How to apply for Safety Analysis Engineer

About Oklo

Oklo is a nuclear technology company focused on fast fission technology and recycling used nuclear fuel. The company aims to provide clean, reliable, and affordable energy. This role supports a first-of-a-kind used nuclear fuel recycling facility, which is a rare opportunity to work on a new regulatory and technical challenge.

About the role

The Safety Analysis Engineer will develop the safety basis for a first-of-a-kind used nuclear fuel recycling facility. The role involves identifying hazards, evaluating accident sequences, designating Items Relied On For Safety (IROFS), and developing management measures. The work supports radiological, subcriticality, chemical, and fire safety programs under Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations.

A typical day

A typical day may involve reviewing hazard analyses, performing consequence or likelihood calculations, and drafting sections of safety basis documents. You might coordinate with other engineers on criticality, fire, or chemical safety evaluations. The role is remote, so you will likely spend time in virtual meetings and independent work.

Who Oklo is looking for

• Experience developing safety basis documents under NRC regulations and guidance.
• Background in Integrated Safety Analysis (ISA), Criticality Safety Evaluations, Fire Hazard Analysis (FHA), or Natural Phenomena Hazard (NPH) analysis.
• Ability to perform deterministic consequence severity calculations for radiological and chemical source terms and dose.
• Experience with likelihood calculations using qualitative and semi-quantitative methods such as layers of protection analysis.

Tips for this application

• Review the NRC regulations and guidance relevant to fuel recycling facilities, such as 10 CFR Part 70, and mention specific documents you have worked with.
• Highlight any experience with first-of-a-kind or non-standard nuclear facilities, as this is not a typical light-water reactor safety analysis role.
• Use terms from the job description in your resume, such as IROFS, ISA, FHA, NPH, and management measures, to show direct alignment.
• If you have experience with used nuclear fuel recycling or fast fission technology, describe it clearly in your application.
• Check Oklo's website and recent public filings to understand their regulatory strategy and how this facility fits into their broader plans.

What to cover in your cover letter

Explain your experience developing safety basis documents under NRC regulations. Describe specific projects where you identified hazards, evaluated accident sequences, or designated IROFS. Detail your work with radiological, criticality, chemical, or fire safety programs. Mention why you want to work on a first-of-a-kind recycling facility and how your skills apply to that unique challenge.

Research before applying

• Oklo's fast fission technology and their approach to recycling used nuclear fuel.
• The regulatory framework for used nuclear fuel recycling facilities, including NRC requirements for safety basis and IROFS.
• Oklo's current projects and any public information about their first-of-a-kind recycling facility.
• Recent NRC guidance or rulemaking related to advanced reactors and fuel cycle facilities.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How would you approach developing a safety basis for a first-of-a-kind used nuclear fuel recycling facility?
• Describe your experience with Integrated Safety Analysis (ISA) and how you identified accident sequences using inductive and deductive methods.
• Walk through a time you performed deterministic consequence severity calculations for radiological or chemical source terms.
• How have you designated Items Relied On For Safety (IROFS) and developed management measures in past roles?
• What is your familiarity with NRC regulations and guidance for fuel cycle facilities, and how do you stay current with regulatory changes?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Submitting a generic resume that does not mention specific safety analysis methods like ISA, FHA, or NPH.
• Failing to show familiarity with NRC regulations for fuel cycle facilities, which are different from reactor regulations.
• Not explaining how your past experience applies to a first-of-a-kind facility, where standard approaches may not be sufficient.