Instrumentation & Controls Engineer

Oklo•Idaho Falls, ID

1d•Remote

About The Position

Oklo is transforming the future of energy, and we are looking for an experienced Instrumentation & Controls Engineer to lead and support the design, integration, commissioning, and operation of instrumentation and control systems for test platforms used in advanced nuclear technology development. In this role, you will translate test and process requirements into reliable measurement, control, data-acquisition, and protective functions. You will work closely with test, process, mechanical, electrical, software, quality, and operations personnel throughout the full system lifecycle, from concept development and equipment selection through fabrication, testing, startup, troubleshooting, and configuration management with travel up to 10%. The ideal candidate combines strong engineering fundamentals with hands-on field experience and broad knowledge of industrial instrumentation. Strong familiarity with the Emerson DeltaV distributed control system is preferred. Experience working under a nuclear quality assurance program, particularly ASME NQA-1, is also preferred.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, nuclear engineering, or a related technical field.
Experience designing, specifying, procuring, commissioning, or troubleshooting process and mechanical equipment.
Experience preparing or reviewing piping and instrumentation diagrams, process-flow diagrams, equipment data sheets, engineering calculations, technical specifications, and vendor drawings.
Working knowledge of pumps, valves, piping, heat exchangers, tanks, pressure equipment, heaters, or similar process components.
Ability to perform fluid-flow, pressure-drop, heat-transfer, and equipment-sizing calculations.
Ability to lift, move, and position equipment weighing up to 30 pounds.
Strong understanding of industrial measurement, process control, control-system architecture, signal conditioning, data acquisition, and equipment integration.
Practical experience with distributed control systems, programmable logic controllers, human-machine interfaces, alarm management, control loops, industrial networks, and test-control hardware.
Ability to develop systems that can be fabricated, installed, calibrated, operated, maintained, and modified safely and effectively.
Able to evaluate system behavior, identify failure modes, resolve technical issues, and maintain accurate engineering and configuration records.
Able to clearly communicate requirements, design decisions, risks, and operating conditions to engineers, technicians, suppliers, quality personnel, and test operators.
Able to develop and author process and procedure guidance for testing programs and operations.
Comfortable working in a fast-paced development environment where priorities, system configurations, and test requirements may evolve.
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.
Self-motivated. You bring an enthusiasm to the team, and imbue a sense of passion that goes beyond clocking in and clocking out.
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.

Nice To Haves

Strong familiarity with the Emerson DeltaV distributed control system, including system architecture, controllers, I/O, configuration, graphics, alarms, control modules, batch or sequence functions, and troubleshooting.
Experience designing or supporting thermal-hydraulic, mechanical, chemical, high-temperature, high-pressure, or liquid-metal test systems.
Experience working in nuclear, aerospace, defense, pharmaceutical, chemical processing, power generation, or another highly regulated industry.
Familiarity with functional safety, safety instrumented systems, alarm management, or control-system cybersecurity practices.
Familiarity with ASME NQA-1 requirements, particularly requirements related to design control, software control, test control, calibration, procurement, document control, and configuration management.
Professional Engineer licensure, Engineer-in-Training certification, or relevant controls or automation certification.

Responsibilities

Develop control-system architectures, functional requirements, I/O strategies, network concepts, and interfaces for test platforms and supporting facility systems.
Select and specify instruments for temperature, pressure, flow, level, position, force, strain, vibration, and other process or test measurements. Evaluate accuracy, range, response time, environmental suitability, installation requirements, and measurement uncertainty.
Develop, configure, and verify control logic, control modules, operator graphics, alarms, interlocks, permissives, sequences, and data-acquisition functions using distributed control systems, programmable logic controllers, and related platforms. Able to develop new system architecture.
Prepare and maintain I/O lists, instrument indexes, data sheets, loop diagrams, wiring diagrams, control narratives, logic diagrams, network drawings, alarm setpoint documentation, test procedures, and as-built records.
Coordinate the integration of instruments, control panels, remote I/O, analyzers, control valves, electrical interfaces, industrial networks, and data systems with mechanical and process equipment.
Develop and execute design-verification activities, factory and site acceptance tests, loop checks, functional tests, calibration reviews, control-system checkout, and startup plans.
Support test readiness reviews and test execution. Diagnose instrumentation, controls, electrical, communications, software, and data-acquisition issues, perform root-cause investigations, and implement technically sound corrective actions.
Develop technical specifications, evaluate vendor proposals, review supplier submittals, support procurement, and verify that equipment and services meet technical and quality requirements.
Manage design changes, software and hardware configurations, setpoints, drawings, calculations, and technical records in accordance with applicable engineering and quality requirements.