Duties
Shift work is required.
The successful candidates will serve as a Nuclear Systems Engineer or Nuclear Systems Scientist in the Division of Preparedness and Response, Operations Branch. They will provide expert advice and technical evaluation to Incident Response Operations and regional office staffs involving issues associated with the activities of NRC licensees and their facilities.
Is assigned, as determined by management and Operations Branch staffing levels, as the cognizant NRC technical representative in the continuously staffed NRC Operations Center. In this capacity, directly receives, assesses, and responds to notifications of emergencies or reportable events occurring at NRC licensed facilities, radiological transportation accidents and other radiological events.
The response includes notifications to appropriate NRC personnel and other government offices in accordance with established procedures; and timely safety assessment of the event after immediate response actions are completed.
Other tasks include receiving and processing allegations and as assigned by management.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- This is a Drug Testing position.
- Background investigation for a "Q" clearance is required for new hires
- SHIFT WORK IS REQUIRED WHEN FULFILLING OPERATIONS CENTER DUTIES.
- U.S. Citizenship Required
''IMPORTANT NOTE" Selected candidates will be required to successfully complete training duties under instruction, formal classroom training, required NRC training and obtain certification as a Headquarters Operations Officer (HOO) and as a Headquarters Emergency Response Officer (HERO).
All HOOs and HEROs must:
The successful candidates will serve as a Nuclear Systems Engineer or Nuclear Systems Scientist in the Division of Preparedness and Response, Operations Branch. They will provide expert advice and technical evaluation to Incident Response Operations and regional office staffs involving issues associated with the activities of NRC licensees and their facilities.
Is assigned, as determined by management and Operations Branch staffing levels, as the cognizant NRC technical representative in the continuously staffed NRC Operations Center. In this capacity, directly receives, assesses, and responds to notifications of emergencies or reportable events occurring at NRC licensed facilities, radiological transportation accidents and other radiological events.
The response includes notifications to appropriate NRC personnel and other government offices in accordance with established procedures; and timely safety assessment of the event after immediate response actions are completed.
Other tasks include receiving and processing allegations and as assigned by management.
Candidates hired at Grade 13 will be eligible for a non-competitive promotion to Grade 14 upon successful completion of the HOO/HERO certification program and meeting other qualifications /eligibility requirements.
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:
- Knowledge of the theory, principles, and practices in the general field of engineering or physical science with specific knowledge of nuclear reactor, fuel cycle or materials facilities.
(Example: Describe specific training, education, and experience that demonstrates your ability to apply such knowledge to practical engineering or scientific problems and projects pertaining to licensed nuclear reactor, fuel cycle, or materials facilities. Discuss your ability to keep abreast of scientific and engineering technology issues and to use this information in the solution of theoretical or practical engineering or scientific problems for projects associated with nuclear facilities.)
- Knowledge of the theory, principles, and practices of health physics and/or systems engineering and their application to emergency preparedness and response.
(Example: Describe specific training, education, and experience that demonstrates your ability to apply such knowledge to the practices of emergency preparedness and response for mitigating the consequences of radiological emergencies. Discuss your ability to understand the relationship of systems safety parameters and/or health physics principles to possible offsite consequences.)
- Knowledge of NRC policies, plans, and practices in response to accidents at nuclear power plants, fuel cycle, or materials facilities.
(EXAMPLE: Describe specific training, education, and experience that demonstrates your knowledge of NRC policies, plans, and practices in response to accidents at nuclear power plants, fuel cycle facilities, or materials facilities. Discuss your experience in coordinating technical input from various sources and to evaluate the results of special studies, testing programs, and exercises. Describe your experience in participating in agency exercises for nuclear facilities.)
- Demonstrated ability to work under stressful situations.
(Example: Describe specific experience that demonstrates your ability to work under stressful situations during which you were required to make timely, accurate assessments while the available information continued to emerge or unfold. Describe the scope and complexity of the issues or events involved.)
- Demonstrated ability to present technical information both orally and in writing.
(Example: Describe experience in making oral presentations and preparing written documents and the various levels of individuals for which presentations were made. Discuss examples where you have utilized skills in communicating complex technical and/or administrative issues to professional societies, peers, management, general public, governmental agencies, or others. Discuss how your oral or written communications have played a role in the understanding or resolution of issues.)
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is defined as: experience which demonstrates detailed knowledge of the operation and equipment related to nuclear power reactors including safety features, accident mitigation, and emergency response. Experience with direct responsibility for emergency communications involving complex technical issues and multiple organizations.
A description of how you possess the specialized experience as well as how you meet the qualifications desired in an ideal candidate should be addressed in your resume.
Education
Basic requirement for General Engineer, GG-801: A professional engineering degree is required. To be acceptable, the curriculum must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. OR a combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering.
Basic requirement for General Physical Science Series, GG-1301: A degree in Physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics. OR a combination of education and experience. Education equivalent to one of the majors shown above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
As an NRC employee you will enjoy excellent Federal Benefits, including: comprehensive health and life insurance plans; Flexible Spending Account Program for health and dependent care; Dental and Vision Insurance; retirement savings and investment plan similar to 401(k) (Thrift Savings Plan); annual (vacation) and paid sick leave; family friendly leave policies; 11 paid holidays per year; transit benefits. This link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal employees. https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How to Apply
We strongly encourage you to complete your USAJOBS profile before you submit your application for this position.
Please read the entire announcement. Your application for this vacancy must be received online via the USAJOBS application system BEFORE 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to submit a complete online application, you will not be considered for this position.
The NRC requires that applicants submit resumes built using the USAJOBS Resume Builder tool. The Resume Builder tool is activated upon selecting "Build New Resume" under the "Resumes" section of your USAJOBS account.
Resumes uploaded to your USAJOBS jobseeker account that have not been built using the USAJOBS Resume Builder tool WILL NOT be accepted and you WILL NOT be allowed to further advance through the NRC application process.
To ensure you are using the correct resume type when applying to our vacancies, please make sure that the resume you are using during the application process is listed with a format type of "USAJOBS Resume" and a source type of "Built with USAJOBS Resume Builder. Verifying this information on your USAJOBS resume before applying will ensure the successful submission of your application to the NRC job vacancy.
Paper applications will not be accepted unless hardship circumstances can be demonstrated. Requests for extensions WILL NOT be granted. If applying online poses a hardship for you, the Human Resources Specialist listed on the announcement will provide assistance to ensure that applications are submitted online by the closing date. Applicants must contact the Human Resources Specialist during business hours BEFORE the closing date of the announcement and speak to someone who can provide assistance for your online submission.
You must answer any job specific vacancy questions. You will be rated based on your responses to any vacancy questions and especially the information provided in your resume. 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. Abbreviated responses to the vacancy questions, such as “significant experience” or “see resume” do not provide enough information and should not be used. You will not be considered for this position if you leave any of the vacancy questions unanswered.
To begin the application process, select the "Apply On-line" button to the right on this screen. Then follow the prompts to login/register, submit all required supplemental documents, and complete the application process.
Next steps
You may check the status of your application at any time after the announcement closes by logging onto USAJOBs and selecting “Application Status.”