Infrastructure & SCADA Engineer
Valar Atomics
Do Apply if you:
- In your free time you build your technical skills via personal projects
- Are very passionate about technology, security, and/or power generation
- 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 prior to Jan 31st, 2026
- 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 help run and harden Valar Atomics’ OT infrastructure: the SCADA network and the Rockwell FactoryTalk ecosystem that supports reactor and test operations. This is a hands-on operations role (not a controls programming role). Most systems are already designed, procured, and partially deployed—you’ll jump straight into implementation, configuration, documentation, and operational ownership. You won’t be on an island: you’ll work directly with the IT & Security lead (your manager) and partner closely with Instrumentation & Control.
What you’ll do
• Operate and stabilize FactoryTalk infrastructure (FactoryTalk Linx / View / Historian / related services) and the networks it depends on.
• Implement and test redundancy/failover in critical environments (OT networks, core services, remote access, and monitoring).
• Operate segmented OT networks: Arista/Cisco switching, VLANs, QoS/traffic shaping, and packet-level troubleshooting when things break.
• Deploy and manage firewalls (Palo Alto & pfSense): segmentation, rule changes, VPNs (SSL/IPsec/WireGuard), and logging/change control.
• Implement 802.1x and identity-driven network access where appropriate without breaking operations.
• Operate Windows domain services supporting OT (Domain Controllers, AD, GPO) including hardening and recovery planning.
• Build/operate PKI and certificate workflows (offline/dedicated CA with OpenSSL + Windows CA), including SSL cert issuance, renewal, and troubleshooting TLS end-to-end.
• Implement and maintain smart card authentication in Windows AD environments (enrollment, mapping, auth troubleshooting).
• Support OT visibility tooling (Claroty) and keep it operational and useful to I&C/Security.
• Operate supporting infra (Proxmox; Azure VMs/vNets where needed).
• Support operator infrastructure as needed: Adder Infinity KVM, VoIP networks, and WiFi systems (Ruckus).
• Maintain accurate documentation and operational runbooks: network diagrams, operational procedures, and device/service add/remove processes.
• Work with I&C / Engineering to resolve issues introduced by hardening/security controls, and coordinate with the Data & Storage Engineer for centralized logging
What you bring
• Hands-on experience supporting production OT/SCADA environments with a bias toward uptime and safe change control.
• Strong FactoryTalk infrastructure/support experience (Linx / View / Historian and surrounding Windows/network dependencies).
• Strong networking fundamentals (switching, segmentation, QoS, VPNs) and the ability to troubleshoot with packet captures.
• Experience operating enterprise firewalls and remote access in segmented environments (Palo Alto/pfSense a plus).
• Windows AD/DC fundamentals with real operational discipline (hardening, backups, recovery).
• PKI/certificate lifecycle experience and comfort debugging TLS/cert chains under pressure.
• Smart card / certificate-based auth experience in Windows environments (highly preferred).
• Documentation skills that stand up during incidents.
Nice-to-haves
• Claroty experience in production OT networks.
• Experience with data diodes / one-way data transfer architectures.
• Proxmox experience (especially HA/recovery patterns).
• Scripting for automation and operational glue.
• Rockwell PLC familiarity (as an infrastructure/support partner to I&C).
Working with us
• Small team, real ownership, direct impact on safety-critical operations.
• Close collaboration with Instrumentation & Control and the broader engineering org.
• Catered lunches
• Competitive pay