Core Mechanical Design - Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

Oklo·Santa Clara, CA or Remote·Posted today

Nuclear industryUS only

About this role

Senior Mechanical Design Engineer at Oklo to lead core assembly and component design for advanced reactors. Own designs from concept through production, partnering with fuel fabrication and analysis teams to optimize performance, manufacturability, and inspectability in safety-critical nuclear systems.

Responsibilities

—Develop core assembly and component designs to meet performance and manufacturing requirements
—Create and maintain design documentation: drawings, specifications, design basis documents, and calculation packages
—Conduct design reviews and provide technical feedback across engineering teams
—Generate detailed 3D CAD models, 2D drawings, and BOMs using PDM/PLM systems (Teamcenter, etc.)
—Coordinate with thermal, structural, fatigue, and safety analysis teams to guide and interpret results
—Perform manufacturability reviews, tolerance stack-up studies, and DFM/DFA assessments
—Partner with fuel fabrication team to refine designs for improved manufacturability and inspectability
—Identify mechanical design deficiencies and propose solutions
—Drive continuous improvement of mechanical design processes, tools, and standards

Qualifications

—5–10 years of mechanical or structural design in aerospace, automotive, energy, or industrial equipment
—Bachelor's degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline
—Proficiency in 3D CAD (Siemens NX, CATIA, or SolidWorks): part modeling, assemblies, detailed drawings
—Experience with CAD version control/PDM/PLM (Teamcenter, SolidWorks PDM, Windchill)
—Solid understanding of DFM, DFA, and tolerance stack-up analysis
—Apply GD&T per ASME Y14.5–2018 to engineering drawings
—Working knowledge of material selection (metals), manufacturing methods, and fabrication techniques
—Cross-functional collaboration with analysis, manufacturing, and systems engineering teams
—Strong written and verbal communication; ability to document and present engineering work
—Comfortable interfacing with external manufacturers and engineering consultants

Desired

—Background designing high-integrity or safety-critical components (nuclear, aerospace, defense, heavy industry)
—Proven leadership of hardware projects from concept to production
—Knowledge of manufacturing and inspection processes
—Experience with precision machine design and tolerancing
—Understanding of thermal-mechanical analysis and high-temperature design
—Basic knowledge of nuclear fission and radiation effects on materials and components
—Simulation tools (ANSYS) and scripting language (Python) experience
—ASME GD&T Professional certification (Senior or Technologist Level)
—Proficiency with Siemens NX