Director of Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls
Oklo · Austin, TX
- Level
- Director+
- Team
- Controls
- Base pay
- $170k–$250k
- Experience asked
- 10+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A director-level controls role at Oklo (industrial) in Austin, TX. Build, mentor, and manage the radiochemistry team; establish technical standards, procedures, training, and documentation; and promote safety, quality, rigor, and operational excellence.
- They ask for
- 10+ years
- Tools it names
- DOE, FDA / GMP, Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ)
- Base pay
- $170k–$250k
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Controls Engineer roles in Texas: typical posted base $95k–$140k. This one lists $170k–$250k.
Median of the low and high ends of 9 live postings that list pay, out of 81 controls engineer openings in Texas, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Texas plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 80 other live controls postings in Texas.
- Base pay
- About 79% above similar roles
- Experience asked
- More than usual (10+ vs 4+)
Typical $95k–$140k, from 8 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 4+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- PLC 84%
- Automation 77%
- Robotics 40%
- EHS / safety 27%
- Python 26%
- New product launch 22%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for DOE, FDA / GMP, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Controls team at Oklo
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
Full description from OkloAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Qualifications
- ✓Masters in Radiochemistry, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline.
- ✓10+ years of progressively responsible experience in radiochemistry, isotope production, radiochemical processing, nuclear chemical operations, pharmaceutical/radiopharmaceutical manufacturing, or a closely related field.
- ✓Experience with cGMP manufacturing (US and EU requirements), particularly radiopharmaceuticals, medical isotopes, APIs, radioactive starting materials, or other regulated pharmaceutical manufacturing.
- ✓Experience with CMC development, process characterization, technology transfer, process validation, continued process verification, and manufacturing science and technology (MS&T).
- ✓Direct experience with Lu-177 production, lanthanide separations, target dissolution, radionuclide purification, or medical-isotope manufacturing.
- ✓Demonstrated experience leading technical teams responsible for complex chemical, radiochemical, or manufacturing processes.
- ✓Strong technical background in radiochemical separations, purification, radioactive-material handling, analytical chemistry, and process development.
- ✓Demonstrated experience translating laboratory or development processes into reliable manufacturing operations.
- ✓Experience with process development, scale-up, process optimization, technology transfer, troubleshooting, and technical lifecycle management.
- ✓Experience working in highly regulated environments requiring disciplined procedures, documentation, configuration control, and quality systems.
- ✓Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical investigations and make sound decisions using scientific and engineering data.
- ✓Experience developing technical procedures, specifications, reports, process documentation, and training materials.
- ✓Strong leadership, communication, technical writing, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
- ✓Demonstrated ability to collaborate across Manufacturing, Operations, Engineering, Quality, Regulatory, Radiation Safety, and other multidisciplinary organizations.
- ✓Experience with various regulatory regimes affecting isotope production and processing (FDA, NRC, DOE, etc.) regulatory frameworks relevant to radioactive-material and isotope manufacturing.
Bonus
Qualifications
- ✓Passionate about unleashing beneficial isotopes and building domestic isotope-production cap
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Thanks for your interest in Oklo! We are searching for a Director of Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) to join our team.
Position Description
Oklo Isotopes is building scalable U.S. radioisotope production capabilities in facilities dedicated to producing essential isotopes for healthcare, space, industry, research, and defense applications. Oklo’s isotope operations include the production and processing of medically and industrially important radioisotopes using advanced radiochemical processes, hot cells, gloveboxes, and specialized nuclear facilities.
We are seeking a Director of Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) to lead the radiochemistry and CMC organization supporting Oklo’s isotope production programs, initially focused on Lu-177 production and Am-241 and Ra-226 processing for medical, industrial, and other applications.
The Director will lead radiochemical process development and control, technology transfer, analytical strategy, process optimization, troubleshooting, validation support, and process lifecycle management, while building and managing a multidisciplinary radiochemistry team.
The successful candidate will develop rigorous, scalable processes from development through commissioning and routine manufacturing. The role requires deep radiochemistry and isotope-processing expertise, strong technical and team leadership, and experience in nuclear, radiological, quality, and cGMP environments.
The Director will collaborate across Manufacturing, Facility Operations, Quality, Regulatory, Radiation Safety, Engineering, and Supply Chain to establish safe, compliant, reliable, and scalable isotope production.
This is a on-site position located in Austin, Texas.
Specific
may include
- •Lead the CMC and radiochemistry organization for isotope process development, implementation, technical support, and lifecycle management.
- •Lead Lu-177 production and Am-241 and Ra-226 processing, including dissolution, separation, purification, recovery, impurity control, characterization, and waste minimization.
- •Establish the technical basis for manufacturing processes, including process flows, material balances, critical parameters, operating ranges, specifications, and controls.
- •Lead development, scale-up, optimization, and implementation of radiochemical processes in hot cells, gloveboxes, and laboratory or remote systems.
- •Lead technology transfer and manufacturing readiness, including processes, equipment, analytics, procedures, training, and documentation.
- •Establish and maintain the cGMP technical framework, including process characterization, validation, continued verification, change control, deviations, investigations, and continuous improvement.
- •Own the analytical strategy for products, intermediates, impurities, waste streams, and process performance.
- •Serve as the senior technical authority for process troubleshooting and optimization, focused on yield, purity, recovery, reliability, cycle time, waste, dose, and capacity.
- •Support equipment design, commissioning, qualification, startup, and operational readiness with Manufacturing, Operations, Engineering, Quality, Radiation Safety, Regulatory, and Supply Chain.
- •Build, mentor, and manage the radiochemistry team; establish technical standards, procedures, training, and documentation; and promote safety, quality, rigor, and operational excellence.
- •Support regulatory activities, audits, inspections, and development of new isotope products, processes, technologies, and capabilities.
