Mechanical Design Engineer - Core Mechanical Design

Oklo; Santa Clara (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible time off

Equity

401k

Health insurance

FSA

Flexible work hours

Other benefits

Job summary

Oklo is seeking a Core Mechanical Design Engineer in Santa Clara, CA or remote. You will design core assemblies for advanced reactors, take concepts through final design, and refine for manufacturability with the Fuel Fabrication team.

This role involves documentation, design reviews, and close collaboration with analysts and suppliers. You should have 3–10 years in mechanical design, a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering, and hands-on CAD experience (NX/CATIA/SolidWorks) with PLM tools.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or higher degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 3–10 years of mechanical or structural design experience in relevant industries.
• Proficiency with 3D CAD software and creating detailed drawings.
• Experience with CAD version control and PLM tools.
• Solid understanding of DFM, DFA, and tolerance analysis.
• Ability to apply GD&T per ASME Y14.5-2018 to drawings.
• Strong written and verbal communication, capable of documenting engineering work clearly.
• Comfortable collaborating with external manufacturers and consultants.

Responsibilities

• Design core assemblies and components from concept to final design.
• Develop documentation including drawings, specs, and design basis documents.
• Conduct design reviews and provide technical feedback.
• Perform manufacturability reviews, tolerance studies, and DFA/DFM assessments.
• Generate 3D CAD models and 2D drawings, manage BOMs in PLM systems.
• Coordinate with analysis teams for thermal, structural, fatigue, and safety support.
• Collaborate with fabrication teams to refine designs for manufacturability.
• Contribute to process improvements and design standards within Oklo.

Skills

3D CAD modeling

DFM / DFA

GD&T (ASME Y14.5)

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical documentation

Strong communication

Design for high-temperature or safety

Python scripting (plus)

Education

Bachelor’s or higher in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Siemens NX

CATIA

SolidWorks

Teamcenter

SolidWorks PDM

Windchill

Job description

Mechanical Design Engineer - Core Mechanical Design

Santa Clara, CA or Remote

Thanks for your interest in Oklo! We are searching for a Core Mechanical Design Engineerto join our engineering team.

Position Description

As a Core Mechanical Design Engineer, you will be responsible for designing core assemblies and components that will be used in our advanced reactors. You will take designs through our process from conceptual to final design. During this design lifecycle, you will be responsible for working with Oklo’s Fuel Fabrication team to refine the design for improved manufacturability and inspectability. Additionally, you will responsible for creating other documentation to support the definition of these components, including but not limited to, drawings, productand material specifications, design basis documents, and calculation documents.

Specific responsibilities may include:

• Develop the design of these components to satisfy both performance and manufacturing requirements
• Create and develop design documentation to define requirements
• Conduct and participate in design reviews, providing and receiving technical feedback
• Rigorously evaluate mechanical designs to identify deficiencies and proactively propose and implement solutions
• Generate and maintain detailed 3D CAD models, 2D drawings, and bills of materials using controlled processes in PDM/PLM systems
• Coordinate closely with analysis teams to guide and interpret thermal, structural, fatigue, and safety analyses in support of design validation
• Perform detailed manufacturability reviews, tolerance studies, and DFM/DFA assessments to prepare components for fabrication and assembly
• Contribute to continuous improvement of Oklo’s mechanical design processes, tools, and standards through feedback and development of best practices

Experience Level:

3-10 years of industry experience in mechanical or structural design within sectors such as aerospace, automotive, energy, or industrial equipment

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or higher degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline
• Proficiency in 3D CAD modeling software (e.g., Siemens NX, CATIA, SolidWorks), including part modeling, large assemblies, and detailed drawings
• Experience with CAD version control using PDM/PLM tools (e.g., Teamcenter, SolidWorks PDM, Windchill)
• Solid understanding of mechanical design principles, including DFM (Design for Manufacturability), DFA (Design for Assembly), and tolerance stack-up analysis
• Ability to apply GD&T per ASME Y14.5-2018 (or other similar standard) to engineering drawings
• Working knowledge of material selection (particularly metals), manufacturing methods, and fabrication techniques
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate on cross-functional teams, integrating feedback from analysis, manufacturing, and systems engineering
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly document and present engineering work
• Comfortable working with external manufacturers and engineering consultants for fabrication and analysis support

Bonus Qualifications:

• Background in designing components for high-integrity or safety-critical systems (e.g., nuclear, aerospace, defense, or heavy industry)
• Proven ability to lead hardware projects through the full development cycle—from concept and design to testing and production
• Comfortable working with manufacturers and engineering consultants for fabrication and analysis support
• Knowledge of manufacturing and inspection processes
• Experience with precision machine design and tolerancing
• Understanding of thermal-mechanical analysis principles, with experience designing for high-temperature environments
• Basic knowledge of nuclear fission and radiation effects on materials and components
• Exposure to simulation tools (e.g., ANSYS) and scripting languages (e.g., Python) is a plus
• ASME GD&T Professional certification (Senior or Technologist Level) is a plus
• Proficiency with SolidWorks software is a plus

We are looking for a Core Mechanical Design Engineer that is:

• Competent in 3D modeling software and has a solid understanding of mechanical design principals
• An experienced team player who can work effectively across both internal resources and external suppliers
• Passionate about clean energy
• An optimist at heart
• 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
• An excellent writer who can write in a modern active voice, so make your cover letter compelling and write it well!
• Able to communicate technical content and results verbally

Who you are:

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, 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.