of work, change-order discipline, performance management, and dispute escalation.
  • Manage long-lead and major equipment procurement from PO through delivery in coordination with Supply Chain Director and Valar's transactional procurement function.
  • Run weekly contractor coordination meetings; chair monthly executive contractor reviews.
  • Own contractor performance reporting against scope / cost / schedule KPIs.

Reporting, cost, and risk

  • Produce the weekly project status report (schedule + cost + risk + decisions-needed) and the monthly executive readout (KPI dashboard, variance analysis, gate health).
  • Prepare quarterly Board-level project updates in coordination with the executive team.
  • Serve as risk owner of record for the pod — maintain the risk register, run monthly risk reviews, and escalate Tier 1 risks to the executive team.
  • Partner with Mission Support Group Cost Estimator on AACE-class estimates and with Mission Support Group Project Finance Analyst on EVM, monthly cost reporting, and capital plan inputs.

Pod controls function setup

  • Define the Project Controller role scope, reporting structure, tools, and onboarding plan.
  • Establish EVM methodology, cost coding structure (WBS / CBS), change control discipline, and document control conventions for the pod.
  • Hand off operational scope to the Project Controller once in seat.

Interface management

  • Daily / weekly: pod discipline engineers (Civil, Electrical/BOP, Plant Process, Licensing, Energy Sales).
  • Weekly: reactor engineering organization, MSG-CostE, MSG-PFA, construction lead.
  • Monthly: Head of Regulatory Affairs, MSG leadership, executive team.
  • Quarterly: external stakeholders — NRC project manager, DOE program manager, customer technical representatives.

Local presence and stakeholder engagement

  • Maintain a field-office cadence in Utah / Hawthorne; serve as Valar's senior on-site project leader.
  • Build and sustain working relationships with local government (county commissioners, host municipalities, regional agencies).
  • Coordinate with the Director of Public Relations and the Utah Government Relations Manager on community engagement, public meetings, and host-county forums.

Basic qualifications

  • 8+ years on capital megaprojects of $1B+ TIC.
  • Demonstrated CPM schedule ownership on EPC delivery (Primavera or MS Project).
  • Hands-on experience with formal stage-gate / Independent Project Analysis-class gate culture.
  • Track record managing EPC contractors and complex vendor stacks under tight schedule pressure.
  • Bias toward action — "the schedule is wrong; let's fix it" rather than "the schedule has gaps that need to be analyzed."
  • Judgment on when not to add controls overhead — premature gate culture on a 10-person team is paperwork, not discipline.
  • Working fluency with Primavera P6 or MS Project, SharePoint, document control, Palantir Foundry, and Anthropic products (Claude, Claude Code).
  • Comfort with relocation to or substantial presence in Utah.

Preferred qualifications

  • PMI PMP certification, or equivalent megaproject discipline credential (IPA / FEL gate-system, company-specific MCP cert, etc.).
  • LNG, refinery, or petrochem megaproject leadership (gate culture and EPC mechanics translate directly).
  • Operator-side major-capital-projects (MCP) team experience (ExxonMobil MCP, Chevron MCP, Shell P&T, etc.).
  • First-of-a-kind (FOAK) project leadership at a startup or first-of-program operator project — distinct discipline from second-of-a-kind EPC execution.
  • Hyperscaler / data-center build leadership experience.
  • Director-track trajectory.
  • Curiosity about advanced nuclear; nuclear experience not required.

What we Offer  

  • Competitive base salary 
  • Equity ownership in a rapidly growing advanced energy company 
  • Comprehensive medical benefits 
  • 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).

Salary

$250,000 - $350,000 USD

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