Shielding Analysis Engineer

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

Job summary

Oklo Inc. is seeking an Shielding Analysis Engineer to define, develop, and execute radiation shielding analyses to support reactor design, plant layout, and safety assurance.

You will work with the design team to establish scope, develop source terms, activation, dose assessments and shielding optimization. The role requires expertise in Monte Carlo methods, radiation transport tools (MCNP, SCALE, OpenMC, Serpent) and variance reduction techniques, with a strong emphasis on rigorous

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD in a technical field such as nuclear engineering, with experience in reactor design, radiation transport, shielding analysis or radiation protection (Master’s or PhD preferred).
• Fluency with Python.
• Proficiency with high‑performance computing systems.
• Experience with fast reactor design, shielding design or radiation protection analysis is highly recommended.
• Proficiency with radiation transport tools such as MCNP, SCALE, OpenMC and Serpent is highly recommended.
• Proficiency with variance reduction techniques such as weight windows, surface read/write, source biasing and CADIS/FW‑CADIS methods is recommended.
• Experience with source‑term generation, activation, dose‑rate calculations and shielding design methods is recommended.
• Proficiency with CAD software such as SolidWorks is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Perform the complete range of actions involved in supporting shielding design, radiation transport analysis and dose assessment using Monte Carlo and supporting codes on Oklo facilities.
• Perform calculations and analyses in Monte Carlo based radiation transport codes such as MCNP, SCALE, OpenMC and Serpent.
• Conduct source‑term, activation, streaming, skyshine and dose‑rate analyses using appropriate Monte Carlo and deterministic methods.
• Support the qualification and verification of shielding analyses, including validation against experiments, benchmarks and operationally relevant radiation measurements.
• Be aware of and familiar with radiation shielding, radiation transport and fast‑reactor core design and analysis work performed internationally, as well as related benchmark calculations and experiments.
• Provide technical feedback to next‑iterating design teams.
• Document work using modern tools and techniques, and write well‑written, thoughtful technical reports.

Skills

Python

Education

Nuclear engineering (B.S./M.S./Ph.D.)

Tools

MCNP

SCALE

OpenMC

Serpent

SolidWorks

Job description

Position Description

The Shielding Analysis Engineer is responsible for defining, developing, and executing radiation shielding and radiation transport analyses to support reactor design, plant layout, performance evaluation, and safety assurance.

This role involves working closely with the broader design team to solicit and capture requirements, establish the scope of shielding evaluations and implement appropriate source term, activation, dose‑rate, streaming and shielding models and methods. Areas of analysis include, but are not limited to, radiation transport, material activation, source term development, dose assessment and shielding design optimisation.

The engineer will also support verification and validation activities and contribute to licensing and regulatory interactions by providing technically sound and defensible shielding analyses.

Specific Responsibilities

• Perform the complete range of actions involved in supporting shielding design, radiation transport analysis and dose assessment using Monte Carlo and supporting codes on Oklo facilities.
• Perform calculations and analyses in Monte Carlo based radiation transport codes such as MCNP, SCALE, OpenMC and Serpent.
• Conduct source‑term, activation, streaming, skyshine and dose‑rate analyses using appropriate Monte Carlo and deterministic methods.
• Support the qualification and verification of shielding analyses, including validation against experiments, benchmarks and operationally relevant radiation measurements.
• Be aware of and familiar with radiation shielding, radiation transport and fast‑reactor core design and analysis work performed internationally, as well as related benchmark calculations and experiments.
• Provide technical feedback to next‑iterating design teams.
• Document work using modern tools and techniques, and write well‑written, thoughtful technical reports.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD in a technical field such as nuclear engineering, with experience in reactor design, radiation transport, shielding analysis or radiation protection (Master’s or PhD preferred).
• Fluency with Python.
• Proficiency with high‑performance computing systems.
• Experience with fast reactor design, shielding design or radiation protection analysis is highly recommended.
• Proficiency with radiation transport tools such as MCNP, SCALE, OpenMC and Serpent is highly recommended.
• Proficiency with variance reduction techniques such as weight windows, surface read/write, source biasing and CADIS/FW‑CADIS methods is recommended.
• Experience with source‑term generation, activation, dose‑rate calculations and shielding design methods is recommended.
• Proficiency with CAD software such as SolidWorks is a plus.

Competencies

• Passionate about clean energy.
• Passionate about making advanced fission a reality.
• Willing and able to learn quickly.
• Knowledgeable about fast‑reactor design and radiation shielding considerations.
• Highly skilled with Monte Carlo radiation transport tools such as SERPENT, MCNP, SCALE, OpenMC and Serpent.
• Skilled with shielding, source‑term, activation and dose assessment methods, or willing and eager to learn.
• Skilled with variance reduction techniques and tools such as weight windows, surface source read/write, source biasing and CADIS/FW‑CADIS methods.
• Eager to work on a dynamic team, receive constructive feedback and grow with us.
• 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 modern active voice, so make your cover letter compelling and write it well.
• Able to communicate technical content and results verbally.

Who you are

• Startup person: You aren’t driven by titles or hierarchy, and prefer efficiency to excessive process. You don’t need a lot of guidance but enjoy working in a fast‑paced team.
• Motivated: You are self‑motivated, bringing enthusiasm and a sense of passion that goes beyond clocking in and out.
• A team‑player: Oklo genuinely is a team. We don’t take credit for ourselves, and we don’t push blame to others.
• An excellent communicator: A clear and upbeat communicator, both technically competent and accessible.
• Creative: Able to identify problems that fall outside clear scopes or processes and invent ways to solve them without micromanagement.
• Detail‑oriented: A focus on excellence, consistency and quality, with excellent grammar and spelling.

Oklo Travel Requirements

Oklo requires remote employees to travel to headquarters (Santa Clara, CA) twice a quarter, based on business or team needs, including attendance at team meetings, off‑sites and other company events. For the first two weeks of onboarding, employees are required to be in person at headquarters.

Oklo Compensation

Salary: $102,000–$225,000. 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.

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, 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, committed to delivering on our promises to provide clean, reliable and affordable energy.
• Pathfinding: We chart new ground where no path exists, approaching challenges with curiosity, courage and creativity while navigating ambiguity.

Recruitment Fraud Disclaimer

Oklo is aware of recent recruitment fraud attempts targeting job seekers. Please be cautious of anyone claiming to represent Oklo who does NOT contact you from an official Oklo email address. All legitimate communications from our recruiting team—including application updates, interview requests and job offers—will come exclusively from an @oklo.com email. Oklo will never ask for sensitive personal information, payments, or account credentials during the hiring process.

If you receive suspicious outreach or have concerns about the authenticity of any communication claiming to be from Oklo, please contact us through the official channels listed on our website.

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.