Director, Development Engineering for Next-Gen Nuclear Site

Seeds Renewables; Santa Clara, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 225,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k)

Bonuses

Flexible work hours

Job summary

Oklo is seeking a Director of Development Engineering to oversee civil, site, and nuclear engineering activities from development through construction readiness at Aurora powerhouse sites. You will lead a team delivering site layouts, basises of design, geotechnical and environmental inputs, and permitting-related engineering for finance, licensing, and EPC handoff.

The role requires 12+ years in related fields with leadership experience, strong civil/site background, nuclear project exposure,

Qualifications

• 12+ years in energy, infrastructure, advanced manufacturing or data center project development engineering.
• 5+ years in a leadership role.
• Strong civil/site engineering background; nuclear project experience highly valued.
• PE license strongly preferred; experience with DOE or NRC-regulated facilities a significant advantage.

Responsibilities

• Lead development engineering across all active sites: site layout, civil/grading design, geotechnical investigation, hydrology, and infrastructure planning
• Solutions engineering for potential co-located buildings such as advanced manufacturing and data centers
• Produce basis-of-design documentation sufficient for project finance due diligence and EPC handoff
• Manage third-party engineering consultants and coordinate with Oklo's internal nuclear design team
• Provide engineering inputs to NRC licensing and NEPA processes coordinated by Oklo's Environmental & Permitting team
• Develop and maintain engineering standards, templates, and quality protocols for the Development organization
• Partner with Oklo’s New Product Integration (NPI) team to translate reactor design requirements, siting criteria, and product evolution into site-specific technical constraints and development scope — ensuring early alignment between product design and site realities
• Develop and own site constraints packages for each Aurora powerhouse development site, synthesizing geotechnical, hydrological, environmental, grid, and regulatory inputs into a single authoritative technical baseline that governs site selection, design, and permitting decisions
• Integrate and quality-control deliverables from civil, geotechnical, environmental, and nuclear engineering consultants — ensuring all third-party work products are consistent, current, and accurately reflected in the site constraints package and project schedule
• Own the development engineering schedule and provide cross-functional technical leadership to identify, prioritize, and mitigate technical risks and fatal flaws on project sites — coordinating with Project Development, Transmission & Interconnection, and Oklo’s Environmental & Permitting team to surface issues early and preserve development optionality
• Lead structured technical risk reviews at each stage gate, evaluating site constraints packages against go/no-go criteria and escalating unresolved fatal flaw risks to the VP of Development with clear options analysis and recommended disposition
• Build and manage a team of engineers across civil/site/electrical and nuclear development disciplines
• Provide engineering support for Isotope production facilities, including facility layout, utility infrastructure design, and integration with co-located Aurora powerhouse systems
• Lead development engineering for Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses (NLICs), coordinating multi-use site design across power generation, isotope production, and research facility components

Skills

Leadership

Civil/site engineering

Nuclear project experience

Project financing deliverables

EPC handoff

DOE/NRC facilities experience

Job description

Oklo is seeking a Director of Development Engineering to oversee civil, site, and nuclear engineering activities from development through construction readiness at Aurora powerhouse sites. You will lead a team delivering site layouts, basises of design, geotechnical and environmental inputs, and permitting-related engineering for finance, licensing, and EPC handoff.

The role requires 12+ years in related fields with leadership experience, strong civil/site background, nuclear project exposure,