Clarification from the agency

NRC employees are encouraged to apply. Applications will be accepted from U.S. citizens, Nationals, or those who owe allegiance to the U.S. Additional selections from this vacancy announcement may be made.

Below are the major duties needed to perform the position.

Depending on placement, duties will be performed with a high degree of independence and will include representation in agency adjudications or before administrative tribunals, providing advice in non-adjudicatory contexts, and advising and providing legal services related to:

• The licensing and regulation of nuclear materials, fuel cycle facilities, spent fuel storage and disposal, decommissioning activities for reactors and materials sites, and other related activities;
• New or amended NRC regulations, guidance, and policy statements for the NRC’s reactors, materials, and fuel cycle, waste, and disposal programs; backfitting/issue finality; the NRC Agreement State Program, and Tribal policy; the annual fee rule, fee disputes and fee waivers;
• The licensing and regulation of nuclear power and non-power reactors, including issuance, renewal, and transfer of licenses, construction permits, early site permits, combined licenses, operating licenses, and manufacturing licenses; issuance of standard design approvals and standard design certifications and associated legal review activities for new reactors; and reactor operator licensing; and
• Cybersecurity, safeguards, and physical security of NRC-licensed facilities and materials; and reactor and materials enforcement matters, to include allegations of wrongdoing, investigations, and related agency adjudications.

Reviews technical documents to determine their legal sufficiency; performs difficult original legal research; develops solutions to novel and complex legal issues; provides legal opinions and advice; and identifies and addresses policy matters, including consideration of relevant risks.

When in a litigation role, prepares and conducts difficult and complex cases before Atomic Safety Licensing boards, Presiding Officers, and the Commission. Prepares motions and briefs; obtains witnesses and develops their testimony; negotiates with petitioners, intervenors, licensees, applicants, attorneys, members of the public, and Federal and State and local agencies; conducts direct examination on highly technical-scientific subjects; and makes persuasive arguments during oral hearings.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship Required
• This is a Drug Testing position.
• Background investigation leading to a clearance is required for new hires.

You must meet the qualifications for this position by no later than 30 calendar days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.

Qualifications

In order to qualify for this position, you must have at least one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector.  

The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:

1. Ability to provide legal advice and support to the General Counsel, the Commission, and the Commission staff on all aspects of:

• Licensing and regulation for materials, fuel cycle, spent fuel storage and disposal, fuel packaging and transportation, and decommissioning activities;
• New or amended NRC regulations, guidance, and policy statements for the NRC’s reactors, materials, and fuel cycle, waste, and disposal programs; backfitting/issue finality; the NRC Agreement State Program, and Tribal policy; the annual fee rule, fee disputes and fee waivers;
• Reactor licensing and regulation for operating reactors, new reactors, advanced reactors, reactor license transfers, license renewal, design certification, reactor decommissioning, and research and test reactors; and/or
• Cybersecurity, safeguards, and physical security of NRC-licensed facilities and materials, allegations of wrongdoing, investigations, and enforcement of agency requirements.

2. Ability to effectively identify, interpret and analyze Federal laws, statutes, regulations, and cases as they relate to agency adjudicatory processes and complex legal issues in various areas of law.
3. Excellent written and oral communication skills, particularly in connection with providing legal opinions and advice.
4. Experience in administrative law, security and enforcement practice, regulatory practice, or environmental law, and possess litigation experience (civil, criminal, trial, and/or appellate) in one or more of those practice areas.

A description of how you possess the specialized experience and ideal candidate language should be addressed in your resume or in the space provided for your supplemental response. 

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is defined as:

Specialized experience

GG 13: includes experience that is defined as attorney or judicial work experience in a federal or state government legal office, federal or state judiciary, or the private practice of law, which provided the candidate with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the work of these positions.  Minimally qualified candidates will have multiple years of work experience, including substantial regulatory and statutory interpretation and/or litigation experience sufficient to perform with an adequate degree of independence or with assistance on complex and major assignments.

GG 14: includes experience that is defined as attorney or judicial work experience in a federal or state government legal office, federal or state judiciary, or the private practice of law, which provided the candidate with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the work of these positions. Minimally qualified candidates will have multiple years of work experience, including substantial regulatory and statutory interpretation and/or litigation experience sufficient to perform independently on complex and major assignments.

