Sr. Materials Engineer (Non-Destructive Evaluation) (Open to Everyone) Job in Rockville, MD

Vacancy No. RES/DE-2025-0004 Department Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Salary $167,603.00 to $195,200.00 Grade 15 to 15
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 1/17/2025 Close Date 2/3/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Rockville, MD


Summary

This position is located in the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES), Division of Engineering (DE), Materials Engineering Branch (MEB).


The supervisor is Steve Ruffin.

This position is Bargaining Unit with the National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 208.

This position IS subject to Confidential Financial Disclosure reporting requirements.

This position IS subject to security ownership restriction reporting requirements.

Duties

As a Senior Materials Engineer (Nondestructive Evaluation) in the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES), Division of Engineering (DE), Materials Engineering Branch (MEB), you will be responsible for planning, organizing, directing, coordinating and conducting assigned major research efforts associated with NDE and inservice inspection (ISI) of nuclear power plant structures and components.  You will: provide technical assessments of the effectiveness and reliability of industry’s NDE and ISI programs; assess complex NDE/materials engineering-related issues supporting the evaluation of applicant or licensee implementation of NRC regulations and requirements; participate in consensus codes and standards activities; utilize leadership and mentoring skills to train and organize, direct, and review the activities of junior staff; and provide specialized technical assistance and advice to NRC management and staff, and communicate complex NDE-related, materials engineering issues with internal and external stakeholders.

Duties include but are not limited to:

  1. Serve as a subject matter expert on nondestructive examination and inservice inspection. Assist program offices, as requested, in assessing NDE-related issues.
  2. Develop and direct research programs to evaluate:
    1. The effectiveness and reliability of NDE methods used by the nuclear industry for the ISI of nuclear power plant systems and components.
    2. Advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT), and advanced welding techniques, including NDE of these materials.
    3. Qualification of high-temperature materials for advanced reactors, including those fabricated using AMT.
  3. Represent the NRC in interactions with organizations focused on nuclear power plant nondestructive examinations and inservice inspections (e.g., licensees, EPRI, ASME Code, etc.).
  4. Serve as an engaged member of national standards committees (e.g., ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code).
  5. Represent RES in international technical collaborations.

Requirements

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 (GG-14) in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector.  

The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:

1. Demonstrated knowledge of the principles, theories, and practices of materials engineering as applied to commercial nuclear power plants (NPP).

(Example: Describe your specific training, education and experience that demonstrates your knowledge of the principles, theory, and application of materials engineering and related technical disciplines sufficient to evaluate a broad range of topics at nuclear plants and to support the development of regulatory criteria, guidance, and technical positions.)

2. Demonstrated experience and ability to apply principles of nondestructive examination to a broad range of material/component inspection or evaluation topics and to support the development of the technical basis for regulatory criteria, guidance, or technical positions. 

(Example: Describe your specific experience that demonstrates your ability to evaluate a broad range of topics relating to the application of nondestructive examination technologies (ultrasonic examination, radiographic examination, magnetic particle examination, etc.) in the context of developing the technical basis for regulatory criteria, guidance, or technical positions. Experience with the inspection or evaluation of nuclear power plant structural materials and components (e.g. vessels, piping, components, or structures) should be emphasized.)

3. Broad knowledge of NRC regulations, policies, practices and programs applicable to nuclear reactors and reactor pressure boundary materials.  Demonstrated knowledge of consensus code and standards currently incorporated into NRC regulations pertaining to reactor pressure boundary design, inspection and repair.

(Example: Describe specific experience, training, education, and skills which demonstrate your knowledge of NRC regulations, policies, and regulatory guidance in general, and with respect to nondestructive examinations and in-service inspections at nuclear plants.  Describe specific experience, training, education, and skills which demonstrate your knowledge of industry standards and guidelines related to these topics at nuclear plants.)

4. Demonstrated ability to develop research strategies and implement and conduct complex research programs as well as communicate and present technical information clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing.

(Example: Describe specific experience, training, and accomplishments that demonstrate ability to: develop objectives and plans for research programs; serve as the subject matter expert and contracting office representative on laboratory research programs; lead complex technical discussions and explain complicated technical issues to a variety of audiences; make presentations to various audiences on particular projects of interest; and develop clear, concise, balanced and well-founded technical positions and recommendations based on complex and diverse opinions and facts. Provide examples of relevant research programs that you have led, describing the scope of the programs and your specific role in the programs.)

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is defined as: experience that demonstrates a knowledge of the design, construction, operation, inspection, evaluation, and/or non-destructive examination of nuclear plant components, structures, and/or facilities.

Education

You must include an unofficial or official copy of your college and/or university transcripts with your application.  Transcript must include the School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded (if applicable). Education must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of credibility of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency.  If you have multiple degrees (e.g., BS, MS, PhD) please submit transcripts for each degree.  Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: https://www.ed.gov/accreditation.

Qualification for All Professional Engineering 0800 Series:

Basic Requirements:

  1. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor’s degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; 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

  1. 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 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 The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:
  2. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
  1. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
  2. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
  3. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor’s degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)

More detailed information about these alternatives are described in the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Qualification Standards Operating Manual which may be accessed at the following website: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule- qualification-standards/0800/materials-engineering-series-0806/n

Additional information

The duty location of this position is Rockville, MD.  In general, employees are expected to be in the office at a minimum of 4 days per pay period.  Telework schedules, including full-time telework, are approved, on a case-by-case basis. If selected, telework will be determined in accordance with Agency policy and the Collective Bargaining Agreement, if applicable.

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 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 any 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

List of supplemental material that may be applicable:

If you are 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. Additionally, you must also submit a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action).

If you are a current/reinstatement eligible Federal employee with status (Tenure Group 1 or 2), you will be considered under our merit promotion procedures and must submit a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) to verify competitive status or reinstatement eligibility.  

Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable (e.g. DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; Current Active Duty members must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter.)  You can find additional information about Veterans' Preference at http://www.fedshirevets.gov/.

NOTE: Your complete application includes your resume, your responses to any vacancy questions, 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 these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further. 

  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 prorate 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 the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying on the basis of education, please submit your transcript OR list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses along with the course credits in your resume. 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.) on your resume or cover letter. We will not access web pages linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualifications. 

If you are applying for a position that requires a college degree, you must submit your College Transcripts.

All supplemental documents will now be collected electronically and should be submitted before the closing date of this vacancy announcement.  You have three 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; or
3. use the "Fax" feature to print the Fax Cover Sheet and fax it, along with your supplemental documents to 1-571-258-4052.

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

Kreslyon Valrie
Phone
(301) 287-0714
TDD
240-428-3217
Fax
000-000-0000
Email
Kreslyon.Valrie@nrc.gov
Website
https://www.nrc.gov
Address
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Office of Human Resources
Washington, District of Columbia 20555
United States
Learn more about this agency

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.