Senior Reactor Analyst Job in Naperville, IL

Vacancy No. R-III/DORS-2025-0009 Department Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Salary $163,749.00 to $195,200.00 Grade 15 to 15
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 9/8/2025 Close Date 9/25/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Naperville, IL


Summary

This position is located in the Region III Office, Division of Operating Reactor Safety, Naperville, IL. 

The supervisor is Billy C. Dickson Jr., Deputy Director. 

This is an interdisciplinary position and may be filled as occupational series 0801 - General Engineering or 1301 - General Physical Science.

Selectee will be subject to Office of Government Ethics Confidential Financial Disclosure reporting requirements.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Internal to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Duties

As a Senior Reactor Analyst (SRA), you will focus on the analysis and integration of inspection findings, Licensee Event Reports, Performance Indicators, etc., and recommending future inspection efforts to ensure licensee compliance with provisions of NRC permits, licenses, rules, regulations and orders designed to protect public safety.  Duties include, but are not limited to:

  • Performing in-depth evaluations of operations events and abnormal conditions, determining the safety/risk significance of each event. 
  • Planning and leading team inspections of nuclear power facilities.
  • Daily review and screening of events and inspection findings.
  • Development of risk-related insights for selected events.
  • Conducting probabilistic assessments for the events and issues selected using the SAPHIRE program to manipulate plant specific standardized plant analysis risk (SPAR) models.
  • Participating in regional and agency initiatives to become a modern, risk-informed regulator, as requested.
  • Conducting knowledge management activities on a regular basis that include communicating risk insights, conveying inspection observations and insights related to plant events, and participating in cross-regional knowledge management activities.
  • Acting as a Branch Chief or leading/participating in supplemental or reactive inspections as needed.

The SRA program requires satisfactory completion of the SRA qualification process (IMC 1245, Appendix C-9) through a two-year training and certification program.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • This is a Drug Testing position.

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. You must answer ALL job specific vacancy questions for this announcement.  Incomplete applications will not be considered.

ALL INFORMATION IN YOUR RESUME MUST BE TRUE AND ACCURATE.

Qualifications

Candidates must have a thorough knowledge of the principles, theories and practices of engineering or scientific disciplines such as nuclear, chemical, mechanical, electrical, or  health physics equivalent to that gained through a B.S. degree in engineering or science and at least 7 years of experience, or a combination of education and experience.

In addition to the basic requirements, 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 (GG-14) or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. 

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is defined as:  Experience which demonstrates a thorough knowledge of nuclear technology, operating safety procedures, radiological safety, codes, standards, and procedures.  Candidates must also possess the ability to implement the NRC regulatory program, including application of NRC standards, rules, and regulations for nuclear facilities. Experience serving as a leader on inspections or other team projects is also desired.

PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Education

Candidates must have a thorough current understanding of the principles, theories, and practices in one or more relevant fields of engineering or physical science gained through several years of specialized professional experience. In addition to training and experience, generally, these knowledge requirements are met by having a bachelor's or higher degree in a relevant professional physical science discipline (e.g., general or health physics, radiation physics, engineering physics, chemistry, etc,) or relevant engineering discipline (e.g., nuclear, electrical, mechanical, metallurgical, structural, chemical, etc.) from a school of engineering accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

Additional information

The duty location of this position is Naperville, IL. This position may be eligible for situational telework in accordance with Agency policy.

Based on the staffing needs of the agency/area of consideration, additional selections may be made from this vacancy announcement.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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/working-in-government/pay and https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/benefits

Review our 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 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 and responses to the vacancy questions to determine your level of knowledge, skill and ability related to the job requirements.  If you are among the top candidates for this position, your application will be referred to the hiring manager.

Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position.  Therefore, we encourage you to submit a thorough resume that directly relates to this position.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

As an NRC employee, you are required to submit your most recent Rating of Record (Performance Appraisal) or a statement saying that one is not available.

NOTE: Your complete application includes your resume, your responses to any vacancy questions, and if necessary, documents which prove your eligibility to apply.

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 to determine if 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).

 If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further. 

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.

All supplemental documents will now be collected electronically and should be submitted before the closing date of this vacancy announcement. You have two choices for submitting your supplemental documents:

1.  Use the "USAJOBS" feature to download documents from your USAJOBS portfolio; or
2.  Use the "Upload" feature to upload documents directly from your computer. The following types of documents can be uploaded:  .gif, .jpeg, .png, .rtf, .pdf, and .doc

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

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.

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.

Agency contact information

Lindsey Spicer
Phone
630-829-9522
Fax
000-000-0000
Email
Lindsey.spicer@nrc.gov
Address
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
2056 Westings Ave
Region III - Human Resources Staff
Naperville, Illinois 60563
United States

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."


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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