Deputy Chief of Staff

Thanks for your interest in Oklo! We are searching for a Deputy Chief of Staff to join our team. 

Position Description

We are seeking a highly organized, strategic, and adaptable Deputy Chief of Staff to work closely with our Chief of Staff. This role is designed for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, is comfortable handling ambiguity, and can serve as an extension of executive leadership to ensure priorities move forward seamlessly. Partnering closely with the Chief of Staff and leadership, you’ll be a force multiplier who ensures the organization runs smoothly, leadership priorities move forward, and critical projects stay on track.

The Deputy Chief of Staff will also play a critical role in shaping and operationalizing internal processes for executive meetings, board updates, and OKR tracking, while improving processes that strengthen the organization’s alignment and performance. You’ll be called on to represent leadership in internal and external meetings, manage competing priorities across the company, anticipate challenges, maintain organizational momentum in a fast-moving environment where execution and follow-through are key, and design operational systems that allow executives to focus on vision and strategy. At times, you’ll be in the weeds solving immediate issues; at others, you’ll be guiding the long-term planning process that shapes our next stage of growth. 

Specific responsibilities may include:

• Field Work Requests & Triage
• Serve as the first line of intake for requests directed to the Chief of Staff (COS); assess priority, determine action steps, and either resolve directly or escalate as needed
• Act as the trusted delegate and exercise sound judgement and discretion when making decisions
• Executive Representation 
• Represent the COS in meetings and discussions when they are unavailable, ensuring priorities and context are clearly communicated and strategic decisions are advanced.
• Translate executive priorities into actionable plans; monitor progress and hold teams accountable for follow-through
• Agenda & Meeting Management: 
• Own the end-to-end process for executive and leadership meetings: set and manage agendas, ensure participants are fully prepared, and handle logistics so leadership can focus on strategy and decision-making
• Project & Initiative Tracking: 
• Monitor progress on high-priority projects, surface risks or delays, and manage the execution of strategic initiatives, intervening on behalf of the COS to keep initiatives on track
• Cross-Functional Coordination
• Facilitate collaboration across teams, especially on company-wide goal-setting, status updates, and communications to ensure organizational alignment
• Lead resolution of cross-functional challenges, escalating issues when necessary and ensuring organizational alignment on solutions
• Strategic Planning Support: 
• Partner with the COS to develop long-range plans, establish key programs, and support policy creation that advances Oklo’s mission
• Support annual and quarterly strategic planning processes, ensuring leadership alignment and timely execution of company goals
• Provide data-driven insights and analytical support to inform executive decision-making
• Calendar & Workflow Optimization: 
• Manage the COS’s calendar strategically, prioritizing time against company objectives like OKRs and ensuring leadership is operating at peak efficiency
• Build and continuously improve systems that enhance visibility, accountability, and organizational efficiency
• Partner with functional leaders to identify barriers, streamline processes, and implement scalable operational solutions

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.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Proven experience in high-level program, operations, or project management roles within fast-paced organizations.
• Fluency and near expertise in operational tools such as Google suite, Microsoft Suite, Zoom, AI notetakers, Confluence, Slack, or other similar tools that allow for improved alignment and project execution
• Exceptional organizational, analytical, and communication skills with strong attention to detail
• Adept at synthesizing complex information, surfacing key insights, and driving clarity in ambiguous situations
• Trusted to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion and integrity.
• Professional, confident, and capable of strongly representing leadership in front of both internal and external stakeholders with clarity
• A natural problem-solver who thrives in dynamic environments and enjoys building order from complexity
• Highly adaptable, proactive, and able to balance both strategic thinking and tactical execution
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships across levels and functions
• Comfort with data-driven decision making; able to generate and interpret metrics to track progress
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage multiple projects and shifting priorities with poise
  
  

About Oklo compensation: $110,000-$140,000

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.