Senior Director of Procurement & Supply Chain Management

Thanks for your interest in Oklo! We are searching for a Senior Director of Procurement and Supply Chain Management to join our team. 

Position Description

The Senior Director of Procurement and Supply Chain Management will report to the Chief Operating Officer with a strong dotted line to the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Product Officer. This assignment will play a key role in Oklo’s advanced nuclear business. This role will require a strong mix of deep procurement and supply chain management expertise, an ability to network and engage with current and future vendors, with the ability to develop and execute supply chain management strategies. The successful candidate will develop and help execute an overall supply chain management strategy and plan including commercial targets. The ideal candidate will be responsible for overseeing the procurement function across the organization ensuring that all purchasing activities are conducted in a safe, cost-effective, timely and compliant manner. Prior experience in a similar senior role in asset intensive industry is required, ideally in the power or energy sectors or a related field. The ability to stay organized, manage deadlines and work across departments will be key success factors. Having a well-established network and track record is expected for the successful candidate coming into this role. This will be a highly visible position that interacts regularly with executive management and leaders across various Oklo departments to align procurement strategies with the overall business objectives, driving both efficiency, compliance, and innovation across the organization. They will also need to be adept at risk management, ensuring that the organization is protected from supply chain disruptions and other procurement related risks. The procurement of fuel for Oklo’s powerhouses is outside the scope of this position.

Specific responsibilities may include:

• Develop and implement procurement strategies that align with organizational goals
• Oversee the procurement process to ensure cost effectiveness, compliance, and efficiency
• Manage relationships with key suppliers and negotiate contracts in close coordination with the Oklo staff member who requisitioned those goods and services
• Monitor market trends and adjust procurement strategies accordingly
• Experienced with different procurement contracting types and strategies
• Working with the engineering organization in the development of specifications for equipment, products, and other materials
• Resolving vendor or contractor grievances and claims against suppliers
• Ensure compliance with all relevant laws and regulations
• Develop and manage the procurement budget
• Assess and implement best practices in procurement and supply chain management
• Assess and support the implementation of tools to enable this process
• Develop and track performance metrics to assess performance of the procurement function and report on those findings to executive management
• Identify and mitigate risks in the supply chain
• Drive continuous improvement in the procurement function
• Ensure timely delivery of all goods and services and aligned to agreed contractual terms and conditions
• Develop and maintain procurement processes and procedures
• Conduct regular supplier reviews and as required vendor audits
• Work with IT to ensure proper maintenance of vendor master and material master data
• Manage procurement related projects and initiatives
• Hire and develop a team of procurement professionals
• Ensure ethical procurement practices are followed
• Develop and implement supplier diversity programs
• Stay up to date on industry trends and innovations
• Work closely with the Treasurer and CFO on any capital market transactions (bonds/equity)
• Support CFO on activities as needed
• Conform with and abide by all regulations, policies, work procedures, and instructions
• Conform with all safety rules and use all appropriate safety equipment
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned

Competencies

We are looking for a Senior Director of Procurement and Supply Chain Management that is:

• Analytical: the individual synthesizes complex or diverse information ad present
• Asset Intensive Industry: Experience in sectors that design, develop and deploy operating assets in the energy or a related sector
• Problem-solving: individual identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner and gathers and analyzes information skillfully
• Oral communication: speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations, demonstrates group presentation skills, and conducts productive meetings
• Organization: the individual monitors a wide range of activities and ensures completion of milestones and deadlines on time and on quality
• Quality management: the individual looks for ways to improve and promote quality and demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness
• Judgment: the individual displays willingness to make decisions, exhibits sound and accurate judgment and makes timely decisions
• High Energy: ability to work on multiple projects under tight time frames with a positive attitude
• Planning/organizing: the individual prioritizes and plans work activities, uses time efficiently and develops realistic action plans with ability to multi-task
• Project Management: skills and experience
• Continuous Improvement: oriented and experienced
• Passionate about clean energy
• Passionate about making advanced fission a reality
• Willing and able to learn quickly
• Willing to think differently and do things in new ways
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, high 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 and in written form

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.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Business, or a related field
• Master’s Degree Preferred
• Ten plus years of relevant professional experience, preferably with significant exposure to investor relations in a public company
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills where you can confidently craft compelling investor-oriented presentations
• Superior procurement and supply chain capabilities
• Strong knowledge of procurement tools and software
• Experience working with EPCs
• Experience with energy sector or tech company background is a plus

Bonus Qualifications:

• Fast growth startup and public company experience
• Experience commercializing First of a Kind (FOAK) technologies from an investor perspective
• Willingness to relocate

About Oklo compensation:

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.