Clarification from the agency

Open to all qualified U.S. citizens as well as individuals eligible for noncompetitive hiring authorities such as those that apply to veterans, individuals with disabilities, military spouses, Peace Corp volunteers, etc.

The Supervisory Nuclear Engineer position serves as Director of the US Geological Survey TRIGA Reactor (GSTR). The Director reports to the Rocky Mountain Regional Director and ultimately to the USGS Director. (The USGS Director holds the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license which authorizes the operation of GSTR by USGS.) The mission of the GSTR is to support USGS science by providing a source of intense neutron and gamma radiation for the irradiation of geologic and biological specimens, and to advance analytical methods and techniques unique to nuclear reactors.

Major duties for this position are as follows:

• Supervises GSTR personnel. Assigns work, sets deadlines, and establishes priorities at the project level. Responsible for ensuring a safe working environment, including the development, implementation and continued maintenance of a Safety Conscience Work Environment, and the development of appropriate safety policies and procedures. Develops training programs to keep staff in compliance with NRC policy and directives.
• Provides technical oversight of all GSTR operations. Evaluates, categorizes, and approves all proposed experiments for technical soundness, compatibility with GSTR capabilities, and safety. Directs the efforts of GSTR staff in developing equipment and procedures for enhancing GSTR capabilities.
• Responsible for the financial and operational management and administration of GSTR. Develops budgets and policy in concurrence with the Rocky Mountain Region (RMR), the Reactor Operations Committee (ROC), and the NRC. Determines the GSTR fee structure and balances appropriated and reimbursable funding sources to fully support GSTR operations and staff. Develops new capabilities and initiatives in alignment with the mission of the GSTR and in a financially sound manner. Represents GSTR and its capabilities to internal and external customers and stakeholders, develops customer relationships, and establishes financial and operational agreements. Ensures that GSTR activities comply with all applicable Department and Bureau policies, including USGS Quality Assurance principles. Revises GSTR policy, guidelines, and procedures as necessary for safe and compliant operation of the reactor.
• Maintains a continuing liaison with the NRC, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, emergency response organizations, and other regulatory agencies as necessary for safe and effective facility operation. Obtains any permits, licenses, or clearances that are required for reactor operation. Serves as permanent Secretary of the ROC and is a permanent member of the USGS Radiation Safety Committee. Advise the USGS Radiation Safety Officer on radiation safety.
• Operates a government owned/leased vehicle as an incidental driver.

Conditions of employment

Key Requirements:

1. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
2. Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
3. Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period.
4. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
5. Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.
6. Selectee subject to successful completion of a pre-employment medical exam.
7. Selectee must be able to obtain a Reactor License.

Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?

• This position requires completion of a one year supervisory/managerial probationary period, if one has not previously been completed.
• Prior to appointment, the selectee will be required to take and pass, at Federal expense: (1) a physical exam; and (2) a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use. From thereon, the incumbent may be subject to random drug testing.
• Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.
• A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.

Qualifications

Definitions:

UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: A year of undergraduate education is 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours or the equivalent of college study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent was a prerequisite.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: In the absence of specific graduate program information, a year of graduate education is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours of graduate level college course work, or the number of credit hours the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full time study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Nuclear Engineer, all grade levels.

A. 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**

B. 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 engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.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.)

Note: An applicant who meets the basic requirements as specified in A or B above, except as noted under B.1., may qualify for positions in any branch of engineering unless selective factors indicate otherwise.

GS-14 In addition to the basic requirements listed above, you must also possess at least 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13. Examples of such experience may include managing complex technical operations of a nuclear facility, providing significant and innovative recommendations for the design, construction, test, evaluation, troubleshooting, repairing, and maintenance of a nuclear reactor that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position.

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.

Conditions of Employment for this Position:

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probation period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.

This Probationperiod is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider:

- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated.

Upon completion of your probation period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

How you will be evaluated

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

--Basis of Rating:

Category rating will be used in the ranking and selection process for this position. The quality categories are (Best Qualified and Qualified). Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and the result of the assessment(s) required for this position. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.

