Neutronics Analysis Engineer

Oklo Inc; Santa Clara (CA); Hybrid; USD 102,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

401k

Health insurance

Flexible work hours

Untracked paid time off

Job summary

Oklo Inc. seeks a Neutronics Analysis Engineer in Santa Clara, CA, to define and execute neutronics analyses for reactor design and safety assurance. Candidates should be self-motivated team players with a strong background in nuclear engineering, fluent in Python, and experienced in high-performance computing. The role requires analysis using Monte Carlo and deterministic codes, emphasizing communication and creativity in solving technical challenges. Competitive salary and benefits are offered.

Qualifications

• Experience and expertise in reactor design is preferred.
• Fluency with Python is required.
• Experience with fast reactor design and analysis is highly recommended.

Responsibilities

• Perform neutronics analyses to support reactor design.
• Support qualification and verification of neutronic analyses.
• Document work using modern tools and write technical reports.

Skills

Fluency with Python

Experience with modern object-oriented languages, preferably C++

Proficiency with MCNP and SERPENT

Proficiency with high-performance computing systems

Experience in reactor design and analysis

Education

Bachelors, Masters, or PhD in a technical field such as nuclear engineering

Tools

Serpent

MCNP

SCALE code system

DIF3D

PERSENT

Job description

Position Description

The Neutronics Analysis Engineer is responsible for defining, developing, and executing in-core and ex-core neutronics analyses to support reactor design, performance evaluation, and safety assurance. This role involves working closely with the broader design team to solicit and capture requirements, establish the scope of neutronic evaluations, and implement appropriate models and methods. Areas of analysis include, but are not limited to, criticality, depletion, activation, and shielding. The engineer will also support verification and validation activities and contribute to licensing and regulatory interactions by providing technically sound and defensible neutronics analyses.

Specific responsibilities

• Perform the complete range of actions involved in supporting core design and fuel cycle analysis using Monte Carlo and deterministic codes on Oklo reactors.
• Perform calculations and analyses in Monte Carlo based codes such as Serpent, MCNP, SCALE, and OpenMC.
• Perform calculations and analyses with fast reactor deterministic codes such as DIF3D, PERSENT.
• Support the qualification and verification of neutronic analyses, including validation against experiments and benchmarks.
• Be aware of and familiar with fast reactor core design and analysis work being performed internationally, as well as related benchmark calculations and experiments being performed internationally.
• Provide technical feedback to quick-iterating design teams.
• Document work using modern tools and techniques, and write well-written, thoughtful technical reports.

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

Minimum Qualifications

• Experience and expertise in reactor design is preferred. Typical indicators include a Bachelors, Masters, or PhD in a technical field such as nuclear engineering, with experience in reactor design and analysis (Masters or PhD may be preferable).
• Fluency with Python.
• Experience with modern object‑oriented languages, preferably C++.
• Proficiency with high performance computing systems.
• Experience with fast reactor design and analysis is highly recommended.
• Proficiency with MCNP and SERPENT is highly recommended.
• Proficiency with ORNL’s SCALE code system (TRITON, KENO, SAMPLER, etc.) is recommended.
• Proficiency with Argonne's ARC codes (MC2, DIF3D, etc.) is recommended.

About Oklo travel and compensation

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: $102,000-$225,000. Salary may fall outside of the range provided and will be dependent on applicant experience.

Oklo offers untracked paid time off, competitive pay, equity, 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.

Values: Collaboration, Humility, Ownership, Pathfinding. 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. 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. 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. 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.

Recruitment Fraud Disclaimer: Oklo is aware of recruitment fraud attempts targeting job seekers. All legitimate communications will come from an official Oklo email address. If you receive suspicious outreach, contact us through our official channels listed on our website.