Technical Sourcing Lead

Thanks for your interest in Oklo!  We are searching for a Technical Sourcing Lead to join our team. 

Position Description

The Technical Sourcing Lead supports the mechanical prototyping team by managing procurement and vendor relationships for specialized materials, fabrication, and equipment. This role bridges engineering and supply chain, ensuring rapid, cost-effective, and technically sound sourcing decisions that accelerate prototyping and development activities.

Specific responsibilities may include:

1. Supplier & Vendor Management

• Identify, evaluate, and maintain strong relationships with suppliers, contractors, and fabrication partners.

• Qualify new vendors and assess technical capabilities through review of equipment lists, processes, and sample work.

• Negotiate favorable terms for quality, delivery, and cost across materials, fabrication, and machining services.

• Serve as primary contact for supplier communication, coordination, and issue resolution.

2. Procurement Execution

• Work directly with engineers and technicians to source materials, custom parts, and assemblies for prototypes.

• Interpret and verify engineering drawings and specifications to ensure correct sourcing and manufacturing outcomes.

• Create and process purchase orders, ensuring rapid and accurate execution.

• Track order status, coordinate shipping and receiving, and maintain transparency with project stakeholders.

3. Costing, Budget, and Systems

• Prepare cost estimates and comparative sourcing analyses to inform design and build decisions.

• Support development of streamlined procurement workflows and tools for the prototyping team.

• Monitor and report material inventory, ensuring adequate stock and traceability.

• Resolve invoice discrepancies and collaborate with finance for timely vendor payments.

4. Strategic Development

• Expand and strengthen the supplier network to extend prototyping and fabrication capabilities beyond internal capacity.

• Contribute to developing a scalable procurement framework that aligns with broader company purchasing processes while maintaining agility for R&D.

• Continuously optimize sourcing strategies for cost-effectiveness, lead time, and quality.

Minimum Qualifications:

Experience level:
Experienced (3-7yr)

• Bachelor's degree or higher in an engineering or technical discipline

• Experience in sourcing

OR

• 3-5 years of experience in any of the following:

  • Supply chain management

  • Procurement

  • Sourcing experience

  • Nuclear industry experience

  • Medical device sales

  • Aerospace experience

  • Sales engineering

Bonus Qualifications:

• Previous startup experience

• Six Sigma Certification (Green Belt, Black Belt)

• APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP)

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 range: $90,000-$140,000

Salary may fall outside of the range provided and will be dependent on applicant experience.

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.

#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.