How to apply for Director of Project Development

About Oklo

Oklo aims to provide clean, reliable, affordable energy using next-generation fast fission technology and nuclear waste recycling. The company is developing the Aurora powerhouse, a small fast reactor design. Working here means contributing to first-of-a-kind nuclear deployment, not incremental improvements to existing power plants.

About the role

The Director of Project Development owns end-to-end execution of Oklo's Aurora powerhouse development pipeline. You will advance 5–10+ sites concurrently from site control through financial close and final notice to proceed (FNTP). This is the project execution spine of the Development organization, integrating Development Engineering, Transmission & Interconnection, Environmental & Permitting, and Project Finance.

A typical day

A typical day might involve reviewing schedules and risk registers for several Aurora sites, coordinating with Development Engineering on design readiness, and meeting with Transmission & Interconnection on queue positions. You could also prepare for an executive milestone review, mentor a project developer on a permitting issue, and align with Finance on financial close conditions.

Who Oklo is looking for

• Has managed a portfolio of 5–10+ power generation or infrastructure projects simultaneously through stage-gate development, including site control, interconnection, permitting, and financial close.
• Understands nuclear regulatory coordination, specifically NRC permitting processes, or has adjacent experience in heavily regulated energy development.
• Has built and managed a team of project developers at varying seniority levels, with clear ownership of schedules, budgets, and risk registers.
• Is comfortable representing projects in executive milestone reviews and board reporting, and can drive cross-functional coordination across engineering, transmission, environmental, and finance teams.

Tips for this application

• Quantify your portfolio experience: state exactly how many sites you advanced concurrently and at what stages (site control, interconnection, permitting, financial close).
• Name the specific regulatory bodies and processes you have worked with, especially NRC, FERC, or state-level permitting, and describe your direct role in those filings.
• Describe your budget and schedule ownership using concrete figures (e.g., total capital, per-site budget, schedule duration) rather than general statements.
• Explain how you built or mentored a project development team: number of direct reports, seniority levels, and how you structured their work across multiple sites.
• In your cover letter or resume, connect your experience to Oklo's specific model: fast fission, nuclear waste recycling, and the Aurora powerhouse. Show you understand why their development process differs from solar, wind, or gas.

What to cover in your cover letter

1. Your track record managing 5–10+ concurrent projects from site control through financial close, with specific stage-gate examples. 2. Your experience with NRC permitting coordination or equivalent nuclear regulatory processes, and how you integrated that with engineering and finance. 3. Your approach to building and managing a team of developers at different seniority levels. 4. Why Oklo's fast fission and waste recycling approach matters to you, and how your development experience translates to first-of-a-kind nuclear projects.

Research before applying

• Read Oklo's public materials on the Aurora powerhouse design, including its power output, refueling interval, and intended deployment sites.
• Understand the NRC's combined license (COL) process and how it applies to advanced non-light-water reactors. Know where Oklo is in that process.
• Research Oklo's waste recycling technology and how it affects the development timeline compared to traditional nuclear projects.
• Look into Oklo's recent announcements about site selection, partnerships, or customers to understand the current development pipeline.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Walk through a project you took from site control to financial close. What were the critical path items and how did you manage them?
• How have you coordinated NRC permitting with engineering and interconnection timelines? Give a specific example of a conflict you resolved.
• Describe how you build and manage a risk register across a portfolio of 5–10+ projects. How do you prioritize risks when resources are limited?
• Tell us about a time you had to present a project at an executive or board-level milestone review. What did you present and what was the outcome?
• How would you structure a project development team as the portfolio grows from 5 to 10+ sites? What roles would you hire first and why?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Focusing only on construction or operations experience without showing stage-gate development ownership from site control to financial close.
• Describing team management in vague terms without naming team size, seniority levels, or how you assigned work across multiple sites.
• Treating nuclear development like solar or wind development. Ignoring the NRC permitting timeline and first-of-a-kind engineering risk signals a lack of preparation.