Senior Strike Engineer - Lead Cross-Program Innovation

OKLO; Santa Clara (CA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Bonuses

Health insurance

401(k)

HSA

FSA

Flexible work hours

Wellness credits

Job summary

Oklo is seeking a Strike Engineer to join the engineering team in Santa Clara, CA. The role is a senior, adaptable engineer who may contribute hands-on, lead technically, or interim manage. You will own high-priority problems, move between programs, and establish durable execution paths with clear ownership.

Responsibilities span design, analysis, prototyping, testing, manufacturing, software and data, with emphasis on delivering verified, scalable solutions. Travel to HQ is expected as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 2+ years solving complex engineering problems from definition through design, execution, validation, and handoff.
• Breadth across multiple engineering domains with deep expertise in at least one area.
• Ability to reason from first principles and validate conclusions with data.
• Hands-on use of modeling, CAD, calculations, test equipment, scripting, data analysis, or prototyping.
• Experience leading cross-functional technical work without formal authority.
• Strong written and verbal communication, including concise technical updates.

Responsibilities

• Embed in high-priority programs and rapidly understand system, constraints, stakeholders, and failure modes.
• Define problems from first principles, separate facts from assumptions, identify interfaces, and reduce uncertainty.
• Work hands-on across design, prototyping, testing, manufacturing, software and data as needed.
• Establish an execution plan with owners, decision points, schedule, risks, and completion criteria; drive to closure.
• Diagnose technical and operational failures using data, experiments, observation, and root-cause analysis.
• Make sound tradeoffs under uncertainty considering safety, regulatory, quality, cost, and manufacturability.
• Temporarily lead a project or team, clarify priorities, coordinate cross-functional work, and communicate decisions and risks.
• Recruit and onboard permanent owners, then transfer stable scope with documentation and next steps.
• Create reusable tools, processes, or design standards to prevent recurring issues.

Skills

First principles

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Hands-on engineering

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's in engineering/physics/related field

Tools

CAD

Calculations

Test equipment

Scripting

Data analysis

Prototyping

Job description

Oklo is seeking a Strike Engineer to join the engineering team in Santa Clara, CA. The role is a senior, adaptable engineer who may contribute hands-on, lead technically, or interim manage. You will own high-priority problems, move between programs, and establish durable execution paths with clear ownership.

Responsibilities span design, analysis, prototyping, testing, manufacturing, software and data, with emphasis on delivering verified, scalable solutions. Travel to HQ is expected as needed.