Materials Engineer

Thanks for your interest in Oklo! We are searching for a Materials Engineer to join our engineering team. 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 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 tradeoffs 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 consi ... (truncated, view full listing at source)