People Operations Associate

Thanks for your interest in Oklo! We are searching for a People Operations Associate to join our team. 

Position Description

Oklo is seeking a People Operations Associate to help support and scale the foundation of our People function. This role is ideal for someone who has developed an early HR career foundation and is ready to expand their impact by contributing to a broader range of people related functions. 

The ideal candidate is Workday HRIS fluent and understands how to leverage the tool to drive company growth, can pick up new skills quickly, and lean into the multi-faceted aspects of this role. We are seeking someone who is located in the Eastern Standard Timezone.

Specific responsibilities may include:

HR Systems, Workday Administration & Process Excellence

• Support day-to-day Workday administration, including employee transactions, organizational changes, data updates, and routine system maintenance 
• Maintain accurate employee and organizational data in Workday through regular audits, data validation, and issue resolution
• Support Workday configuration, business process improvements, enhancements, integrations, and semiannual releases, including testing changes, documenting results, and identifying issues
• Create and maintain Workday reports, dashboards, and analytics used by People Operations and leaders across the company
• Troubleshoot routine Workday questions and transaction issues, escalating more complex configuration or technical issues as appropriate
• Maintain Workday process documentation, job aids, and internal guidance to support consistent system use
• Identify opportunities to streamline and automate People processes through Workday while improving system adoption, data quality, and reporting capabilities

HR & Talent Operations 

• Maintain accurate employee records and ensure data integrity across HR systems
• Provide administrative support to the talent team by maintaining headcount tracking and scheduling
• Serve as a point of contact for employee questions regarding HR programs, policies, and processes
• Support organizational changes, transfers, and employee data updates
• Assist with policy administration and employee communications

Compliance & Risk Management

• Support compliance with federal, multi-state, and local employment laws and regulations
• Co-manage I-9 administration, employee documentation, and audit readiness activities
• Assist with leave administration, accommodations processes, and other compliance-related workflows
• Monitor regulatory changes and help update policies and procedures accordingly
• Partner with People leadership on compliance initiatives and process improvements

Reporting & Workforce Analytics

• Develop and maintain recurring People metrics and dashboards
• Analyze workforce trends related to headcount, turnover, recruiting, compensation, and employee engagement
• Create ad hoc reports and presentations for leadership
• Leverage Excel and reporting tools to provide actionable workforce insights
• Identify opportunities to improve reporting efficiency and data accuracy

Benefits & People Programs

• Support benefits administration and employee enrollment processes
• Assist with annual open enrollment and employee education efforts
• Help coordinate employee programs, engagement initiatives, and People team projects
• Support performance management and talent development processes as needed

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field
• 2+ years of HR, People Operations, HR Coordinator, HR Associate, or related experience
• Demonstrated hands-on experience using Workday as a primary HRIS.
• Experience creating reports, auditing employee data, and supporting HR transactions within Workday.
• Strong understanding of HR data management, reporting, and system governance.
• Ability to navigate Workday independently with minimal training.
• Located in Eastern timezone

Bonus Qualifications:

• SHRM-CP or PHR certification (can be in progress)
• Experience supporting multi-state employee populations
• Experience in a technology, engineering, manufacturing, or high-growth startup environment
• Greenhouse or similar ATS experience
• Experience supporting benefits administration and employee relations processes
• Experience creating dashboards and workforce analytics reports

Competencies

We are looking for a People Operations Associate that is:

• Passionate about clean energy 
• Passionate about making advanced fission a reality
• Willing and able to learn quickly
• Knowledgeable about Workday HRIS
• Eager to work on a dynamic team, receive constructive feedback, and grow with us
• Willing to think differently and do things in new ways 
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, highly iterative startup environment
• Excited to think creatively, critically, and reflectively about the problems they are solving, while not leaning only on what has been done before 
• Willing to propose novel and creative solutions to technical problems
• An excellent writer who can write in modern active voice, so make your cover letter compelling and write it well!
• Able to communicate technical content and results verbally 

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. For the first two weeks of onboarding, employees are required to be in person at headquarters in Santa Clara, CA.

About Oklo compensation:

Salary: $85,000-$105,000

Oklo offers flexible time off, equity, bonuses, competitive pay, 401(k), health insurance (with employer contribution), HSA, FSA, flexible work hours, wellness credits, 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.