Fuel Performance Engineer

Position Description

Fuel Performance Engineers at Oklo are responsible for the fuel performance analyses and verification of current and future fuel design for Oklo's Aurora powerhouses. This includes engineering analyses, modeling and simulation, clear and thorough documentation of the analyses, as well as interfacing with our reactor design, fuel fabrication, and licensing teams.

• Analyzing current and novel fuel design performance across expected operating conditions and postulated off-normal conditions.
• Devising analysis methodologies that efficiently and effectively build confidence in a design, which can include software development of modeling and simulation tools.
• Verification and validation of modeling and simulation tools in support of analyses.
• Supporting experimental fuel campaigns.
• Collaborating cross-functionally to provide technical feedback to design teams.
• Documenting work using modern tools and techniques, and writing well‑written, thoughtful technical reports.

• Passionate about clean energy and making advanced fission a reality
• Willing and able to learn quickly and adapt to evolving challenges
• Eager to work in a dynamic team, receive constructive feedback, and grow with us
• Comfortable in a fast‑paced, highly iterative startup environment where we think differently and do things in new ways
• Excited to think creatively, critically, and reflectively about the problems they are solving
• Willing to propose novel and creative solutions to technical problems

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, plus 3 years of experience
• Experience with multi‑physics system performance analyses
• Experience with finite element simulation software (e.g., Ansys, Abaqus)
• Experience with material analysis
• Experience with object‑oriented programming language (e.g., Python, C++)

• Experience with nuclear fuel performance analysis
• Familiarity with metallic fuels
• Experience with fuel analysis and fuel performance software (e.g., BISON, LIFE‑METAL, etc.)
• Experience in material selection and material analysis
• Fluency in Python

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.

Salary: $120,000–$165,000. Salary may fall outside of the range provided and will be dependent on applicant experience.

Oklo offers…