Procurement Director

Thanks for your interest in Oklo!  We are searching for a Procurement Director to join the Oklo team.

The Procurement Lead will provide strategic leadership and oversight of procurement activities for construction, services, and commodities, with a focus on high-value contracts and projects within the nuclear industry. The role involves ensuring compliance with procurement regulations, optimizing supplier performance, and establishing and executing a procurement strategy that aligns with Oklo’s organizational goals. A strong understanding of nuclear quality assurance standards, construction and EPC market sectors and industry best practices is essential.

• Strategic Leadership and Procurement Oversight:
  • Develop and implement procurement strategies to support organizational objectives, with a focus on the procurement of engineering design, construction, and related commodities in support of Oklo’s Aurora Powerhouse.
  • Oversee the preparation and management of Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Purchase Orders (POs), Master Services Agreements (MSA), and Task Orders (TO), as well as other critical procurement documents.
  • Establish and enforce policies, procedures, and standards for all procurement activities.
• Contract Management and Negotiations:
  • Lead high-level negotiations with vendors to secure favorable terms, pricing, and delivery schedules.
  • Oversee the drafting and finalization of complex construction contracts, ensuring alignment with legal, regulatory, and quality requirements.
  • Ensure contracts include provisions for adherence to nuclear quality assurance standards (e.g., NQA-1).
• Vendor and Stakeholder Relationships:
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers, contractors, and industry partners.
  • Develop a robust network of qualified vendors within the construction and nuclear sectors.
  • Act as a liaison between senior leadership, project teams, and external stakeholders to ensure alignment and resolve conflicts.
• Compliance and Risk Management:
  • Ensure all procurement activities comply with applicable laws, regulations, and industry standards, including nuclear quality assurance requirements.
  • Identify and mitigate risks in procurement processes, including financial, legal, and performance risks.
  • Conduct regular audits and performance evaluations of contractors and suppliers.
• Budgeting and Cost Management:
  • Manage the procurement budget, ensuring cost-effective procurement practices.
  • Analyze market trends and supplier pricing to achieve cost savings while maintaining quality and timelines.
  • Rigorous end-to-end performance management of vendors and contractors
• Team Leadership and Development:
  • Lead, mentor, and develop a team of procurement professionals.
  • Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
  • Monitor team performance and provide guidance to achieve organizational goals.

We are looking for a Procurement Lead that is:

• Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM): highly desired (CPSM or CIPS is required)
• Certificate in Procurement and Supply Operations (CIPS): highly desired (CPSM or CIPS is required)
• Certified International Procurement Manager (CIPM): desired
• Certified Purchasing Professional (CPP): desired
• Passionate about Oklo’s mission to design and deploy advanced fission power plants to provide clean, reliable, and affordable energy.
• 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 
• An excellent writer who can write in a modern active voice, so please make your cover letter compelling and write it well!
• Experience in developing and implementing procurement processes as well as having a deep understanding of world class procurement and contract management tools

Experience level:

5-10 years in the procurement career field

1-5 years of involvement in nuclear-related procurement requirements

• 5 years in the procurement career field

• Experience with the procurement of safety-related requirements per ASME Nuclear Quality Assurance (NQA-1) standards criteria.
• Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platforms.

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 compensation:

$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.