Senior Mechanical Designer - Fuel Recycling
OkloSanta Clara, Canada
Full Time
Posted July 19, 2026
$100k - $150k
Nuclear Energy
Remote
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Application opens on company website
Listing evidence and provenance
- Source
- greenhouse View original listing
- Freshness
- Open in the current public read path; this is not an employer guarantee.Last observed September 29, 2026
- Classification
- Modern power-system classification not yet published for this listing.Legacy source industry field: Nuclear Energy
- Pay provenance
- Employer-provided pay
Job Description
The person in this role is responsible for developing detailed mechanical designs, 3D CAD models, fabrication drawings, and prototype hardware supporting Oklo's first-of-a-kind nuclear fuel recycling technology.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop detailed 3D CAD models and manufacturing drawings using SolidWorks.
- Produce fabrication, assembly, weldment, machining, and installation drawings suitable for manufacturing and procurement.
- Translate engineering concepts into manufacturable mechanical designs with strong attention to detail.
- Apply Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) principles throughout the design process.
- Collaborate closely with engineers, machinists, welders, and fabrication vendors to optimize designs for manufacturing, assembly, and maintenance.
- Develop custom mechanical assemblies, fixtures, tooling, furnace components, vessels, and supporting process equipment.
- Support prototype fabrication by responding to shop questions, incorporating manufacturing feedback, and revising drawings as designs evolve.
- Maintain engineering documentation including bills of materials, drawing revisions, and controlled CAD files.
- Participate in design reviews and contribute practical fabrication and assembly recommendations.
- Assist with prototype assembly, equipment integration, and iterative design improvements based on testing and operational feedback.
- Help develop CAD standards, drawing templates, and design best practices that improve consistency across the engineering organization.
Requirements
- Associate's degree, technical certification, or Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Design, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Drafting, or a related technical field (or equivalent professional experience).
- 5+ years of experience developing detailed mechanical designs and fabrication drawings.
- Advanced proficiency with SolidWorks, including complex assemblies, weldments, sheet metal, and drawing creation.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing processes including machining, welding, sheet metal fabrication, and mechanical assembly.
- Experience creating fabrication drawings with appropriate GD&T, tolerancing, bills of materials, and manufacturing notes.
- Demonstrated experience applying Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) principles.
- Ability to interpret engineering requirements and produce accurate, complete mechanical documentation.
- Experience designing equipment for radiological or nuclear facilities.
- Experience designing gloveboxes, hot cells, shielded equipment, or remote handling systems.
- Experience designing high-temperature process equipment, including furnaces or thermal processing systems operating above 500 °C.
- Experience with molten salt systems, vacuum systems, or corrosive chemical processing equipment.
- Experience producing large weldments, pressure-containing assemblies, or custom process vessels.
- Familiarity with ASME Y14.5 GD&T standards and industrial drafting best practices.
- Experience using PDM/PLM systems for CAD and document management.
- Experience supporting rapid prototyping and iterative hardware development.
- Experience collaborating directly with machine shops, fabrication vendors, and equipment installers.
- Experience in commercial or governmental nuclear projects.
- We are looking for a Mechanical Designer that is:
- Passionate about clean energy and advancing nuclear technology.
- Highly proficient in SolidWorks with exceptional attention to detail.
- Passionate about creating clean, organized, and accurate fabrication drawings.
- Experienced designing components that are straightforward to machine, fabricate, weld, and assemble.
- Comfortable working closely with fabrication shops and incorporating practical manufacturing feedback into designs.
- Curious about how things are built and motivated to continuously improve designs through rapid iteration.
- Comfortable working on first-of-a-kind equipment where requirements evolve as prototypes are developed.
- Organized and capable of managing multiple concurrent design efforts.
- An optimist at heart, comfortable in a fast-paced, highly iterative startup environment.
- An excellent communicator who enjoys collaborating with multidisciplinary engineering teams.
- 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.
- 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. For the first two weeks of onboarding, employees are required to be in person at headquarters in Santa Clara, CA.
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