Nuclear Operations Engineer

Oklo•Santa Clara, CA

7d•$135,000 - $185,000•Remote

About The Position

The Nuclear Operations Engineer supports the development and implementation of the operational capabilities needed to safely commission, start up, and operate Oklo facilities. This role translates plant designs, safety requirements, and program requirements into practical methods for operating the plant and conducting operational work. The Nuclear Operations Engineer helps develop operational programs and the procedures used to implement those programs. The role also provides technical and operational input for normal, general, abnormal, emergency, surveillance, alarm-response, and administrative operating procedures. Working with procedure writers, system engineers, and other subject-matter experts, this engineer helps ensure procedures are technically accurate, operationally practical, and aligned with plant design and program requirements. This role also supports system turnover, testing, commissioning, startup, and operational-readiness activities across Oklo projects. The Nuclear Operations Engineer may serve as a system owner, technical lead, procedure subject-matter expert, test engineer, or field operations resource depending on the project phase and organizational need. The Nuclear Operations Engineer works across Operations, Engineering, Regulatory, Safety Analysis, Human Factors, Maintenance, Training, Commissioning and Startup, and other organizations to ensure that Oklo facilities can successfully transition from design and construction into safe and reliable operation. This position is primarily remote. Travel and temporary onsite assignments will be required as needed to support Oklo facilities, commissioning and startup campaigns, operational projects, design reviews, vendor activities, training, and other company priorities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in nuclear, mechanical, electrical, chemical, or another relevant engineering or technical discipline; equivalent directly applicable nuclear operational experience may be considered in lieu of a degree
Five or more years of experience in nuclear operations, nuclear engineering, commissioning and startup, power generation, naval nuclear propulsion, national laboratory operations, or another highly regulated technical environment
Experience developing or implementing operational programs, technical procedures, operating procedures, test procedures, or similar controlled work instructions
Working knowledge of integrated plant systems and the relationships among mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and controls, and process systems
Experience translating technical, regulatory, design, safety, or program requirements into executable operational plans, procedures, or work activities
Experience reading and interpreting technical documents such as drawings, piping and instrumentation diagrams, system descriptions, specifications, calculations, safety analyses, and operating procedures
Demonstrated ability to work across engineering and operational disciplines to resolve complex technical and organizational issues
Strong technical writing, verbal communication, and problem-solving skills
Ability to work independently, manage changing priorities, and make sound decisions using incomplete or evolving information
Ability and willingness to travel and complete temporary onsite assignments in support of Oklo projects and facilities
Ability to support shift work, extended hours, or weekend activities during commissioning, startup, testing, or other major project evolutions when required
Ability to obtain and maintain unescorted access to nuclear facilities, if required

Nice To Haves

Experience as a reactor operator, senior reactor operator, shift technical advisor, system operator, engineering watchstander, or other nuclear facility operator
Current or previous NRC Reactor Operator or Senior Reactor Operator license or certification
Relevant qualification through the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, such as Engineering Officer of the Watch, Propulsion Plant Watch Officer, or Engineering Watch Supervisor
Experience supporting first-of-a-kind nuclear facilities, advanced reactors, microreactors, research reactors, or Department of Energy nuclear facilities
Experience with sodium-cooled fast reactors, liquid-metal systems, or fast-reactor technology
Experience with plant construction, systemization, construction turnover, preoperational testing, commissioning, startup testing, or operational-readiness reviews
Experience developing or implementing conduct-of-operations, configuration-management, work-control, tagging, surveillance, equipment-status-control, or other operational programs
Experience developing, reviewing, verifying, or validating nuclear operating and program-implementing procedures
Experience evaluating integrated plant response, transient behavior, heat removal, reactivity control, or functional containment
Experience with human factors engineering, control-room design, alarm management, human-machine interfaces, digital control systems, simulators, or operator-in-the-loop testing
Familiarity with applicable NRC requirements, Department of Energy requirements, industry standards, and nuclear safety and quality-assurance programs
Experience supporting operator training and qualification programs
Experience working with regulators, national laboratories, contractors, customers, vendors, or other external technical stakeholders
Passionate about clean energy
Passionate about making advanced fission a reality
Willing and able to learn quickly
Knowledgeable about fast reactor design
Highly skilled with Monte Carlo neutronics tools such as MCNP, SERPENT, and Open-MC
Skilled with deterministic fast reactor tools, or wiling and eager to learn
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
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.

Responsibilities

Develop, implement, and maintain operational programs, processes, standards, and supporting documentation
Translate operational-program requirements into clear, practical, and executable implementing procedures
Provide technical and operational input for normal, general, abnormal, emergency, surveillance, alarm-response, and administrative operating procedures
Work with procedure writers, system engineers, and other subject-matter experts to develop, review, verify, and validate operating and program-implementing procedures
Develop operating strategies, operating philosophies, system operating concepts, technical bases, and other foundational operations documents
Translate design-basis, safety-basis, regulatory, and program requirements into practical operational requirements, methods, and work products
Serve as a system owner, operations representative, technical lead, or subject-matter expert for assigned systems, programs, or project activities
Provide operations input during plant and system design reviews to improve operability, maintainability, testability, reliability, human performance, and personnel safety
Evaluate plant systems as an integrated facility, including the interfaces and dependencies among reactor, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and controls, heat-transport, balance-of-plant, and supporting systems
Support systemization, construction turnover, system acceptance, preoperational testing, commissioning, startup testing, and operational-readiness activities
Develop or review test plans and procedures and support the safe execution, evaluation, and documentation of plant testing
Provide onsite technical and operational support during commissioning, startup, major testing, outages, and other significant project activities
Confirm plant configuration, system readiness, procedure adequacy, prerequisites, test boundaries, and operational controls before and during field activities
Incorporate field experience, testing results, design changes, and lessons learned into operational programs, procedures, training, and future plant designs
Support evaluation of integrated plant response to normal evolutions, anticipated operational occurrences, transients, equipment failures, and accident conditions
Participate in the development and review of control-room interfaces, human-machine interfaces, alarm strategies, operator displays, controls, and automation
Identify the personnel, qualifications, training, tools, procedures, and organizational capabilities needed to commission, start up, and operate Oklo facilities
Support operator training, qualification, simulator development, operational drills, and readiness activities
Participate in readiness reviews, assessments, inspections, corrective-action activities, and resolution of operational issues
Provide operational feedback to engineering and program teams to improve plant designs and enable repeatable deployment of future Oklo facilities
Build effective working relationships with internal teams, contractors, national laboratories, regulators, vendors, and other external stakeholders
Support multiple Oklo projects and facilities as priorities and project phases evolve
Qualify as an Oklo plant operator or complete other assigned technical qualifications, as applicable
Maintain awareness of fast-reactor design, operating experience, testing, research, and relevant industry developments