Process Equipment Design Engineer

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

Position Description:

The person in this role is responsible for conducting design, prototyping, and iterative refinement of production-scale remotely-operated electrochemical molten salt process equipment. Day-to-day activities will include design, testing, and validation. This role will include participation in cross-functional teams such as those with a focus on facility design, chemical and electrochemical engineering, I&C and software engineering, process modeling, quality assurance, and licensing.

Specific responsibilities may include:

• Define process equipment architecture, specifications, operational modes, and performance criteria

• Benchmark lab and engineering-scale equipment design and performance

• Design, assemble, and operate prototypes to use for iterative design refinement

• Generate documentation guiding the fabrication, installation, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of process equipment

• Serve as process equipment technical lead through multiple lifecycle stages

• Generate technical documentation to be included in regulatory filings

• Document work using modern tools and techniques, and compose well-written, thoughtful technical reports

Competencies:

We are looking for a Process Equipment Design Engineer that is:

• Passionate about clean energy 

• Proficient in 2D and 3D modeling

• Motivated by building, and getting technology deployed

• Energized by tackling and overcoming challenges

• Passionate about making advanced fission a reality

• Willing and able to learn quickly

• Willing to think differently and do things in new ways 

• Comfortable in a fast-paced, highly iterative startup environment

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

• Willing to propose novel and creative solutions to technical problems

• Able to communicate technical content and results verbally

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

Minimum Qualifications:

• Engineering education, potentially Mechanical, Materials, Petroleum, Aerospace, or Chemical

• Experience performing design or modification engineering on process equipment, such as that used in the petroleum, nuclear, petrochemical, or pharmaceutical industries

• Experience with CAD software

• Broad familiarity with engineering principles, and having strong systems engineering intuition

Bonus Qualifications:

• Experience with electrochemical manufacturing processes such as electroplating or electrowinning

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

• Experience with design for manufacturing, incorporating GD&T

• Experience with engineering simulation software, such as ANSYS

• Experience designing for high reliability and extended maintenance intervals

• Experience with automation and robotics for "lights out" manufacturing environments 

• Experience deploying or working on pilot plants

• Experience in the commercial or governmental nuclear industry

• Experience with balance of plant facility design 

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. Excellent grammar and spelling matter for both good communication as well as the image of the company that we put forward.

About Oklo compensation:

Salary: $80,000-$155,000

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.