Typically, at least one year of this work experience should be comparable in complexity and responsibility to the kind of work normally assigned at the grade 13 or 14 levels in the Federal government, or equivalent.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

When the application process is complete, your application will be reviewed to determine if you meet the job requirements. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume to determine your level of knowledge, skill and ability related to the job requirements.  Breadth, recency, and length of experience in the field; training, awards, and commendations; past and current performance; and community or outside professional activities will be considered to determine your level of knowledge, skill or ability for this position. You must respond to all required application questions.

If you are among the top candidates for this position, your application will be referred to the hiring manager for possible interview and selection based upon the number of available vacancies to be filled in each office.

• If you are asking for a reasonable accommodation, include documentation explaining why you need the accommodation.
• Your DD-214 or Statement of Service shows if you qualify for Veterans' Preference, the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 or the Veterans Opportunity to Work to Hire Heros Act. We prefer the member 4 copy of your DD-214.
• If you qualify under the Schedule A appointing authority, include a disability letter.
• If you are a disabled veteran and want to claim preference, you must submit a letter on VA letterhead with your overall combined service-connected disability rating.
• Include a performance appraisal as proof of federal employment.
• Your SF-15 shows if you qualify for 10-point Veterans' Preference.
• Your SF-50 shows a federal position you've held, grade level and duty location. Your SF-50 can support position changes, conversions or separation for employment eligibility.
• Transcripts may support your qualifications for a federal job and can include high school, college or other schools.
• Some job applications require you to include a writing sample. See the announcement for details.

The following documents are required for your application package to be complete. If you fail to provide any required documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.
•    Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); and 4) other qualifications. Please limit your resume to 2 pages. See below for Additional Resume Information.
•    Transcripts: You must submit an official or unofficial copy of your college and/or university transcripts with your application, if the position has a positive education requirement. Failure to submit transcripts will result in loss of consideration. Diplomas do not provide the information needed for determining qualifications and will not be accepted in lieu of transcripts.

In addition to the above, you must submit the documents below if you claim the following eligibilities:
•    NRC Employees: You must submit your most recent Rating of Record (Performance Appraisal) or a statement saying that one is not available.
•    Current Federal Employees/Reinstatement Eligibles: You must submit a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) to verify competitive status or reinstatement eligibility. This SF-50 should not be an award SF-50.
•    Veteran Preference Eligibles: You must submit DD-214 showing type of discharge/character of service (e.g. DD-214 Member 4 Copy); SF-15 Form; and related documentation such as a VA letter showing disability percentage. If currently on active duty, you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active-duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. Veteran's preference must be verified prior to appointment.  You can find additional information about Veterans' Preference at http://www.fedshirevets.gov/
•    Individuals with Disabilities: If you are applying under the Schedule A Hiring Authority, you must submit supporting documentation (i.e., Schedule A Letter). You may refer to the following link for additional information. USAJOBS Help Center - Individuals with disabilities.

All application materials, including transcripts, must be in English.

Additional Resume Information:
Your resume is crucial in our evaluation of your qualifications. Resumes should clearly demonstrate your skills, knowledge, and abilities. Please limit your résumé to 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, your resume will still be accepted, however only the first 2 pages will be reviewed and considered for qualifications and eligibility determination in whether or not the minimum qualifications for the position have been met. To ensure your resume contains all required information, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder. If you choose to use your own resume, please ensure it contains all the required information, and you organize it so we can associate the following information with each experience/position:
1.    Job title
2.    Name of employer
3.    Beginning and ending dates of employment (month/year) format
4.    Hours worked per week. We will assume full-time unless otherwise stated. We will pro-rate part-time employment in crediting experience.
5.    Detailed description of job duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable).
6.    Series and grade or equivalent (if a federal position).
Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) or other inappropriate material on your resume or cover letter. If your resume contains prohibited information as listed above, your application may be determined ineligible, and you will not receive consideration for this position. We will not access web pages linked on your resume or cover letter, links to social media such as LinkedIn, to determine your qualifications. Cover letters are optional.

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