Senior Manager, Policy & Engagement

Oklo•Idaho Falls, ID

9h•$80,000 - $140,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Oklo is seeking a Senior Manager, Idaho Policy and Engagement to lead the company’s strategic engagement and stakeholder relationships. This role will serve as Oklo’s primary local representative and external face for government stakeholders (e.g., state, local, DOE), visitors, and regional stakeholders across the company’s Idaho portfolio. This role sits at the intersection of policy, deployment strategy, stakeholder engagement, communications, market development, and strategic partnerships. The individual will work across internal teams and external stakeholders to help ensure Oklo remains ahead of emerging opportunities and challenges related to advanced nuclear deployment in Idaho. The Manager will be responsible for building and maintaining trusted relationships throughout Idaho while helping advance Oklo’s long-term strategic objectives. A key focus of the role will be supporting engagement activities associated with Aurora-INL, Oklo fuel fabrication, and Oklo isotopes, while helping position Oklo for future strategic projects as the company expands its presence in the state. This individual will support Idaho-based stakeholder engagement efforts, coordinate executive and visitor engagements, serve as a liaison between Idaho operations and company leadership, and help ensure Oklo maintains a strong and credible presence across the state. The ideal candidate will have experience operating across government affairs, economic development, infrastructure, energy, industrial development, public policy, or large-scale project deployment and be comfortable engaging with stakeholders at all levels. This position is based in Idaho Falls and will require onsite presence at Aurora-INL and other sites across Southeast Idaho, regular travel throughout the state, as well as periodic travel to Oklo headquarters and other company locations. This position will require being on site frequently and in person, thus offering limited remote work opportunities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in public policy, political science, engineering, business, communications, energy systems, or related field
5+ years of experience in government affairs, stakeholder engagement, economic development, public policy, infrastructure, energy, industrial development, or related fields
Strong understanding of Idaho’s political, economic, regulatory, and community landscape
Experience engaging with senior government officials and external stakeholders
Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills
Strong relationship-building and organizational abilities
Ability to translate complex technical and policy issues into clear and actionable communications
Willingness to travel extensively throughout Idaho and periodically to other Oklo locations, including twice per quarter visits to Oklo HQ in California.

Nice To Haves

Experience working within or adjacent to Idaho state government, local government, economic development, or regional policy environments
Familiarity with Idaho National Laboratory and the broader nuclear energy ecosystem
Experience supporting large-scale infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, technology, or industrial projects
Experience working with community stakeholders, universities, workforce organizations, and regional development entities
Familiarity with advanced nuclear technologies, fuel cycle activities, or energy infrastructure development
Startup, high-growth, or first-of-a-kind deployment experience preferred
Passionate about advanced nuclear energy and transformative infrastructure development
Comfortable serving as the public face of major projects and initiatives
Entrepreneurial and proactive in identifying opportunities and solving problems
A trusted relationship builder across government, industry, and community stakeholders
An effective communicator capable of engaging technical and non-technical audiences alike
Comfortable operating independently while coordinating across multiple internal teams
Curious, adaptable, and energized by helping shape the future of advanced nuclear deployment in Idaho
Collaborative, mission-driven, and excited to help build Oklo’s long-term presence across the state
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

Support development and execution of Oklo’s Idaho engagement and growth strategy
Monitor and analyze Idaho legislative, regulatory, political, economic, and community developments impacting advanced nuclear deployment and related industries
Identify strategic opportunities and risks related to reactor deployment, fuel cycle activities, manufacturing, radioisotopes, infrastructure development, workforce development, and economic growth
Support long-term ecosystem development for advanced nuclear technologies and related industries within Idaho
Help strengthen Oklo’s position within Idaho’s energy, industrial, research, workforce, and economic development communities
Serve as Oklo’s primary external representative and relationship manager across Idaho
Build and maintain strong relationships with: Idaho’s state elected officials and state agencies, DOE-ID and Idaho National Lab, Congressional offices and federal stakeholders, County and municipal governments, Tribal governments and organizations through coordination with DOE(at direction of Community Affairs), Economic development organizations (at direction of Community Affairs), Industry associations
Represent Oklo at meetings, conferences, workshops, industry forums, and stakeholder engagements throughout Idaho
Support Community Relations team as directed, attending community events on behalf of Oklo
Work with external consultants, advisors, and strategic partners where appropriate
Develop deep familiarity with Oklo’s Idaho-based projects and initiatives
Serve as the primary liaison between Idaho operations, project teams, and company leadership
Become the company’s foremost resource on Idaho-specific projects, stakeholders, opportunities, and community dynamics
Support strategic engagement activities associated with Aurora-INL and other Idaho-based projects
Design, develop, and manage a best-in-class temporary visitor experience program for Idaho facilities and projects
Serve as host and primary representative for all visitors to Oklo’s Idaho operations
Coordinate executive visits, stakeholder tours, project briefings, and special events
Coordinate across Operations, EHS, Security, Government Affairs, Community Relations, Corporate Communications, and project teams to ensure safe, professional, and effective site visits
Help communicate Oklo’s vision, technology, and Idaho strategy to a broad range of audiences
Develop briefing materials, presentations, stakeholder analyses, and strategic recommendations
Support policy and stakeholder strategies that advance Oklo’s Idaho objectives
Help identify opportunities related to infrastructure investment, workforce development, advanced manufacturing, fuel cycle development, and radioisotope production
Support partnerships with government, industry, research institutions, and community organizations
Advance initiatives that strengthen Idaho’s role as a leader in advanced nuclear innovation and deployment
Help align external engagement, messaging, partnerships, and strategic initiatives across teams
Coordinate internal efforts related to Idaho-specific initiatives and priorities
Monitor local concerns and lead coordinated effort to address them.
Support development of policy recommendations, white papers, briefing materials, presentations, and strategic analyses
Assist with proposals, funding opportunities, strategic partnerships, and state-level initiatives
Help identify opportunities related to workforce development, supply chain expansion, advanced manufacturing, and infrastructure investment
Support cross-industry collaboration efforts that advance advanced nuclear deployment in Idaho