--- title: 'Engineering Program Manager at Oklo' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-program-manager-oklo-santa-clara-ca-n2vbbzh8b89b' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-21' --- # Engineering Program Manager at Oklo - **Company:** Oklo - **Location:** Santa Clara CA, OR - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2026-09-16 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-21 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/oklo/jobs/6179642004 ## Job description Thanks for your interest in Oklo! We are searching for an Engineering Program Manager (EPM) to join our fuel recycling engineering team within Oklo’s Recycling Division. Position Description The Engineering Program Manager will play a key role in delivering our fuel recycling facility by turning complex engineering objectives into coordinated, evidence-based programs that mature with clarity, urgency, and discipline. The Engineering Program Manager will be closely tied with functional engineering groups within the Recycling Division. You will partner closely with the group's Team Lead, who owns technical direction and people leadership, while you establish the program structure and operating cadence that enables the team to deliver. This role is for a technically fluent program leader who can bring focus and transparency to complex situations, influence without relying on direct authority, and adapt the program when empirical data challenges the design or analysis. Success requires both rigorous execution and creative, out-of-the-box thinking in a fast-moving, safety-conscious environment. Specific responsibilities may include: - Define program scope, deliverables, success criteria, decision points, and technical milestones aligned with Recycling Division objectives and the integrated facility schedule. - Translate established functional requirements into executable engineering and analysis plans. - Drive the team to define and mature deliverables, acceptance criteria, and verification methods. - Build and maintain integrated work plans across program functions, which may include analysis, design, modeling, prototyping, and testing. - Maintain dependencies, critical paths, resource needs, long-lead activities, and required decision dates. - Lead the day-to-day cadence, including planning sessions, technical coordination meetings, design and milestone reviews, action tracking, and timely closure of decisions and blockers. - Coordinate interfaces with other Recycling teams and their EPMs, as well as regulatory, safety, deployment, and procurement partners. - Maintain a current view of technical risks, program risks, assumptions, interfaces, decisions, and open items. - Prepare and facilitate effective program reviews with clear entry and exit criteria, decision asks, evidence summaries, risks, tradeoffs, and follow-up actions. - Communicate program status at the right level for engineers, functional leaders, and executives. - Continuously improve how the team plans, learns, and executes. Minimum Qualifications: - 3+ years in Engineering Program Management or similar (engineering or technical project management, technical product management, systems engineering, or related technical leadership roles) - Experience leading complex, cross-functional engineering work in industrial, infrastructure, or other technically rigorous environments. - Experience delivering engineered hardware in areas such as design, analysis, safety, prototyping, operations, maintenance, and testing. - Bachelor's degree in engineering, physical science, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience. - Demonstrated success guiding an engineered product through successive iterations of maturity. - Proficiency with a variety of project management tools, with experience selecting and changing tools in tandem with changes in scope and scale. - Comfort operating in a matrixed environment with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities. - Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present technical status, risks, tradeoffs, and decisions to different levels of leadership within the organization. Bonus Qualifications: - Exposure to nuclear, chemical, mechanical, process, systems, industrial, or facility engineering environments. - Exposure to highly regulated design environments, including managing licensing deliverables, safety analyses, configuration and change management, requirements traceability, and verification or validation planning. - Exposure to risk and reliability methods such as FMEA, hazard analysis, test planning, design reviews, and technical readiness or maturity assessments. - Exposure to creating and managing process and