--Structured Resume Assessment: If you meet the eligibility and basic qualification requirements for this position, subject-matter-experts (SMEs) will perform a structured review of your resume to evaluate your knowledge, skills, abilities, and competences as they directly relate to the duties of this position. SMEs will review ONLY two (2) pages of your resume.

The assessments will evaluate you on the following general/technical competencies required to perform the job; please do not provide a separate written response:

• Operations Experience
• Problem Solving
• Project Management
• Shipping of Hazardous Material
• Customer Service
• Leadership and Supervision

--NOTE: If it is determined that your resume or application is incomplete, you may be rated ineligible or not qualified.

--Resume Length: Please limit your resume to no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

To preview the announcement questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12830663

Required documents may be: (1) uploaded directly from your desktop; or (2) uploaded directly from your USAJOBS stored attachments.

Resume

--Resumes are required and will be limited to no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. You are highly encouraged to use USAJOBS Resume Builder to ensure all required information is included in your Resume. If you use your own resume, curriculum vitae, or other written form, then you must describe your job-related qualifications, including: beginning and ending dates for paid and non-paid work experience; hours worked per week; month and year of employment for each job title listed; annual salary; and description of job duties. Include name and address of employer; supervisor name; and telephone number. Additional information on what to include can be found here.

Supporting documents

--Upload any supporting documents identified in the Key Requirements section or included below as it applies to your eligibility. Supporting documents may be: (1) uploaded directly from your desktop; or (2) uploaded directly from your USAJOBS stored attachments.

Transcripts

--This position requires specific educational course work to qualify. You are required to provide all unofficial transcripts (undergraduate, graduate, etc.), which includes semester hours earned and grade received, by the closing date of this announcement or you will be disqualified from further consideration. Please ensure that all documentation is legible.

Veterans' Preference Eligibles

--If you are claiming veterans' preference you must provide a legible copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, member 4 copy or any official documentation or statement from the Armed Forces that confirms your dates of service and that your separation, discharge, or release from active duty was under honorable conditions (i.e., Honorable or General Discharge). Note: If you have more than one DD-214 for multiple periods of active duty, submit a copy for each period of service.

--If you are currently on active military duty, you must provide documentation (e.g., campaign document, award citation, etc.), that verifies entitlement to veterans' preference and that your character of military service is honorable.

--If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, in addition to the documents specified above, you must also submit documentation that supports your claim, e.g., an official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs (dated 1991 or later) or from a branch of the Armed Forces certifying the existence of a service-connected disability, or the award of the Purple Heart, etc. The overall rating must be identified on your certification letter or separation orders. Documentation must be received by the closing date shown in this vacancy announcement. If you fail to submit any of the required documentation, you will not be granted veterans' preference.

Additional information on veterans' preference can be found in the VetGuide.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) & Inter-agency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Eligibles

--If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, the Servicing Human Resources Office must receive proof by the closing date of this announcement that you meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330 Subpart F for CTAP and 5 CFR 330 Subpart G for ICTAP or you will not receive priority consideration. This includes:

• copy of the agency notice;
• your most recent Performance Rating; and
• your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location.

If you are a CTAP or ICTAP eligible, you will be considered well qualified if you earn a minimum score of 85 (prior to the assignment of veteran's preference points). For more information on CTAP/ICTAP please click here.

If you are applying for this position based on eligibility under a special appointing authority, you must submit proof that supports your claim by the closing date of the announcement. If you fail to submit proof, you will not receive consideration under the special appointing authority. Below is a list of the most common authorities and the documentation requirements. If you're eligible for an authority not listed, you are responsible for submitting documentation that's appropriate for that specific authority. Additional information for all the authorities below can be found on USAJobs Hiring Paths page.

--30% or More Disabled Veteran - Submit a legible copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, member 4 copy; and an official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs (dated 1991 or later) or from a branch of the Armed Forces certifying the existence of a service-connected disability, etc.

CONTINUED IN HOW TO APPLY SECTION BELOW

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