Facility Design Engineer

Thanks for your interest in Oklo! We are searching for a Facility Design Engineer to join our fuel recycling engineering team.

Position Description:

The person in this role will be responsible for developing balance-of-plant design for a commercial-scale Used Nuclear Fuel (UNF) recycling facility. Day-to-day activities will include process analysis, requirements generation, and equipment design and specification for various aspects of the facility. This role will include participation in cross-functional teams such as those with a focus on process equipment design, chemical and electrochemical engineering, I&C and software engineering, quality assurance, and licensing. Additionally, this role will interact with outside A&E firms supporting the facility development.

Specific responsibilities may include:

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Developing facility layouts, workflows, and infrastructure plans to optimize efficiency, safety, security and compliance

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Defining specifications, performance criteria, and requirements for facility process support equipment, including but not limited to:

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Mechanical systems – pumps, heat exchangers, piping, valves, etc.

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Electrical systems – transformers, switchgear, high-power DC rectifiers, etc.

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I&C – Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Distributed Control Systems (DCS), instrumentation sensors, emergency shutdown systems (ESD)

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Backup power generation – generators, fuel tanks and storage, uninterruptable power supplies, etc.

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HVAC & ventilation

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Water and waste systems

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Interacting and managing partner A&E firms supporting facility development work

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Project management relating to facility design

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Creation and/or oversight of building drawings: architectural, P&ID, pipe routing, etc.

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Establishing maintenance and reliability processes and procedures

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Generating maintenance and reliability documentation to be included in regulatory filings

Competencies:

We are looking for a Facility Design Engineer that is:

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Well versed with ‘balance-of-plant’ systems and components for large-scale manufacturing or chemical process facilities

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Proficient in 2D (and 3D) CAD modeling & drawing comprehension

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Capable of defining system requirements and understanding cross disciplinary needs

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Passionate about clean energy

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An optimist at heart

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Passionate about making advanced fission a reality

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Willing and able to learn quickly

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Willing to think differently and do things in new ways

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Comfortable in a fast-paced, highly iterative startup environment

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Excited to think creatively, critically, and reflectively about the problems they are solving while not leaning only on what has been done before

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Willing to propose novel and creative solutions to technical problems

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Able to communicate technical content and results verbally

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An excellent writer who can write in a modern active voice, so make your cover letter compelling and write it well!

Experience level:

5-10+ years of experience in facility design (or heavy modification), construction, and/or industrial engineering

Minimum Qualifications:

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Engineering education, potentially Mechanical, Chemical, Civil, or Structural

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Experience working with large-scale manufacturing or chemical process facilities design or operation

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Project management and vendor management experience

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Experience with 2D and 3D CAD software

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Broad familiarity with engineering principles, including having strong systems engineering intuition

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Experience with ‘balance-of-plant’ facility design

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Experience with the engineering drawing types utilized for a large-scale facility

Bonus Qualifications:

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Experience in the commercial or governmental nuclear sectors

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Experience designing for high reliability and extended maintenance intervals

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Experience with mechanized material handling systems

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Experience managing radioactive material

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Experience in facilities using a high-level of automation

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Experience designing equipment for high (>500 C) temperature operation

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Experience deploying or working on pilot plants

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Professional Engineer (PE) license or equivalent certification

Who you are:

A startup person: You aren't driven by titles or hierarchy, and prefer efficiency to excess process. You don't need or expect to have a lot of guidance but you enjoy working in a fast-paced team. If you prefer the culture and feel of a large organization, that is great, but you likely won’t enjoy working with us! There is plenty of important work and plenty of good opportunities with organizations like that.

Motivated: You are self-motivated. You bring an enthusiasm to the team, and imbue a sense of passion that goes beyond clocking in and clocking out. This isn’t about a fake or arbitrary “pieces of flair” mentality or lack of work-life balance! It is about being a part of the vision and feeling a part of reaching team goals.

A team-player: Oklo genuinely is a team. We aren’t about taking credit for ourselves, and we aren’t about pushing blame to others. We do incredible things because we work as a team.

An excellent communicator: We need a person who is not only technically competent but also a clear and upbeat communicator.

Creative: Being creative means that when things fall outside clear scopes or processes or problems arise without clear solutions, you are able to identify it as well as invent ways to solve a problem or fill a need without micromanagement. The successful person in this job will not only be creative, but also enjoy being creative and solving open-ended problems which may change day-by-day.

Detail-oriented: This focus is a big part of excellence, consistency, and quality. Even excellent grammar and spelling matter for both good communication as well as the image of the company that we put forward.

About Oklo travel requirements:

Oklo requires remote employees to travel to headquarters (Santa Clara, CA) twice a quarter annually, based on business or team needs, including attendance at team meetings, off-sites, and other company events or gatherings.

About Oklo compensation: $80,000-$180,000 DOE

Oklo offers flexible time off, equity, competitive pay, 401k, health insurance, FSA, flexible work hours, and other benefits.

We are looking to fill this position immediately!

About Oklo Inc.: Oklo Inc. is developing fast fission power plants to deliver clean, reliable, and affordable energy at scale; establishing a domestic supply chain for critical radioisotopes; and advancing nuclear fuel recycling to convert nuclear waste into clean energy. Oklo was the first to receive a site use permit from the U.S. Department of Energy for a commercial advanced fission plant, was awarded fuel material from Idaho National Laboratory, and submitted the first custom combined license application for an advanced reactor to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Oklo is also developing advanced fuel recycling technologies in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. National Laboratories.

#CHOP: Oklo’s Values
Collaboration: We go further, together. We bring diverse perspectives, listen actively, and build trust through transparency and respect. We work across disciplines, sharing ownership to turn complex challenges into shared successes.
Humility: We are team players who act for the good of the company and for the world. We are focused on our mission, not personal recognition.
Ownership: We take pride in what we do and how we do it. We are proactive in finding solutions and see tasks through to completion. We are committed to delivering on our promises to provide clean, reliable, and affordable energy.
Pathfinding: We chart new ground where no path exists by approaching challenges with curiosity, courage, and creativity while navigating ambiguity.

Recruitment Fraud Disclaimer

Oklo is aware of recent recruitment fraud attempts targeting job seekers. Please be cautious of anyone claiming to represent Oklo who does not contact you from an official Oklo email address.

All legitimate communications from our recruiting team— including application updates, interview requests, and job offers — will come exclusively from an @oklo.com email. Oklo will never ask for sensitive personal information, payments, or account credentials during the hiring process.

If you receive suspicious outreach or have concerns about the authenticity of any communication claiming to be from Oklo, please contact us through the official channels listed on our website.