State and Local Permitting Specialist

Thanks for your interest in Oklo!  We are searching for a State and Local Permitting Specialist to join our environmental compliance team.

Position Description

The State and Local Permitting Specialist is responsible for identifying applicable State and local permits, working with the Oklo team and engineering, procurement, and construction contractors for ensuring compliance with all applicable permits.

Specific responsibilities may include:

• Research, analyze, and interpret State and local environmental laws, regulations, and guidance
• Evaluate the policy implications of proposed State and local legislation, regulations, and agency actions
• Communicate with contractors for ensuring permits are secured
• Review technical studies and consultant reports for accuracy and policy alignment
• Draft and revise authorizations, approvals, and permit forms
• Track State and local regulatory changes and assess risk, compliance gaps, and operational impacts
• Work with Oklo project managers and schedulers to make sure permits are met on time
• Prepare materials and lead meetings with State and local regulators
• Maintain organized records of regulatory correspondence
• Monitor emerging trends in State and local environmental policy
• Support audits, inspections, and internal reviews as needed

Experience Level:

• Intermediate (2-5yr) or Experienced (5-10yr)

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s, Master’s or Ph.D in Environmental Policy, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, Natural Resources, Public Policy, Sustainability, or a closely related field or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience
• Demonstrated experience securing State and local permits for industrial developments

Bonus Qualifications:

• GIS
• Experience with wetland delineation certifications
• Experience with stormwater pollution prevention plans
• Familiarity with ISO 14001
• Familiar with Toxic Release Inventory Reporting
• Familiarity with Pollution Prevention Plans
• Experience with corporate waste management plans

Competencies

We are looking for a State and Local Permitting Specialist that is:

• Able to understand how to research state statutes, local ordinances, and zoning codes
• Familiar with land use, zoning districts, and development approval types
• Aware of how state, county, and municipal jurisdictions interact
• Able to locate and reference applicable codes, plans, and regulations
• Understand standard permitting workflows (pre-application, submittal, review, approval)
• Able to assist with permit applications, rezones, variances, and conditional use permits
• Familiar with review timelines, notice requirements, and hearing processes
• Able to follow established permitting procedures and checklists
• Able to assist in preparing complete and accurate permit submittals
• Able to work with internal and external teams to compile supporting materials (site plans, narratives, studies, forms)
• Able to work with the team to track application revisions and resubmittals
• Understands the components in a site layout, setbacks, buffers, access, and compatibility
• Knowledgable of environmental permits commonly triggered by development
• Able to identify when additional permits or approvals may be required
• Learns from feedback and apply it to future submittals
• Able to professionally coordinate with agency staff on application logistics
• Document agency comments and review outcomes
• Comfortable running meetings with internal and external stakeholders for permitting
• High reading comprehension and detail oriented
• Critical evaluation skills to reduce risk to the company, projects, and timeframes
• Passionate about clean energy 
• An optimist at heart
• Passionate about making advanced fission a reality
• Willing and able to learn quickly
• 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 a 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: $130,000 - $175,000

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

We are looking to fill this position immediately!

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.