Duties
The Senior Operations Engineer serves as a region-based senior inspector that leads, develops, prepares, administers, and evaluates written and operating examinations for applicants for Reactor Operator (RO) and Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) licenses for commercial nuclear reactor facilities; leads activities to inspect and evaluate the effectiveness of licensee programs to train, evaluate, and re-qualify licensed plant operating staff members; and leads and performs routine and reactive inspections and assessments of the effectiveness of licensee activities related to facility operations. The Senior Operations Engineer provides technical support and oversight for operator performance and licensing issues including providing formal presentations and training on related topics.
Duties include but are not limited to:
1. Developing, preparing, and administering examinations to applicants for operation's and senior operators' licenses for nuclear reactors.
2. Integrating inspection findings into overall licensee assessment.
3. Assisting in the development of operator licensing regulatory policies, recommending improvements, and implementing procedures designed to improve the operator licensing process.
4. Performing a wide variety of lead duties, generally diverse and multi-disciplinary, associated with the inspection of power reactors.
5. Independently planning, scheduling, and determining the scope of inspection to be performed personally, or by a team (normally 4-6 inspectors).
6. Preparing individual reports and coordinating team reports of inspection findings to document whether the facility is being operated safely, the licensee's management control program is effective, and regulatory requirements are being satisfied.
Qualified Chief Examiner in accordance with IMC 1245, Appendix C-10 preferred, but not required.
For the following regions, pay will be set using the base salary plus the applicable locality adjustment noted:
- Region II in Atlanta, GA- 23.79%
- Region III in Naperville, IL- 30.86%
- Region IV in Arlington, TX- 27.26%
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- This is a Drug Testing position.
- Must be able to meet/maintain security and suitability 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.
All information in your resume must be true and accurate.
Qualifications
You must possess at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the next lower grade level (i.e., GG-13). Such experience should have provided you with the full range of knowledge, skills and abilities addressed in the rating factor questions that are associated with this vacancy announcement as well as in your resume.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is defined as work experience applying regulations, criteria, standards, guides, and general NRC policy to provide guidance to facility licensees and regional office operator licensing staff and to independently plan and coordinate staff review of operator licensing activities to assure the safe operation by licensed operators at nuclear power facilities.
Education
To qualify for these positions, you must meet BOTH basic education/professional knowledge requirements that apply to Federal engineering positions at all grade levels AND the specialized experience requirements outlined above no later than 30 calendar days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.
Candidates for Federal Government professional engineering positions must meet certain basic professional knowledge requirements. Generally these knowledge requirements are met by having a bachelor's or higher degree in a relevant professional engineering discipline (e.g., mechanical, metallurgical, materials, nuclear, structural, chemical, electrical) from a school of engineering with at least one professional engineering curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). However, if you do not possess such a professional engineering degree, you may still satisfy the professional knowledge requirements if you have current Professional Engineer (P.E.) registration in one of the relevant disciplines from any U.S. State or Territory; or if you successfully passed an Engineer-in-Training (EIT) written examination administered by a State Board of Engineering Examiners; or if you have either a related professional degree or at least 60 semester hours of specified engineering-related college courses COMBINED WITH at least a year of professional engineering work experience performed under professional engineer supervision and guidance.
Note: Engineering technology degrees are not generally qualifying unless supplemented by other evidence of the individual's professional knowledge (e.g., current P.E. license or EIT examination results, as discussed above).
More detailed information about these alternatives for meeting the knowledge requirements for Federal professional engineering jobs are described in the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Qualification Standards Operating Manual which may be accessed at the following Web site:
OPM Qualification Standards for 0800 Professional Engineering Positions
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. USAJOBS Help Center - Pay and USAJOBS Help Center - 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 limit your resume 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.
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.
NOTE: Your complete application includes your resume, your responses to any vacancy questions, a copy of your most recent performance appraisal, and if necessary, documents which prove your eligibility to apply.
To ensure all of the essential information is in your resume, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS online Resume Builder. If you choose to use your own resume, please ensure it contains all of the required information and you organize it so we can associate the following information for each experience/position. If you fail to provide the required documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.
- Job title
- Name of employer
- Beginning and ending dates of employment (month/year) format
- Hours worked per week. We will assume full-time unless otherwise stated. We will prorate part-time employment in crediting experience.
- Detailed description of job duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable).
- 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 will 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.
You will be rated based on 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.
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.
All information in your resume and responses to the vacancy questions must be true and accurate. Your resume will be used to validate your responses to the vacancy questions. If we are unable to validate your responses, you will not be considered.
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."
Region II - Human Resources contact - Denise Baker
Region III - Human Resources contact -Lindsey Spicer
Region IV - Human Resources contact - Keisa Lankford