Demo

Head of IT Operations

Initialized Capital
Hawthorne, CA Full Time
POSTED ON 5/1/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 5/30/2026
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

Valar Atomics is seeking a Head of IT Operations to build and lead secure, scalable, and high-performance IT systems across the company. This role is responsible for designing and operating all internal infrastructure, including corporate IT, identity and access management, endpoint systems, networking, and compliance frameworks required for export-controlled environments.

You will be a foundational leader, working directly with engineering, security, legal, and leadership to ensure our systems are robust, compliant, and enable rapid execution without compromise.

This is not a maintenance role. You will architect and build the systems that the company will run on.

Key Responsibilities

  • Own end-to-end IT infrastructure: corporate IT, networking, endpoints, SaaS systems, and internal tooling
  • Design and implement ITAR-compliant environments, including access controls, data segregation, and auditability
  • Build and enforce identity and access management (IAM) systems with least-privilege principles
  • Establish secure device management (MDM), endpoint detection and response (EDR), and fleet lifecycle processes
  • Architect and maintain secure network infrastructure, including office, lab, and production environments
  • Lead vendor selection and management across IT, security, and infrastructure tooling
  • Develop and enforce IT policies and procedures aligned with export control and security requirements
  • Partner with engineering to support high-performance computing, lab systems, and specialized environments
  • Stand up monitoring, logging, and incident response capabilities for IT systems
  • Build and lead a high-performing IT team, setting a culture of ownership and operational excellence
  • Ensure business continuity and disaster recovery planning
  • Act as a key stakeholder in security audits, compliance readiness, and regulatory inspections

You Will Be Successful in This Role If

  • You have a builder mentality: you default to creating systems, not maintaining legacy ones
  • Have security-first thinking without slowing down execution
  • Take high ownership and accountability
  • You can operate in ambiguity and make high-quality decisions quickly
  • Use Strong judgment balancing speed, cost, and risk
  • Are a clear communicator across technical and non-technical teams

Basic Qualifications

  • 8 years of experience in IT infrastructure, operations, or systems engineering
  • 3 years in a leadership or management role
  • Deep experience with enterprise IT systems, networking, and cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP/Azure)
  • Experience implementing identity systems (Okta, Azure AD, or similar)
  • Strong understanding of network architecture, VPNs, firewalls, and segmentation
  • Proven track record of building systems from the ground up in a fast-paced environment
  • Must be eligible to work in the United States
  • Ability to obtain and maintain access to export-controlled information (ITAR/EAR)
  • This role is onsite and requires close collaboration with engineering and lab environments

Preferred Skills And Experience

  • Experience operating in ITAR, EAR, or other export-controlled environments
  • Familiarity with NIST 800-171, CMMC, or similar compliance frameworks
  • Background in aerospace, defense, energy, or deep tech startups
  • Experience supporting hardware labs, manufacturing environments, or secure facilities
  • Prior experience scaling IT from early-stage to growth-stage company

