Materials Engineer

Position Description At Oklo, we are building advanced nuclear systems that require thoughtful, fast, and defensible materials decisions across a wide range of environments—from sodium‑compatible seals to structural components exposed to high‑radiation environments. This role is a high‑impact individual contributor that sits at the intersection of design engineering, materials science, and regulatory engineering. You will serve as a technical authority and decision‑maker for material selection, while also building and maintaining the systems that allow these decisions to scale across the organization. Responsibilities Own and implement Oklo’s materials selection and governance process, ensuring fast, safe, and standardized decision‑making across reactor systems. Contribute to and help evolve Oklo’s preferred materials database and related tools, ensuring material knowledge is captured, structured, and accessible over time. Serve as a technical authority for material selection by: Developing and communicating recommendations for new material use. Reviewing deviations from preferred materials and advising on risks and trade‑offs. Guiding teams toward proven, scalable, and defensible solutions. Evaluate new materials using structured engineering approaches, including: Assessing behavior under relevant operating conditions. Identifying key degradation mechanisms and associated risks. Leveraging available data and engineering judgment to inform recommendations. Collaborate cross‑functionally to support design decisions and ensure alignment with engineering, safety, and regulatory considerations. Support regulatory and licensing efforts by ensuring material selections are technically justified and defensible. Identify material knowledge gaps and inform testing or analysis needs. Experience Level Minimum of 5 years of experience. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in materials science, nuclear engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field. 5+ years of experience in materials engineering, with a focus on material selection, evaluation, or qualification. Demonstrated experience applying engineering judgment to support material selection decisions in complex or high‑consequence systems. Strong understanding of material behavior in demanding environments (e.g., high temperature, corrosive environments, radiation, or similar). Familiarity with common material degradation mechanisms (e.g., corrosion, creep, embrittlement, fatigue). Experience working cross‑functionally to support engineering design decisions. Ability to clearly communicate technical recommendations, including assumptions, risks, and trade‑offs. Strong written communication skills, including the ability to document technical rationale in a clear and structured manner. Bonus Qualifications Experience in nuclear, aerospace, energy, or other high‑reliability industries. Familiarity with nuclear materials considerations, including radiation effects, sodium environments, or high‑temperature systems. Experience supporting or interfacing with regulatory or licensing activities. Familiarity with ASME codes, material standards, or qualification frameworks. Experience developing or applying structured approaches to material selection across multiple systems or projects. Background in material testing, characterization, or analysis. Experience interpreting and applying data from literature, test programs, or material databases. Experience contributing to or working with engineering databases or knowledge management systems. Exposure to design for manufacturability and material supply considerations. Coding or data analysis experience (e.g., Python or similar tools). Desired Candidate Qualities Passionate about clean energy. Comfortable acting as a technical authority, providing clear recommendations and guiding material selection decisions across a range of applications. Able to balance engineering rigor with speed, making sound decisions with incomplete information while clearly communicating assumptions and risks. Skilled at applying first‑principles thinking to evaluate material behavior in complex environments. Experienced in identifying material degradation mechanisms and understanding their impact on system performance and lifetime. Systems thinker who can build and improve processes that scale material selection across teams, rather than solving one‑off problems. Effective collaborator who can work across disciplines to support design decisions without becoming a bottleneck. Strong communicator, capable of translating complex material behavior into clear, actionable guidance for engineers and stakeholders. Detail‑oriented, with a focus on consistency, traceability, and defensibility in engineering decisions. Comfortable operating in a fast‑paced, highly iterative environment where priorities may evolve quickly. Motivated to enable teams and improve how engineering decisions are made across the organization. Remote Work and Travel Remote employees are required to travel to headquarters in Santa Clara, CA, twice a quarter annually, and to be in person at headquarters for the first two weeks of onboarding. Benefits Oklo offers flexible time off, equity, competitive pay, 401(k), health insurance, FSA, flexible work hours, and other benefits. Legal & Hiring Process Candidates may be subject to drug screening and 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. #J-18808-Ljbffr Oklo