Mechanical Engineer - Fuel Recycling

Thanks for your interest in Oklo! We are searching for a Mechanical Engineer to join our Fuel Recycling Team.

Position Description

As a Mechanical Engineer supporting our nuclear waste treatment systems, you will develop waste processing equipment from concept through deployment. Rather than performing detailed equipment design yourself, you will define process and mechanical requirements, work closely with equipment vendors, and ensure systems are practical, maintainable, and ready for operation in a nuclear environment.

You will translate waste processing objectives into equipment requirements, operating concepts, vendor specifications, and acceptance criteria while evaluating designs for maintainability, reliability, contamination control, remote operation, and regulatory compliance. Success in this role requires sound mechanical engineering judgment, an understanding of industrial process equipment, and the ability to recognize when a design is overly complex, under-specified, or not ready for production use.

This role on the waste engineering team works closely with process engineering, mechanical design, controls, safety, radiation protection, licensing, procurement, operations, and external vendors to deliver integrated waste treatment systems.

Specific responsibilities may include:

Develop mechanical requirements, equipment specifications, acceptance criteria, and operating concepts for radioactive waste treatment systems.

Translate process requirements into practical equipment solutions for waste processing, packaging, storage, and material handling.

Evaluate vendor designs for functionality, maintainability, reliability, contamination control, remote operation, and lifecycle performance.

Develop and review equipment layouts, P&IDs, material handling flows, tooling concepts, and mechanical interfaces.

Identify opportunities to simplify designs, improve operability, reduce maintenance burden, and increase production readiness.

Support procurement by finding relevant vendors, preparing technical specifications, evaluating vendor proposals, and reviewing design deliverables.

Lead or participate in multidisciplinary design reviews and drive technical action items to closure.

Develop engineering documentation including design bases, interface definitions, design evaluations, and technical reports.

Support hazard analyses, licensing activities, commissioning, and facility integration.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering field

Minimum of 5 years of relevant engineering experience

Experience developing, specifying, integrating, or implementing industrial process equipment

Experience working with equipment vendors, technical specifications, procurement packages, or design reviews

Experience with 3D CAD tools, 2D fabrication drawings, equipment specifications, and controlled design documentation

Familiarity with P&IDs, mechanical equipment layouts, process equipment interfaces, material handling concepts, and vendor design packages

Strong mechanical engineering judgment, including practical understanding of maintainability, reliability, fabrication, inspection, and failure modes

Experience coordinating work across multiple engineering disciplines