Senior Computational Fluid Dynamics Engineer

Oklo•Santa Clara, CA

2h•$100,000 - $190,000•Remote

About The Position

The thermal-hydraulics group at Oklo is responsible for analyzing fluid flow and heat transfer within a reactor and associated systems. This work includes engineering analyses of thermal-fluid dynamics, clear and thorough documentation of the analyses, as well as interfacing with design teams. A CFD Engineer in this group will be responsible for conducting high-fidelity thermal fluid simulations using commercial CFD tools. Level (Engineer III/Senior) will be determined by experience.

Requirements

Bachelors, Masters, or PhD in a technical field, such as nuclear, mechanical, or aerospace engineering
Proficiency with STAR-CCM+, ANSYS Fluent, OpenFOAM, Nek-5000, or equivalent
Core competencies in heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics first principles
Experience with data processing (e.g., pre-processing, post-processing, scripting)

Nice To Haves

Experience with thermal hydraulic engineering principles and multi-physics analysis methods for engineering applications, particularly as they relate to power systems
Experience with nuclear engineering principles and multi-physics analysis methods for engineering applications, particularly as they relate to advanced reactors
Experience with analysis of heat exchangers, turbomachinery, and fluid control systems
Competency with modern software engineering practices and programming languages
Fluency with Python
Experience with reactor transient analysis methods
Experience with systems or reactor safety codes such as GOTHIC, RELAP, TRACE, SAM, or SAS4A/SASSYS-1
5 years or more CFD experience in an industrial setting
Passionate about clean energy
Passionate about making advanced fission a reality
Willing and able to learn quickly
Skilled with CFD tools such as STAR CCM+, Fluent, or similar
Experienced with thermal fluids analysis
Eager to work on a dynamic team, receive constructive feedback, and grow with us
Comfortable in a fast-paced, highly iterative environment
Excited to think creatively, critically, and reflectively about the problems they are solving, while not leaning only on what has been done before
Excellent communicator of technical content both verbally and in writing
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.
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.
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.
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

Developing and conducting high-fidelity analyses using CFD to analyze thermal-hydraulic behavior through the reactor core, reactor vessel, heat exchangers, power conversion, and balance of plant systems
Proactively designing, modeling, and analyzing thermal hydraulic systems
Developing and utilizing analysis methods that efficiently and effectively build confidence in a design
Performing engineering analyses, which can include thermal, fluid, safety, manufacturability, and cost
Collaborating cross-functionally to define design requirements, and providing technical feedback to quick-iterating design teams
Documenting work using modern tools and techniques, and writing well-written, thoughtful technical reports
Providing technical feedback to quick-iterating design teams