Project Risk Manager Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Thanks for your interest in Oklo!  We are searching for a Director of Project Insurance to join our team.

Position Description

Oklo is seeking to hire a Director of Project Insurance to build and lead the company's insurance function for projects across our three Power, Fuel and Isotope business units.

This role will own Oklo's project insurance strategy, project risk management processes, contractual risk review, and risk governance framework across development, supply chain, construction, operations, and decommissioning of assets. The ideal candidate brings deep experience navigating complex industrial, infrastructure, energy, or nuclear-related risk environments and can operate effectively across executive leadership, investors, regulators, counterparties, and insurers.

This position will partner closely with Legal, Finance, Operations, Procurement, Commercial, and Project Development and Execution teams to proactively identify, quantify, mitigate, and transfer risk as Oklo scales. This role reports to the Vice President of Finance and Treasury.

Specific responsibilities may include:

Project Insurance, Surety & Risk Transfer

• Lead the design, procurement, and management of Oklo's project insurance programs, including property, casualty, liability, builders risk, environmental, nuclear and other specialty coverages
• Manage broker relationships, renewals, claims, and insurer negotiations
• Develop insurance strategies aligned with evolving project development and operational risks
• Evaluate alternative risk transfer structures, captives, and emerging market solutions where appropriate
• Develop and manage Oklo's project surety strategy, including bonding capacity, surety relationships, collateral requirements, indemnity obligations, and project-specific bonding needs
• Report to Executive Management and the Board of Directors on these programs

Project Risk Management

• Establish and maintain project risk management frameworks and reporting processes
• Identify and assess operational, strategic, financial, regulatory, supply chain and construction risks across projects
• Develop risk mitigation plans including use of financial structures to offset project risks and coordinating across functions as appropriate
• Support executive leadership and Board-level risk reporting as well as external reporting as required
• Use data and analytics effectively in strategic planning and decision making

Commercial & Project Support

• Review contractual indemnities, liability provisions, insurance requirements, and commercial risk allocation
• Identify, negotiate, and drive Oklo's appropriate share of risk allocation among project participants
• Support project development, financing, construction, and strategic partnership activities
• Collaborate with Legal, Finance and Commercial teams on risk analysis related to major transactions and counterparties

External Relationship Management

• Manage key external relationships across insurance and risk transfer partners, including Aon, surety brokers, underwriters, carriers, and other specialty advisors supporting Oklo's  project-level risk programs.
• Prepare and present clear evidence of tailored nuclear risk frameworks, good governance, safety culture, and risk controls for external audiences
• Partner with banks, financing counterparties, and surety providers to support bonding capacity, collateral requirements, lender insurance diligence, and project-specific risk transfer needs.
• Work with vendors, customers, and commercial counterparties to assess insurance coverage requirements associated with third-party contracts, including indemnity provisions, certificates of insurance, policy limits, exclusions, and compliance with contractual obligations

Regulatory & Operational Risk

• • Partner with internal stakeholders on nuclear liability strategy, operational readiness, emergency response planning, and business continuity
  • Support evolving regulatory and compliance requirements associated with advanced reactor deployment

Minimum Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in risk management, insurance, infrastructure, energy, utilities, industrial, or related sectors
• Strong understanding of complex commercial insurance programs and risk financing structures
• Experience supporting large-scale industrial, infrastructure, energy, or construction projects
• Demonstrated ability to build scalable risk frameworks in high-growth or operationally complex organizations
• Strong executive communication and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to operate both strategically and tactically in a fast-moving environment
• Proven ability to manage cross-functional teams and external contractors
• Excellent communication and leadership skills, including executive and Board-level reporting

Bonus Qualifications:

• Experience with nuclear or other FOAK energy infrastructure projects
• Familiarity with DOE, NRC, and other regulatory agencies
• Experience in nuclear, power generation, utilities, LNG, aerospace, or other highly regulated industries
• Background working with project finance, EPC contracting, or large infrastructure development

Competencies

We are looking for a Director of Project Insurance that is: 

• Passionate about making advanced nuclear a reality
• Willing and able to learn quickly
• 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
• 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: $200,000 - $245,000

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

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.