Director of Project Development

Oklo Inc; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Bonuses

401(k)

Health insurance

Wellness credits

Job summary

Oklo Inc. seeks a Director of Project Development to lead end-to-end execution of the Aurora powerhouse development portfolio from site control to financial close and FNTP.

You will own schedules, budgets, and risk, and coordinate with Development Engineering, Interconnection, permitting, and Finance teams while mentoring Senior Project Developers and Associates. You will drive multiple concurrent sites, support other lines like Oklo Isotopes, and contribute to Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation

Qualifications

• 12+ years in energy generation or large load project development with proven progression.
• Experience advancing projects from greenfield to financial close.
• Strong leadership across multiple teams and functions.
• Familiarity with site control, permitting, interconnection, and financing.

Responsibilities

• Own the stage-gate development process for a portfolio of 5–10+ Aurora powerhouse sites concurrently.
• Drive projects from site control through engineering readiness, interconnection, NRC permitting, and financial close.
• Manage project schedules, budgets, and risk registers.
• Coordinate with Development Engineering, Transmission & Interconnection, Environmental & Permitting, and Finance teams.
• Build and mentor a team of Project Developers at varying seniority levels.
• Present projects in executive milestones and board reports.

Skills

Project leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Development lifecycle

Stakeholder management

Strategic planning

Job description

Thanks for your interest in Oklo! We are searching for a Director of Project Development to join our team.

Position Description

The Director of Project Development owns the end-to-end execution of Oklo's Aurora powerhouse development pipeline. You are the project execution spine of the Development organization — responsible for advancing multiple sites simultaneously from site control through financial close and FNTP. This team will grow as the project portfolio grows with Senior Project Developers, Project Developers, and Associates and this team will serve as the primary integration point across Development Engineering, Transmission & Interconnection, and coordinated functions (Environmental & Permitting, Project Finance).

Specific responsibilities may include:

• Own the stage-gate development process for a portfolio of 5–10+ Aurora powerhouse sites concurrently
• Drive each project from site control through engineering readiness, interconnection, NRC permitting coordination, and financial close
• Serve as the primary owner of individual project schedules, budgets, and risk registers
• Lead cross-functional coordination across Development Engineering, Transmission & Interconnection, and coordinate with Oklo's Environmental & Permitting and Finance teams
• Build, manage, and mentor a team of Project Developers at varying seniority levels
• Represent projects in executive-level milestone reviews and board reporting
• This individual will support development of projects across other Oklo business lines, such as Oklo Isotopes,including site readiness coordination, regulatory interface, and integration with the Aurora powerhouse development pipeline
• This individual will support development activities for Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses (NLICs) — multi-use nuclear sites integrating power generation, isotope production, and advanced nuclear research — coordinating across internal teams and external partners

Minimum Qualifications:

• 12+ years in energy generation or large load project development with demonstrated track record advancing projects from greenfield to financial close
• Deep familiarity with the full development lifecycle: site control, permitting coordination, interconnection, and project financing
• Nuclear, utility-scale generation, or complex infrastructure experience strongly preferred
• Exceptional cross-functional leadership and stakeholder management skills

We are looking for a Director of Project Development that is:

• Passionate about clean energy
• Passionate about making advanced fission a reality
• Willing and able to learn quickly
• Eager to work on a dynamic team, receive constructive feedback, and grow with us
• 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
• An excellent writer who can write in modern active voice, so make your cover letter compelling and write it well!
• Able to communicate technical content and results verbally

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.

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. For the first two weeks of onboarding, employees are required to be in person at headquarters in Santa Clara, CA.

Oklo offers flexible time off, equity, bonuses, competitive pay, 401(k), health insurance (with employer contribution), HSA, FSA, flexible work hours, wellness credits, and other benefits.

This position may involve access to information subject to U.S. export control laws. Only applicants who meet the definition of a U.S. person under applicable laws may be eligible.

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.

Candidates should be aware that employment may be contingent upon successful completion of a drug screening, and employees may be subject to drug testing