Facility Operations Manager

Thanks for your interest in Oklo! We are searching for a Facility Operations Manager to join our team. 

This position will be on-site in the Austin, Texas area.

Position Description

Atomic Alchemy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Oklo, is building scalable U.S. radioisotope production capabilities in facilities dedicated to producing essential isotopes for healthcare, industry, research, and defense. In May 2025, executive orders were issued directing the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to take a leading role in unleashing the American nuclear renaissance. Through these directives, DOE established the Reactor Pilot Program (RPP) to demonstrate at least three advanced reactors reaching criticality by July 4, 2026, or as soon as possible under the program. In August 2025, DOE selected Atomic Alchemy and awarded an RPP project for a pilot radioisotope production facility.

The Facility Operations Manager is responsible for the overall safe operation and maintenance of the facility. The position is directly responsible for ensuring that all facility activities meet applicable technical, operational, and regulatory requirements. This role will lead day-to-day operations, maintenance, direct facility personnel, and maintain rigorous operational discipline across all functions. The Facility Operations Manager will play a central role in the facility’s transition from construction completion, commissioning, through initial startup, and into operations, ensuring facility and personnel readiness, procedural adherence, and continuous improvement throughout each phase. This person will report directly to the Chief Operating Officer of Atomic Alchemy.

The ideal candidate will bring substantial nuclear operations management experience and previously have held, or holds, a Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) license at a commercial nuclear plant, a research and test reactor facility, or have served in the U.S. Navy Nuclear Program as an Engineering Officer of the Watch (EOOW). This position requires strong cross-functional experience, the ability to coordinate across engineering, operations, maintenance, and regulatory interfaces, and a deep commitment to operational excellence. The role is fully onsite and will require hands-on leadership and a strong presence in the facility.

Specific responsibilities may include:

• Provide overall leadership for the safe, compliant, and reliable operation and maintenance of the facility.
• Direct day-to-day facility operations and maintenance, ensuring adherence to operational, technical, and regulatory requirements.
• Lead the transition from commissioning to initial startup and operations, including readiness activities and procedure implementation.
• Establish, enforce, and continuously improve operational standards, facility procedures, and conduct-of-operations expectations.
• Oversee shift operations, maintenance activities, and engineering support, ensuring coordination across all functional disciplines.
• Serve as the primary onsite authority for operational decision-making, prioritizing nuclear safety, radiological safety, and industrial safety.
• Ensure facility personnel are properly trained, qualified, and performing to defined standards; support development of staffing plans and training programs.
• Monitor facility performance indicators, identify trends, and implement corrective actions to maintain high levels of operational reliability. 
• Support regulatory interfaces, inspections, and audits, ensuring timely resolution of findings and transparent communication.
• Drive a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement throughout the organization.
• Coordinate with senior leadership on operational planning, resource needs, and long-range facility strategy.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering or science degree. 
• Hold, or have held, a senior reactor operator (SRO) certification/NRC License for similar reactor facility (or equivalent). 
• Minimum of 4 years of supervisory or management experience. Previous commercial nuclear plant or research and test reactor experience is preferred. Education and/or experience that is job-related may be substituted for a degree on a case-by-case basis.

Competencies

We are looking for a Facility Operations Manager that is:

• Passionate about clean energy 
• Passionate about making advanced fission a reality
• Willing and able to learn quickly
• Eager to work on a dynamic team, receive constructive feedback, and grow with us
• Willing to think differently and do things in new ways 
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, highly iterative startup environment
• Excited to think creatively, critically, and reflectively about the problems they are solving, while not leaning only on what has been done before 
• Willing to propose novel and creative solutions to technical problems
• An excellent writer who can write in modern active voice, so make your cover letter compelling and write it well!
• Able to communicate technical content and results verbally 

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 micromanagement. The successful person in this job will not only be creative, but also enjoy being creative and solving open-ended problems which may change day-by-day.

Detail-oriented: This focus is a big part of excellence, consistency, and quality. Excellent grammar and spelling matter for both good communication as well as the image of the company that we put forward.

About Oklo travel requirements:

Oklo requires remote employees to travel to headquarters (Santa Clara, CA) twice a quarter annually, based on business or team needs, including attendance at team meetings, off-sites, and other company events or gatherings.

About Oklo compensation:

Salary: $150,000-$210,000

Oklo offers flexible time off, equity, competitive pay, 401k, health insurance, FSA, flexible work hours, and other benefits.

This position may involve access to information subject to U.S. export control laws. Only applicants who meet the definition of a U.S. person under applicable laws may be eligible.

About Oklo Inc.: Oklo Inc. is developing fast fission power plants to deliver clean, reliable, and affordable energy at scale; establishing a domestic supply chain for critical radioisotopes; and advancing nuclear fuel recycling to convert nuclear waste into clean energy. Oklo was the first to receive a site use permit from the U.S. Department of Energy for a commercial advanced fission plant, was awarded fuel material from Idaho National Laboratory, and submitted the first custom combined license application for an advanced reactor to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Oklo is also developing advanced fuel recycling technologies in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. National Laboratories.

#CHOP: Oklo’s Values
Collaboration: We go further, together. We bring diverse perspectives, listen actively, and build trust through transparency and respect. We work across disciplines, sharing ownership to turn complex challenges into shared successes.
Humility: We are team players who act for the good of the company and for the world. We are focused on our mission, not personal recognition.
Ownership: We take pride in what we do and how we do it. We are proactive in finding solutions and see tasks through  to completion. We are committed to delivering on our promises to provide clean, reliable, and affordable energy.
Pathfinding: We chart new ground where no path exists by approaching challenges with curiosity, courage, and creativity while navigating ambiguity.