Procurement Specialist - Fuel Recycling

Oklo Inc; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible time off

Equity

Bonuses

401(k)

Health insurance

HSA

FSA

Flexible hours

Wellness credits

Job summary

Oklo Inc. in Santa Clara, CA, is seeking a Procurement Specialist - Fuel Recycling to support the Fuel Recycling team across materials, equipment, services, and construction-related procurement. You will work with engineering and project teams, execute sourcing events, and manage purchase orders under guidance to align with program priorities.

The role requires 3+ years in procurement, strong negotiation and problem-solving skills, and a U.S. citizenship.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, supply chain, business, construction management, or related field.
• 3+ years of procurement, sourcing, supply chain, contracts, project procurement, or related experience.
• Experience supporting complex technical, industrial, manufacturing, construction, or capital project environments.
• Strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills.
• Exceptional problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and drive results in a fast-moving environment.
• U.S. citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Execute competitive sourcing events, including RFQ/RFP development, bid leveling, commercial analysis, supplier evaluation, and supplier selection.
• Create, review, and administer purchase orders in alignment with negotiated terms.
• Collaborate with engineering and project teams to understand requirements, schedules, risks, and supplier capabilities.
• Source materials, equipment, fabrication services, construction-related services, and other program-critical needs.
• Support contract development, negotiations, and procurement activities under supervision.
• Assist with procurement and commercial activities for construction, facility, infrastructure, and capital projects.

Skills

Procurement experience

Negotiation skills

Problem-solving

Multitasking

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, supply chain, business, construction management, or related field

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Job description

Thanks for your interest in Oklo! We are searching for aProcurement Specialistto join our Supply Chain & Procurement organization.

Position Description

The Procurement Specialist - Fuel Recyclingis responsible for supporting the Fuel Recycling team and its rapidly evolving procurement needs. This role is fully dedicated to Fuel Recycling programs while remaining a member of the broader Procurement organization. The position reports directly to the Head of Procurement, with a strong dotted-line partnership to Fuel Recycling leadership to ensure alignment with program priorities. This is a dynamic, hands-on role requiring exceptional problem-solving skills, adaptability, and the ability to manage multiple complex procurement activities simultaneously. The successful candidate will support procurement activities across materials, equipment, services, contracts, and construction-related scopes, helping Fuel Recycling execute critical program objectives.

Specific responsibilities may include:

• Execute competitive sourcing events, including RFQ/RFP development, bid leveling, commercial analysis, supplier evaluation, and supplier selection.

• Create, review, and administer purchase orders in alignment with negotiated commercial terms.

• Partner closely with Fuel Recycling engineering and project teams to understand technical requirements, schedules, risks, and supplier capabilities.

• Source materials, equipment, fabrication services, construction-related services, and other program-critical requirements

• Support contract development, commercial negotiations, and procurement activities under the guidance of the Senior Manager of Contract Procurement.

• Assist with procurement and commercial activities associated with construction, facility, infrastructure, and capital project execution as needed.

• Identify and resolve procurement challenges in a fast-paced and evolving environment.

• Manage multiple procurement initiatives simultaneously while balancing competing priorities and schedules.

• Track supplier performance, open purchase orders, and delivery commitments.

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across procurement processes, systems, supplier management practices, and cross-functional workflows.

• Contribute to the growth and maturity of Oklo's procurement organization.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, supply chain, business, construction management, or related field.

• 3+ years of procurement, sourcing, supply chain, contracts, project procurement, or related experience.

• Experience supporting complex technical, industrial, manufacturing, construction, or capital project environments.

• Strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills

• Exceptional problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and drive results in a fast-moving environment.

• U.S. citizenship required.

Bonus Qualifications:

• Experience supporting nuclear, energy, aerospace, defense, semiconductor, chemical processing, industrial construction, or advanced manufacturing programs.

• Experience with both material procurement and service/contract procurement.

• Familiarity with construction, EPC, capital project, or facility-related procurement activities.

• Experience supporting early-stage or rapidly growing organizations.

• Familiarity with ERP, MRP, and procurement systems.

Competencies

We are looking for aProcurement Specialist - Fuel Recycling that is:

• 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:

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.

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.