---
title: 'Mechatronics Engineer at Oklo'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/mechatronics-engineer-oklo-oak-ridge-tn-fwvdxxnpzpzw'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-19'
---

# Mechatronics Engineer at Oklo

- **Company:** Oklo
- **Location:** Oak Ridge TN, OR
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-10-16
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-19
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/oklo/jobs/6226315004

## Job description

Thanks for your interest in Oklo! We are searching for a Mechatronics Engineer to join our nuclear fuel recycling engineering team.

Position Description

The mechatronics engineer is responsible for designing automated systems and robotic material-handling equipment for remote-operated processes in radiological hot cells for the Oklo Fuel Recycling Facility. Day-to-day activities will include system design, CAD modeling, requirements generation, and eventual prototyping and integration of augmentation into various systems. This role involves close collaboration with cross-functional teams including facility design, chemical engineering, pyroprocessing, instrumentation and controls, software engineering, process modeling, quality assurance, and licensing.

There is a strong preference for candidates in the Oak Ridge, TN area.

Specific responsibilities may include:

- Designing robotic and electromechanical systems for remote handling of materials in high-temperature, high corrosion, and high-radiation environments
- Defining architecture, specifications, control logic, and performance criteria for automated material-handling and process systems
- Integrating automation hardware, sensors, and control systems for reliable unmanned operations
- Serving as technical lead for automation and handling systems across their lifecycle
- Developing documentation to guide fabrication, installation, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of automated equipment
- Generating technical documentation for regulatory filings and internal knowledge capture
- Building, testing, and iterating on prototypes for automation and handling subsystems
- Writing clear, concise reports and communicating results across disciplines

Minimum Qualifications:

- Engineering education in mechatronics, mechanical engineering, robotics, electrical engineering, or related discipline
- 5 to 10 years’ experience with automation or robotic system design
- Hands-on experience with PLCs, industrial automation, and robotics programming
- Expert proficiency with CAD software, preferably Solidworks
- Broad familiarity with engineering principles and strong systems integration intuition

Bonus Qualifications:

- Experience with robotic arms, conveyors, or other automated handling systems
- Experience designing for remote or hazardous environments
- Experience with radiological hot cell environments
- Experience with high-temperature (>500 °C) equipment design
- Knowledge of GD&T and design for manufacturing
- Experience with simulation tools (e.g., ANSYS, ROS, MATLAB/Simulink)
- Background in nuclear, petrochemical, or pharmaceutical industries with automated systems
- Experience deploying or working on pilot plants or unmanned manufacturing systems
- Located by Oak Ridge, TN

Competencies

We are looking for a Mechatronics Engineer who is

- Passionate about clean energy and advanced fission
- Proficient in 2D/3D modeling and CAD for mechanical and robotic systems
- Experienced with electromechanical systems, controls, and automation integration
- Energized by prototyping and deploying real-world hardware
- Creative and persistent when tackling novel engineering challenges
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced, highly iterative startup environment
- A strong communicator, both in technical writing and in collaborative discussions

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: $100,000–$195,000

Salary will be determined on a number of factors, including but not limited to years of experience.

Oklo offers flexible time off, equity, competitive pay, 401k, health insurance, FSA, flexible work hours, and other benefits.

We are looking to fill this position immediately!

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)

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