Environmental Health and Safety Director

Thanks for your interest in Oklo!  We are searching for an Environmental Health and Safety Director to join our team. This role may be remote or hybrid, but occasional travel to worksite locations is required.

Position Description

The Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Director will be responsible for establishing and leading a world-class EHS program that will shape Oklo’s current and future phases of growth to ensure a safe working environment and compliance with applicaable environmental and occupational health regulations. The person in this role should have deep knowledge of regulatory requirements across construction, manufacturing, and laboratory environments, and will implement programs that uphold the highest standards of workplace safety and environmental stewardship. This is a foundational leadership role that is ideal for someone passionate about creating a robust safety culture while establishing sustainable systems into every facet of Oklo’s operations. The EHS Director will build the program from the ground up, developing processes, implementing training, and partnering across teams to drive proactive safety and compliance. The EHS Director will be reporting directly to the Senior Director of Business Operations and Vice President of Product Integration.

Specific responsibilities may include:

• Develop and implement comprehensive EHS programs and policies.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement and proactive EHS practices.
• Conduct risk assessments and hazard evaluations.
• Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal EHS regulations and industry standards.
• Lead and manage EHS audits and inspections.
• Investigate and report on incidents and accidents.
• Develop and deliver EHS training and competency programs tailored to different work environments.
• Collaborate with management to integrate EHS considerations into business operations.
• Prepare and submit required regulatory reports (e.g., OSHA, EPA, state agencies) and maintain all EHS-related records and documentation.
• Track, analyze, and report EHS metrics and KPIs.
• Oversee waste management, hazardous materials handling, and pollution prevention programs.
• Liaise with regulatory agencies and external stakeholders.
• Develop emergency response and preparedness plans.
• Monitor and manage workplace ergonomics.
• Manage the EHS budget and allocate resources efficiently.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelors in occupational safety, EHS management, EHS engineering, EHS sciences or similar, or 10 years of experience in safety management positions in industrial environments 
• 8+ years of experience in EHS management, with at least 3 years in a leadership position
• Professional certification(s): ASP, CSP, CIH, OHST, or CHMM
• Demonstrated success in developing and implementing EHS programs
• Proven track record of developing strong safety cultures
• In-depth knowledge of OSHA, EPA, and other regulatory requirements
• Strong collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to influence across teams and levels
• Experience in developing and conducting EHS training programs
• Experience conducting incident investigations, risk assessments, and implementing corrective actions
• Ability to analyze data and prepare detailed reports related to health, safety, and environmental performance
• Must be willing to travel at least 30% of the time to headquarters and other worksite locations

Bonus Qualifications:

• Experience or knowledge in the nuclear, manufacturing, industrial, or energy industry
• Experience working in a start-up or fast-growing organization with a primarily remote workforce

Competencies

We are looking for a EHS Director that is:

• Passionate about clean energy 
• Passionate about making advanced fission a reality
• Willing and able to learn quickly
• 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 compensation:

Salary: $150,000-$215,000

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.