Process Engineer, Isotopes

Oklo Inc; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible time off

Equity

Bonuses

Competitive pay

401(k)

Health insurance

HSA

FSA

Flexible work hours

Wellness credits

Other benefits

Job summary

Oklo Inc. in Santa Clara, CA is seeking Process Engineers to design and analyze fluid and power process systems for isotope production and safety-critical operations at our power plant programs.

You will develop prototypes, define equipment architecture, generate documentation, and work with vendors to ensure reliable, scalable processes with radiological controls for safe operation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline required.
• 5+ years designing, analyzing, or modifying fluid, thermal, or process systems and equipment in relevant industries.
• Strong fundamentals in systems design, integration, and operation.

Responsibilities

• Design fluid and process systems including piping, valves, and heat exchangers for isotope production.
• Define process equipment architecture, specs, modes, and performance criteria.
• Prototype and pilot-scale demonstrations for design refinement.
• Create documentation for layout, fabrication, installation, commissioning, and operation with contamination control considerations.
• Own assigned process systems throughout lifecycle and maintain design basis.

Skills

Process system design

Thermal-fluid engineering

Systems integration

Radiological controls

Prototyping & testing

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical, chemical, nuclear, radiological, materials, aerospace, petroleum, or related engineering

Job description

Position Description

Process Engineers at Oklo are responsible for the design, engineering analyses, systems engineering, specifications development, and operations of the fluids and power process systems used in Oklo’s power plants and isotope production programs.

For the Isotopes team, this role will support process systems related to isotope production, recovery, separation, purification, and handling, with an emphasis on developing safe, reliable, and scalable production processes.

Specific responsibilities may include:

• Design fluid and process systems including: piping, valves, compressors, pumps, and heat exchangers for isotope production, recovery, purification, and supporting process systems
• Define process equipment architecture, specifications, operational modes, and performance criteria
• Design, assemble, and operate prototypes to use for iterative design refinement, including bench-scale or pilot-scale process demonstrations
• Generate documentation guiding the system layout, fabrication, installation, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of process equipment with consideration for contamination control, radiological controls, and safe operation
• Serve as process system owner for assigned systems, maintaining their design basis, configuration, and performance throughout the lifecycle
• Prepare technical documentation supporting regulatory filings, safety analyses, and isotope production operations
• Work with external vendors on process equipment analysis, procurement, and testing
• Develop and maintain process flow diagrams, piping and instrumentation diagrams, mass and energy balances, equipment specifications, and operating envelopes for isotope production systems
• Support isotope product requirements, including yield, purity, traceability, and contamination limits
• Conduct process hazard analyses and implement risk reduction measures addressing equipment and process failure modes, chemical hazards, criticality interfaces, radiological hazards, and abnormal operating conditions

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical, chemical, nuclear, radiological, materials, aerospace, petroleum, or a related engineering discipline.
• 5+ years of experience designing, analyzing, or modifying fluid, thermal, or process systems and equipment in nuclear, radiopharmaceutical, isotope production, or related industries.
• Strong understanding of engineering fundamentals, systems design and integration, equipment interfaces, and process system operation.
• Ability to apply process engineering fundamentals to systems involving radioactive materials, chemical separations, gas/liquid handling, thermal management, contamination control, and product quality requirements.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in nuclear, isotope production, radiopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, laboratory, or related industry.
• Experience with off-gas, ventilation, filtration, vacuum, inert-gas, or controlled atmosphere systems.
• Familiarity with isotope production, radiochemical processing, radiation protection, shielding, contamination control, or ALARA.
• Experience with process prototyping, commissioning, equipment testing, or system ownership.

Competencies

• Passionate about clean energy, making advanced fission a reality, and building a reliable domestic supply chain for critical isotopes.
• Able to balance safety, product quality, throughput, reliability, cost, and schedule in engineering decisions.
• 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 facilitate discussions on advanced technical subjects with diverse groups and business partners.

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.

About 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.

About Oklo compensation:

Salary: $130,000-$200,000. Salary may fall outside of the range provided and will be dependent on applicant experience.

• flexible time off
• equity
• bonuses
• competitive pay
• 401(k)
• health insurance (with employer contribution)
• HSA
• FSA
• flexible work hours
• wellness credits
• 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.

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.

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.
• 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.