Head of Safeguards and Security

About the Company  

General Matter is enriching uranium in America. 

Our goal is to design, build, and operate the world’s lowest-cost enrichment services in the United States.  

Our mission is to restore America’s ability to produce nuclear fuel—fuel that will power AI, advanced manufacturing, critical industries, and the next generation of nuclear reactors. 

Ultimately, our work will help power national ambitions and enable a high-energy society. 

We were incubated by Founders Fund, like Anduril and Palantir before us, and are backed by top-tier investors. Our lean, world-class team of engineers and operators is applying a first-principles approach to solving the problem of nuclear fuel production.  

We are a mission-driven company with a culture of urgency, accountability, and transparency. 

Help us build a high-energy society by making the cleanest, safest form of baseload energy the most affordable. 

About This Role  

General Matter is building domestic uranium enrichment capability in the United States, and this role will own the security program needed to protect the people, facilities, nuclear material, technology, and sensitive information that make that mission possible. The Head of Safeguards & Security will build and lead an integrated security program covering physical security, personnel security, information security, classification, UCNI/CUI, OPSEC, nuclear material safeguards, regulatory readiness, and site security operations. This person will serve as the day-to-day security authority for the site, translating NRC requirements into practical procedures, training, assessments, corrective actions, and operating controls. The role is ideal for a security leader who can operate hands-on in a fast-moving technical environment while building a rigorous, regulator-ready program from the ground up. 

Responsibilities 

• Build, implement, and lead General Matter’s integrated Safeguards & Security program, including physical security, personnel security, information security, classification, UCNI/CUI, OPSEC, insider threat coordination, visitor control, incident response, and security training.
• Serve as the company’s security program lead and site security point of contact for NRC, DOE, law enforcement, customers, auditors, and other government stakeholders.
• Support NRC Part 70 licensing and Part 73 physical protection readiness, including safeguards planning, access authorization interfaces, security recordkeeping, inspections, corrective actions, and compliance with applicable license conditions.
• Develop protection strategies for special nuclear material, controlled nuclear information, sensitive technical information, export-controlled information, proprietary technology, and other mission-critical assets.
• Lead classification and information security programs, including classification guidance, Derivative Classifier authorities, document review, marking, transmission, storage, release review, need-to-know controls, classified matter accountability, self-assessments, and corrective actions.
• Support nuclear material control and accountability interfaces, including MC&A planning, graded safeguards, inventory coordination, NMMSS-related reporting interfaces, physical protection integration, and investigation of anomalies or program degradations.
• Own Export Control, CUI, and OPSEC programs, including reviewing official appointments, handling and marking guidance, access controls, public release reviews, threat and vulnerability analysis, countermeasures, training, and periodic assessments.
• Manage facility clearance, access authorization, need-to-know, security education, classified visitor control, classified matter protection, foreign national access, Part 810-sensitive technology transfers, vendor engagement, and international collaboration requirements.
• Lead security investigations, incident reporting, causal analysis, corrective actions, lessons learned, and management briefings for security events, non-compliances, suspected information compromise, unauthorized disclosures, access-control issues, and safeguards concerns.
• Develop performance metrics, dashboards, audit schedules, management updates, training completion reports, open-actions tracking, and inspection-readiness materials for executive leadership and regulators.
• Partner with engineering, operations, licensing, legal, export control, IT/cybersecurity, facilities, EHS, and executive leadership to embed safeguards and security requirements into facility design, construction, commissioning, and operations.

Basic Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in security management, nuclear engineering, criminal justice, or a related technical field. 
• 8+ years of experience in safeguards and security, nuclear security, classified information protection, information security, law enforcement, military security, DOE/NNSA security, NRC-regulated security, or another high-consequence regulated environment.
•  Experience implementing or managing security programs involving physical security, access control, visitor control, incident response, information protection, controlled information, and security training. 
• Working knowledge of DOE and/or NRC security frameworks, including one or more of: 10 CFR Part 70, 10 CFR Part 73, 10 CFR Part 95, 10 CFR Part 1017, 10 CFR Part 1045. 
• Demonstrated ability to develop procedures, plans, training, assessments, corrective actions, and regulator-ready documentation.
• Strong judgment and discretion when handling classified, sensitive, proprietary, export-controlled, safeguards, or controlled nuclear information. 
• Ability to interface credibly with regulators, auditors, government stakeholders, executive leadership, technical teams, and site operations personnel. 
• Ability to obtain and maintain required security clearance, access authorization, and trustworthiness/reliability determinations. 
• U.S. citizenship required. 

Preferred Skills and Experience 

• Prior experience as a Safeguards & Security Manager, Facility Security Officer, Site Security Officer, Classification Officer, Information Security Officer, OPSEC Manager, MC&A lead, Insider Threat Program participant, or security lead at a DOE, NNSA, NRC, DoD, or cleared contractor site. 
• Experience with uranium enrichment, nuclear fuel cycle operations, special nuclear material, nuclear material accounting, safeguards information, UCNI, CUI, Restricted Data, Formerly Restricted Data, or National Security Information. 
• Familiarity with NRC licensing, inspection, enforcement, corrective action, and security plan processes. 
• Experience building security programs for new facilities, startups, first-of-a-kind technology programs, or rapidly scaling technical organizations. 
• Experience with access-control systems, intrusion detection, security cameras, badge systems, security containers, restricted areas, classified work areas, and visitor-management systems. 
• Experience conducting vulnerability assessments, self-assessments, force protection reviews, OPSEC assessments, document reviews, public release reviews, and security incident investigations. 
• Familiarity with export control, 10 CFR Part 810, foreign national access controls, and sensitive technology-transfer reviews.
•  Excellent writing skills and ability to convert complex regulatory requirements into practical, enforceable procedures. 

Additional Requirements 

• Ability to work extended hours or weekends as necessary to support mission-critical work.
• Ability to work on-site and support classified or sensitive work areas as required. 
• Ability to travel to company sites, regulator meetings, government facilities, vendor locations, or training as needed. 
• Must be able to successfully complete background investigation, drug screening, access authorization, and other requirements for access to nuclear, classified, controlled, or sensitive information. 
• Must maintain strict confidentiality and comply with all applicable safeguards, security, export control, classification, UCNI, CUI, and information-protection requirements. 

Equal Opportunity Employer  

General Matter is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with General Matter is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.  

Compensation and Benefits 

The base salary range for this role is $170,000-$240,000 annually.  

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. Please note that the stated salary range is an estimate and may be adjusted based on market conditions, business needs, or other factors. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.