State and Local Government Affairs Manager

Thanks for your interest in Oklo! We are searching for a State and Local Government Affairs Manager to join our team. 

This is a remote position, but the candidate must be local to East Tennessee or Southern Ohio, as regular travel to these sites is required.

Position Description

Oklo is seeking a State and Local Government Affairs Manager to advance the company’s policy and regulatory objectives across key states and municipalities. Reporting to the Director of State and Local Government Affairs, this individual will lead Oklo’s engagement with state and local officials, legislators, and stakeholders, with a focus on building strong relationships, shaping public policy, and supporting Oklo’s project development goals.

The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of state legislative and regulatory processes, experience navigating state capitols, and a track record of effective engagement with government and community leaders. This position requires a mix of strategic thinking and hands-on execution, as well as the ability to represent Oklo’s interests in a professional and credible manner.

This role will involve regular travel, up to 50% of the time, to state capitols, Oklo HQ, project sites, and key stakeholder meetings.

Specific responsibilities may include:

• Develop and execute strategies for Oklo’s state and local government engagement, with a focus on priority states including Tennessee.
• Represent Oklo before state and local elected officials, regulatory agencies, and other key stakeholders, including trade associations.
• Manage and coordinate external consultants and contract lobbyists to ensure alignment with Oklo’s objectives and messaging.
• Monitor, analyze, and report on relevant state legislation, regulations, and policy trends affecting Oklo’s business.
• Build and maintain relationships with state legislators, local government officials, industry associations, and community leaders.
• Support project development teams by facilitating engagement with local governments and community stakeholders.
• Prepare briefing materials, policy summaries, testimony, and presentations for internal and external audiences.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with communications, legal, and technical teams to ensure consistent messaging and strategic alignment.
• Represent Oklo at industry events, public meetings, and stakeholder forums

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in political science, public policy, communications, or a related field.
• 5–7 years of experience in state or local government affairs, legislative advocacy, or public policy.
• Experience working in or with a state legislature, governor’s office, or local government strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to navigate legislative and regulatory processes and to build relationships across the political spectrum.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to articulate complex policy issues.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to manage multiple priorities, drive results independently, and work cross-functionally across the company.
• Experience managing consultants, contract lobbyists, or coalition partners.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 50% of the time to support engagement activities across key states.

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: $100,000-$160,000

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

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.