Fuel Performance Engineer

Oklo Inc; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible time off

Equity

Competitive pay

401k

Health insurance

FSA

Flexible work hours

Job summary

Oklo Inc. is seeking a Fuel Performance Engineer to lead analyses validating current and future fuel designs for the Aurora powerhouses. You will model and simulate performance, document results, and interface with design, fabrication, and licensing teams to ensure robust fuel behavior.

The role requires creativity, fast learning, and a collaborative, startup-minded approach in a dynamic environment. Travel to Santa Clara HQ may be expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field with 3+ years of experience.
• Experience performing multi-physics analyses for complex systems.
• Proficiency with finite element software (ANSYS, Abaqus).
• Strong materials analysis capabilities and programming knowledge.
• Proven ability to document technical work clearly.

Responsibilities

• Analyze current and novel fuel designs under operating and off-normal conditions.
• Develop analysis methodologies and potentially build modeling tools.
• Verify and validate modeling/simulation tools used in analyses.
• Collaborate with reactor design, fuel fabrication, and licensing teams.
• Document work with clear technical reports and supporting data.
• Support experimental fuel campaigns where needed.

Skills

Multi-physics analysis

Finite element simulations

Python

C++

Material analysis

Technical communication

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

ANSYS

Abaqus

BISON

LIFE-METAL

Job description

Thanks for your interest in Oklo! We are searching for a Fuel Performance Engineer to join our team.

Position Description

Fuel Performance Engineers at Oklo are responsible for the fuel performance analyses and verification of current and future fuel design for Oklo's Aurora powerhouses. This includes engineering analyses, modeling and simulation, clear and thorough documentation of the analyses, as well as interfacing with our reactor design, fuel fabrication, and licensing teams.

Specific responsibilities may include:

• Analyzing current and novel fuel design performance across expected operating conditions and postulated off-normal conditions.
• Devising analysis methodologies that efficiently and effectively build confidence in a design, which can include software development of modeling and simulation tools.
• Verification and validation of modeling and simulation tools in support of analyses.
• Collaboration cross-functionally to provide technical feedback to design teams.
• Documenting work using modern tools and techniques, and writing well-written, thoughtful technical reports.
• Supporting experimental fuel campaigns.

We are looking for a Fuel Performance Engineer that is:

• Passionate about clean energy and making advanced fission a reality
• Willing and able to learn quickly and adapt to evolving challenges
• Eager to work in a dynamic team, receive constructive feedback, and grow with us
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, highly iterative startup environment where we think differently and do things in new ways
• Excited to think creatively, critically, and reflectively about the problems they are solving
• Willing to propose novel and creative solutions to technical problems

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, plus 3 years of experience
• Experience with multi-physics system performance analyses
• Experience with finite element simulation software (e.g., Ansys, Abaqus)
• Experience with material analysis
• Experience with object-oriented programming language (e.g., Python, C++)

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience with nuclear fuel performance analysis
• Familiarity with metallic fuels
• Experience with fuel analysis and fuel performance software (e.g., BISON, LIFE-METAL, etc.)
• Experience in material selection and material analysis
• Fluency in Python

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

Salary: $120,000-$165,000

Salary may fall outside of the range provided and will be dependent on applicant experience.

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

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.

Candidates should be aware that employment may be contingent upon successful completion of a drug screening, and employees may be subject to drug testing at any time in accordance with company policy and applicable laws.