How to apply for Recycling Operations Engineer Lead

About Oklo

Oklo is developing next-generation fast fission technology and recycling nuclear waste to provide clean, reliable, affordable energy. The company is working on a nuclear fuel recycling facility, which is a rare opportunity to shape a first-of-a-kind plant from the ground up.

About the role

The Recycling Operations Engineer Lead establishes the operating model and operations engineering basis for Oklo's nuclear fuel recycling facility. You will represent facility operations through design, construction, commissioning, startup, and ramp-up, translating operational, safety, security, safeguards, material control and accountability, and regulatory needs into traceable design requirements, operating philosophies, procedures, training programs, and readiness criteria.

A typical day

A typical day may involve reviewing design documents and turning operational needs into traceable requirements, meeting with Process Engineering, I&C, Safety, or Licensing to resolve integration issues, and drafting or reviewing operating sequences, limits, procedures, or training materials. You may also support readiness reviews, commissioning planning, or startup activities as the facility moves through its phases. Exact daily routines are not stated in the job description, so ask about team structure and current project phase during interviews.

Who Oklo is looking for

• Significant experience designing, commissioning, starting up, or operating nuclear fuel-cycle facilities.
• Substantial experience in complex chemical, petrochemical, refining, or similar process facilities, especially supporting operations through design and startup.
• Ability to translate operational, safety, security, safeguards, material control and accountability, and regulatory needs into design requirements and operating documents.
• Experience working across Process Engineering, Instrumentation and Controls, Systems Engineering, Safety, Licensing, Regulatory, Security, Safeguards, Material Control and Accountability, Quality, Maintenance, Construction, and Project Management.

Tips for this application

• In your resume, list specific fuel-cycle or process facilities you have commissioned, started up, or operated. Name the facility type, your role, and the phase you supported.
• Highlight any work you have done with material control and accountability, safeguards, or nuclear regulatory requirements. These are named needs in the job description.
• Describe how you have turned operational needs into traceable design requirements or operating procedures. Give one concrete example.
• Show experience working with cross-functional teams. The role lists many partner groups, so name the groups you have worked with and what you delivered together.
• If your background is in chemical, petrochemical, or refining rather than nuclear, explain how your process facility experience maps to the listed responsibilities, especially commissioning, startup, and operating limits.

What to cover in your cover letter

['Your direct experience with nuclear fuel-cycle facilities or comparable complex process facilities through design, commissioning, startup, or operations.', 'How you have translated operational, safety, security, safeguards, or regulatory needs into design requirements, procedures, or training programs.', 'Your record of working with the specific partner groups named in the job description, such as Process Engineering, I&C, Safety, Licensing, Security, and Project Management.', 'Why you want to help establish the operating model for a new recycling facility at Oklo, and what you would check or ask about the facility design and readiness criteria.']

Research before applying

• Oklo's fast fission technology and its nuclear waste recycling plans. Read the company's public materials on the recycling facility.
• The regulatory and safeguards framework for nuclear fuel recycling in the US, including material control and accountability requirements.
• Oklo's current projects, partners, and any public timelines for the recycling facility.
• The job description's list of partner groups and what each group typically needs from operations engineering during design and startup.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How you would establish an operating model for a nuclear fuel recycling facility from design through ramp-up.
• A time you translated regulatory, safeguards, or material control and accountability needs into design requirements or operating procedures.
• How you have worked with Process Engineering, I&C, and Systems Engineering to integrate operations needs into facility design.
• Your approach to defining operating sequences, preliminary operating limits, and readiness criteria for a new facility.
• How you would build procedures and training programs for operations staff during commissioning and startup.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Submitting a generic resume that does not name specific facilities, phases, or systems you have worked on.
• Claiming nuclear fuel-cycle experience without being able to describe your role in commissioning, startup, or operations in detail.
• Ignoring the safeguards, material control and accountability, and security aspects of the role and focusing only on process engineering.