Human Factors Engineer

Thanks for your interest in Oklo!  We are searching for a Human Factors Engineer to join our team. 

Position Description

Oklo is seeking a Human Factors Engineer to lead the development and implementation of our Human Factors Engineering (HFE) program. This role is pivotal in ensuring that HFE principles are systematically and effectively incorporated into the design. The successful candidate will play a central role in shaping human-system integration outcomes that support operational safety, reliability, and usability from early design and through deployment.

Specific responsibilities may include:

• Develop and maintain Oklo’s HFE program, execution plans, and compliance strategies. 
• Provide technical recommendations for internal and external engineering design teams as it pertains to human factors.
• Ensure human factors principles are effectively and systematically incorporated into the engineering design process to support safe, intuitive, and efficient human-system interaction across all project phases.
• Contribute to internal and external design reviews, presenting HFE assessments and advocating for human-centered improvements in design and operations.
• Analyze and recommend improvements for plant layouts, user interfaces, procedures, and other human-system interfaces. Support the development of specifications that reflect human capabilities and limitations.
• Identify and document operator and technician needs, functional tasks, and system use requirements through task analysis, workload evaluation, and scenario modeling.
• Plan and execute HFE verification and validation activities, staffing studies, and human-system interface usability assessments. Ensure outcomes align with safety, licensing, and performance goals.
• Organize and coordinate efforts across engineering disciplines and external stakeholders (clients, partners, suppliers) to support cohesive system design, interface integration, and HFE implementation.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in human factors engineering, cognitive systems engineering, industrial engineering, or a related field. 
• Experience performing HFE program management, analysis, design, verification and validation, and implementation. 
• Hands-on operations experience—nuclear or non-nuclear—is strongly preferred. Examples include plant operations, control room environments, industrial or manufacturing settings, or other real-world operational contexts.
• Familiarity with HFE regulatory requirements (e.g., NUREG-0711, NUREG-0700).

Competencies

We are seeking a Human Factors Engineer who embodies the following qualities:

• Experienced in human factors engineering, with a strong understanding of how people interact with systems in complex, safety-critical environments.
• Deeply passionate about clean energy and committed to making advanced fission a reality through innovative, practical design.
• Eager to learn quickly, absorb new information, and adapt in a dynamic, fast-moving environment.
• Willing to challenge conventional approaches and explore new methods to solve difficult problems effectively and safely.
• Thrives in a fast-paced, iterative startup culture that values speed, creativity, and resilience.
• Excited to think critically, creatively, and reflectively about design challenges—balancing rigor with out-of-the-box thinking rather than relying solely on past precedents.
• Comfortable proposing novel and impactful solutions to technical problems that benefit operators, users, and systems.
• Skilled in writing clear, concise, and compelling technical content in a modern, active voice. 
• Confident in presenting ideas and technical results clearly to cross-disciplinary teams, leadership, and external stakeholders.

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:

Salary: $100,000-$160,000

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

This position may involve access to information subject to U.S. export control laws. Only applicants who meet the definition of a U.S. person under applicable laws may be eligible.

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.