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.

We are seeking an experienced materials engineer to own and drive the material selection process across Oklo’s reactor systems, ensuring decisions are made efficiently, consistently, and with strong technical and regulatory grounding.

This role is a high-impact individual contributor position 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.

Specific responsibilities may include:

• 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 tradeoffs
  • 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