facility engineering artifacts, such as block/process flow diagrams, P&IDs, equipment specifications, technical drawings, and engineering analyses. - Exposure to managing multiple vendor engagements, from RFP to SOW stages, through regular touchpoints through completion of all stated deliverables. Competencies We are looking for an Engineering Program Manager who is: - An excellent communicator: Clear, concise, and credible; able to synthesize complex technical work into articulate decisions, risks, and actions. - Technically fluent and curious: Comfortable engaging deeply with engineering details to understand requirements, interfaces, assumptions, risk, and blockers. - Execution-oriented: Skilled at translating broad objectives into sequenced work, accountable owners, measurable milestones, and sustained follow-through. - Results-driven: Focused on connecting analyses and assumptions to delivered systems and equipment. Identifies high-value solutions to effectively move the needle on the overall goal. - A systems thinker: Able to see how decisions within one functional organization affect interfaces. - Collaborative and influential: Builds trust across disciplines and drives alignment and closure without depending on formal authority. - Creative and adaptable: Brings unconventional ideas to hard problems, remains effective amid ambiguity, and can re-plan quickly when technical learning changes the path. - Strategic and detail-oriented: Maintains the goal while staying close enough to the work to identify gaps early. - Mission- and safety-driven: Motivated to deliver first-of-a-kind nuclear technology on aggressive timelines without compromising technical rigor or safety. 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: $120,000-$180,000 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. 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. 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. ## About Oklo ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Oklo is developing next-generation fast fission power plants to produce clean, reliable, and affordable energy at scale, starting with the Aurora reactor. - **Entity Type**: Public (NYSE: OKLO) – completed SPAC merger with AltC Acquisition Corp. in May 2024. - **Headquarters**: Santa Clara, California, USA - **Founded**: 2013 - **Founders**: Jacob DeWitte (CEO) and Caroline Cochran ## Core Business - **Industry**: Advanced nuclear energy / clean energy generation - **Target Customers**: Utilities, large-scale energy consumers (data centers, industrial facilities), government (DOE, national labs), and communities seeking carbon-free baseload power. - **Mission**: To deliver clean, reliable, and affordable advanced nuclear power to meet one of the planet’s most urgent challenges – abundant clean energy at a global scale. ## Products & Services - **Aurora Powerhouse**: A compact fast fission reactor capable of producing up to 75 MWe of electrical power. Features inherent safety (walk-away safe, self-stabilizing), can run on fresh fuel or recycled nuclear waste, and is designed for cost-competitive deployment. Targets operation at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) from late 2027 to early 2028. - **Advanced Nuclear Fuel Supply**: Oklo is developing fuel fabrication facilities under the DOE’s Fuel Line Pilot Projects to support its own reactors and the broader advanced reactor industry. - **Critical Radioisotopes (via subsidiary Atomic Alchemy)**: Oklo’s fast reactors can produce life-saving medical and industrial radioisotopes as a co-product of fission. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: As of early 2025, market capitalization approximately ~$1.5–2.0 billion (fluctuating with public markets; latest SEC filings provide exact figures). - **Key Metric**: Total funding raised prior to going public exceeded $50 million from private rounds. Post-SPAC, the company raised ~$300+ million from the merger trust and a PIPE. Annual revenue is not yet material (pre-revenue, pre-deployment). - **Notable Investors/Partners**: DOE (Idaho National Laboratory site use permit, Reactor Pilot Program, fuel fabrication projects), AltC Acquisition Corp. (sponsor led by Sam Altman who also joined Oklo’s board), and institutional investors participating in the SPAC PIPE. - **Growth Signals**: Secured DOE site use permit at INL (2019) and awarded EBR-II fuel for first Aurora core; completed NRC Phase 1 pre-application readiness assessment; selected for two DOE Reactor Pilot Projects; building three fuel-fabrication facilities; targeting first reactor operation 2027–2028. Team has grown significantly, with 52+ open roles as of mid-2025. ## Competitive Advantages - **Proven