Sr. Manager, Hardware Test Engineering

Position Description Oklo is looking for an experienced and driven leader to manage and grow our Idaho Falls test organization. This role will oversee the planning, execution, and continuous improvement of test programs, including prototypic thermal-hydraulic, materials, and tribology test systems. You will work closely with design engineering, safety analysis, and regulatory teams to ensure test data supports licensing and deployment of Oklo’s advanced reactors. As Sr. Manager, you will both help set the vision and dive into the details: building teams, developing infrastructure, and rolling up your sleeves to solve problems. You will be instrumental in ensuring Oklo’s test team deliver high-quality, traceable data that enables our technology to move quickly and confidently through design, licensing, and deployment. Candidates willing to relocate to Idaho Falls are preferred, although qualified remote candidates willing to travel up to 25% of the time will be considered. Specific responsibilities may include: Own the roadmap for Oklo’s Idaho Falls test facility. Develop and maintain a structured approach for test planning, execution, and reporting that meets technical, regulatory, and safety requirements. Manage multidisciplinary teams of engineers and technicians to execute tests on time and within budget. Collaborate with design engineers to define test objectives, test acceptance criteria, and instrumentation strategies. Lead procurement and integration of major test equipment. Ensure data quality, traceability, and configuration control for all test results, with links to requirements and VV artifacts. Build strong interfaces with safety, licensing, and regulatory teams to ensure test programs provide defensible results. Mentor and grow a high-performing test engineering team, fostering a culture of rigor, creativity, and accountability. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, nuclear, electrical, or related engineering discipline. At least 10 years of experience in test engineering, with increasing responsibility in leadership or management. Experience in developing and executing test programs in highly regulated industries (nuclear, aerospace, defense, or similar). Familiarity with instrumentation, data acquisition systems, and facility operations. Demonstrated track record of delivering complex test programs. Bonus Qualifications Master’s degree or PhD in a relevant engineering field. Prior experience supporting regulatory submittals with test data. Familiarity with Siemens Teamcenter or other PLM/requirements traceability tools. Strong network within the test engineering and facility operations community. Who you are: 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 micromana ... (truncated, view full listing at source)