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

$200,000 - $240,000 USD

244 results found

No results found

  • Afghanistan 93
  • Åland Islands 358
  • Albania 355
  • Algeria 213
  • American Samoa 1
  • Andorra 376
  • Angola 244
  • Anguilla 1
  • Antigua & Barbuda 1
  • Argentina 54
  • Armenia 374
  • Aruba 297
  • Ascension Island 247
  • Australia 61
  • Austria 43
  • Azerbaijan 994
  • Bahamas 1
  • Bahrain 973
  • Bangladesh 880
  • Barbados 1
  • Belarus 375
  • Belgium 32
  • Belize 501
  • Benin 229
  • Bermuda 1
  • Bhutan 975
  • Bolivia 591
  • Bosnia & Herzegovina 387
  • Botswana 267
  • Brazil 55
  • British Indian Ocean Territory 246
  • British Virgin Islands 1
  • Brunei 673
  • Bulgaria 359
  • Burkina Faso 226
  • Burundi 257
  • Cambodia 855
  • Cameroon 237
  • Canada 1
  • Cape Verde 238
  • Caribbean Netherlands 599
  • Cayman Islands 1
  • Central African Republic 236
  • Chad 235
  • Chile 56
  • China 86
  • Christmas Island 61
  • Cocos (Keeling) Islands 61
  • Colombia 57
  • Comoros 269
  • Congo - Brazzaville 242
  • Congo - Kinshasa 243
  • Cook Islands 682
  • Costa Rica 506
  • Côte d’Ivoire 225
  • Croatia 385
  • Cuba 53
  • Curaçao 599
  • Cyprus 357
  • Czechia 420
  • Denmark 45
  • Djibouti 253
  • Dominica 1
  • Dominican Republic 1
  • Ecuador 593
  • Egypt 20
  • El Salvador 503
  • Equatorial Guinea 240
  • Eritrea 291
  • Estonia 372
  • Eswatini 268
  • Ethiopia 251
  • Falkland Islands 500
  • Faroe Islands 298
  • Fiji 679
  • Finland 358
  • France 33
  • French Guiana 594
  • French Polynesia 689
  • Gabon 241
  • Gambia 220
  • Georgia 995
  • Germany 49
  • Ghana 233
  • Gibraltar 350
  • Greece 30
  • Greenland 299
  • Grenada 1
  • Guadeloupe 590
  • Guam 1
  • Guatemala 502
  • Guernsey 44
  • Guinea 224
  • Guinea-Bissau 245
  • Guyana 592
  • Haiti 509
  • Honduras 504
  • Hong Kong SAR China 852
  • Hungary 36
  • Iceland 354
  • India 91
  • Indonesia 62
  • Iran 98
  • Iraq 964
  • Ireland 353
  • Isle of Man 44
  • Israel 972
  • Italy 39
  • Jamaica 1
  • Japan 81
  • Jersey 44
  • Jordan 962
  • Kazakhstan 7
  • Kenya 254
  • Kiribati 686
  • Kosovo 383
  • Kuwait 965
  • Kyrgyzstan 996
  • Laos 856
  • Latvia 371
  • Lebanon 961
  • Lesotho 266
  • Liberia 231
  • Libya 218
  • Liechtenstein 423
  • Lithuania 370
  • Luxembourg 352
  • Macao SAR China 853
  • Madagascar 261
  • Malawi 265
  • Malaysia 60
  • Maldives 960
  • Mali 223
  • Malta 356
  • Marshall Islands 692
  • Martinique 596
  • Mauritania 222
  • Mauritius 230
  • Mayotte 262
  • Mexico 52
  • Micronesia 691
  • Moldova 373
  • Monaco 377
  • Mongolia 976
  • Montenegro 382
  • Montserrat 1
  • Morocco 212
  • Mozambique 258
  • Myanmar (Burma) 95
  • Namibia 264
  • Nauru 674
  • Nepal 977
  • Netherlands 31
  • New Caledonia 687
  • New Zealand 64
  • Nicaragua 505
  • Niger 227
  • Nigeria 234
  • Niue 683
  • Norfolk Island 672
  • North Korea 850
  • North Macedonia 389
  • Northern Mariana Islands 1
  • Norway 47
  • Oman 968
  • Pakistan 92
  • Palau 680
  • Palestinian Territories 970
  • Panama 507
  • Papua New Guinea 675
  • Paraguay 595
  • Peru 51
  • Philippines 63
  • Poland 48
  • Portugal 351
  • Puerto Rico 1
  • Qatar 974
  • Réunion 262
  • Romania 40
  • Russia 7
  • Rwanda 250
  • Samoa 685
  • San Marino 378
  • São Tomé & Príncipe 239
  • Saudi Arabia 966
  • Senegal 221
  • Serbia 381
  • Seychelles 248
  • Sierra Leone 232
  • Singapore 65
  • Sint Maarten 1
  • Slovakia 421
  • Slovenia 386
  • Solomon Islands 677
  • Somalia 252
  • South Africa 27
  • South Korea 82
  • South Sudan 211
  • Spain 34
  • Sri Lanka 94
  • St. Barthélemy 590
  • St. Helena 290
  • St. Kitts & Nevis 1
  • St. Lucia 1
  • St. Martin 590
  • St. Pierre & Miquelon 508
  • St. Vincent & Grenadines 1
  • Sudan 249
  • Suriname 597
  • Svalbard & Jan Mayen 47
  • Sweden 46
  • Switzerland 41
  • Syria 963
  • Taiwan 886
  • Tajikistan 992
  • Tanzania 255
  • Thailand 66
  • Timor-Leste 670
  • Togo 228
  • Tokelau 690
  • Tonga 676
  • Trinidad & Tobago 1
  • Tunisia 216
  • Turkey 90
  • Turkmenistan 993
  • Turks & Caicos Islands 1
  • Tuvalu 688
  • U.S. Virgin Islands 1
  • Uganda 256
  • Ukraine 380
  • United Arab Emirates 971
  • United Kingdom 44
  • United States 1
  • Uruguay 598
  • Uzbekistan 998
  • Vanuatu 678
  • Vatican City 39
  • Venezuela 58
  • Vietnam 84
  • Wallis & Futuna 681
  • Western Sahara 212
  • Yemen 967
  • Zambia 260
  • Zimbabwe 263

Salary : $200,000 - $240,000

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets

What is the career path for a Head of IT Operations?

Sign up to receive alerts about other jobs on the Head of IT Operations career path by checking the boxes next to the positions that interest you.
Income Estimation: 
$66,642 - $81,629
Income Estimation: 
$79,540 - $98,616
Income Estimation: 
$102,517 - $196,564
Income Estimation: 
$105,679 - $151,773
Income Estimation: 
$136,361 - $179,761
Income Estimation: 
$155,621 - $191,711
Income Estimation: 
$164,833 - $211,551
Income Estimation: 
$161,406 - $211,884
Income Estimation: 
$132,013 - $173,575
Employees: Get a Salary Increase
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Job openings at Initialized Capital

  • Initialized Capital Austin, TX
  • Austin, TX Marketing / Full-time Employee / On-site apply for this job Why join us? Handoff is the AI agent that runs a construction company. We help remod... more
  • 9 Days Ago

  • Initialized Capital Broomfield, CO
  • Be one of the Bedo 100 Albedo is making Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) mainstream, building the infrastructure to usher every satellite mission set into this ... more
  • 13 Days Ago

  • Initialized Capital Austin, TX
  • Austin, TX Sales / Full-time Employee / On-site apply for this job Why join us? Handoff is the AI agent that runs a construction company. We help remodeler... more
  • 13 Days Ago

  • Initialized Capital San Francisco, CA
  • Who We Are Formic is on a mission to reshape American manufacturing by making automation accessible to every factory. As labor constraints rise, costs incr... more
  • 3 Days Ago


Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other Head of IT Operations jobs in the Hawthorne, CA area that may be a better fit.

  • Valar Atomics Hawthorne, CA
  • 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—unl... more
  • 15 Days Ago

  • CX2 El Segundo, CA
  • CX2 is a next-generation defense technology company founded to deliver spectrum dominance for the United States and our allies. CX2’s AI-enabled hardware a... more
  • 22 Days Ago

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!