Fast Reactor Heritage**: Liquid-metal-cooled, metal-fueled fast reactors have over 400 reactor-years of operating experience worldwide, including the EBR-II which demonstrated inherent safety and waste recycling for 30 years. - **Waste-as-Fuel Capability**: Aurora can run on recycled nuclear waste (including from EBR-II), solving a major environmental challenge while reducing fuel costs – a capability only fast reactors offer. - **Inherent Safety**: The reactor is self-stabilizing and self-controlling using passive natural forces, making it walk-away safe without need for active safety systems or backup power. - **Cost Competitiveness**: Designed to achieve cost-competitive power across all generation technologies through compact design, simplified operations, and fuel flexibility. ## Strategic Focus - **Deploy First Reactor**: Primary near-term goal is constructing and operating Aurora-INL at Idaho National Laboratory by late 2027–2028. - **Licensing and Regulatory Pathway**: Continue NRC pre-application and formal licensing process for advanced reactor design; build regulatory precedent for fast reactors. - **Fuel Supply Chain**: Establish advanced fuel fabrication capacity via DOE Fuel Line projects to secure fuel supply for Aurora and future customers. - **Commercial Expansion**: Develop pipeline of additional Aurora deployments across the U.S. for utilities, data centers, and industrial customers seeking 24/7 carbon-free power. - **Radioisotope Production**: Scale subsidiary Atomic Alchemy’s capability to produce critical medical isotopes as an additional revenue stream. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-Driven Impact**: Directly work on solving one of the world’s most urgent challenges – providing clean, reliable, and affordable energy at scale. - **Top‑5% Employee Satisfaction**: Oklo ranks in the top 5% of companies for employee satisfaction (Lattice Pulse survey). - **Remote‑Friendly Culture**: Many roles are open to remote work (within the U.S.), with headquarters in Santa Clara, CA. Physical presence may be required for certain lab/field roles (Idaho Falls, ID and other sites). - **Elite Benefits**: Comprehensive financial benefits (including equity ownership), encouraged work-life balance and flexibility, robust health & wellness programs, and long-term financial stability support. - **Engineering Culture**: World-class team with backgrounds from aerospace, automotive, nuclear power, and tech; emphasis on collaboration, humility, pathfinding, innovation, and ownership. Values-driven environment focuses on doing what’s right for the mission and the team. - **Growth Opportunities**: Rapidly growing company with 52+ open roles across engineering (mechanical, nuclear, software, hardware, test), fuel recycling, legal, finance, and operations. Opportunity to shape the future of energy. ## Sources 1. [oklo.com - About](https://www.oklo.com/about/default.aspx) 2. [oklo.com - Careers](https://oklo.com/careers/) 3. [oklo.com - Technology](https://oklo.com/technology/) 4. [job-boards.greenhouse.io - Oklo jobs](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/oklo) 5. [oklo.com - Home/Overview](https://oklo.com/overview/default.aspx) ## Other roles at Oklo - [Plant Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/plant-manager-oklo-idaho-falls-de3v53r9z8ak) — Idaho Falls, ID - [Facility Operations Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/facility-operations-specialist-oklo-lockhart-p15wnwtsh740) — Lockhart, TX - [Product Manager - Reactors](https://feeny.ai/job/product-manager-reactors-oklo-santa-clara-ca-f1c9ym4ze0ew) — Santa Clara CA, OR - [Senior Accountant](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-accountant-oklo-santa-clara-ca-dhrc23tycz0e) — Santa Clara CA, OR - [Technical Program Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-program-manager-oklo-santa-clara-ca-46xxt201759n) — Santa Clara CA, OR - [Senior Maintenance Program Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-maintenance-program-engineer-oklo-santa-clara-ca-63z2xjgtdhh1) — Santa Clara CA, OR - [Recycling Operations Engineer Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/recycling-operations-engineer-lead-oklo-santa-clara-ca-mwhx4xsdt75b) — Santa Clara CA, OR - [Senior Mechanical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mechanical-engineer-oklo-santa-clara-ca-d6anwx80pa8p) — Santa Clara CA, OR - [Director of Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls](https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-chemistry-manufacturing-and-controls-oklo-austin-m53kmw4bz7x8) — Austin, TX - [People Operations Associate](https://feeny.ai/job/people-operations-associate-oklo-remote-xba0rgtn0nqm)