Duties

Serves as the NRR technical staff advisor for assessment of reactor fuels issues in nuclear power plants. Specific areas of technical review include (1) production of the uranium oxide and associated cladding materials used in nuclear power plants, (2) fuel mechanical design and performance requirements, (3) quality assurance, as it applies to the design and production of nuclear power plant fuel, (4) fuel corrosion during operation, and (5) calculations of fuel behavior and performance during normal operation, transients, and accidents. Evaluates the above technical areas as applied to assuring the integrity and safe operation of nuclear reactor fuel, including the active uranium fuel, cladding, and associated structural materials, and the behavior of control rods, control blades, and other mechanical reactivity control devices. Independently identifies, evaluates, and pursues the resolution of safety significant issues related to the integrity of reactor fuel in the nuclear industry. Provides authoritative consultation, guidance, assistance, and recommendations on issues related to the integrity and safe operation of fuel in nuclear power plants, and on fuel-related aspects of NRC regulations, guidance documents, and industry codes and standards related to reactor fuel. Independently performs state-of-the-art analyses and assists in maintaining state-of-the-art analysis capabilities related to fuel thermal-mechanical performance, in-core fuel management, and reactor core reload safety analyses within the Division

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship Required
• Background investigation leading to a clearance is required for new hires.
• This is a Drug Testing position.

U.S. Citizenship Required Background investigation leading to a clearance is required for new hires. 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.

To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the NRC will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. The NRC will request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must have at least seven to ten years of specialized experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience (e.g., graduate degree) that demonstrates expert knowledge and experience in reactor fuel design, manufacturing, and reactor fuel performance, as well as the analyses and analytical methods used to evaluate reactor fuel performance during normal operation, transients, and accidents, sufficient to (1) advise and provide perspectives on existing and evolving reactor fuel design, and associated technical issues; (2) provide evaluations of regulatory issues and technical analyses; (3) mentor less experienced members of the staff, and (4) represent the agency in interactions with licensees, reactor vendors, other Federal agencies, national laboratories, international organizations, public, and other stakeholders.

A detailed 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 and additional space provided for supplemental response.

The Ideal Candidate for this position will have:

Demonstrated, extensive knowledge of, and experience in, the theories, principles, and practices in the field of nuclear engineering as it relates to the design, construction, operation, and analysis, to ensure safety of commercial/new/advanced nuclear power plants. Including specific experience, education, and training that demonstrate your knowledge of nuclear engineering as it relates to reactor design, construction, operations, design basis accidents, and performance requirements of safety-related systems, structures, and components. Evidenced by specific types and complexity of projects or work assignments you have undertaken and your specific role (e.g., lead, contributor, etc.) that demonstrate your safety focus and regulatory effectiveness.

(DOUBLE WEIGHTED) Demonstrated, extensive knowledge of, and experience as a recognized expert in reactor fuel design, qualification, manufacturing, core reload design, and reactor fuel performance, as well as the analyses and analytical methods used to evaluate reactor fuel performance during normal operation, transients, and accidents. Including specific work experience, education, training, and accomplishments that demonstrate your expert knowledge of and experience applying engineering and scientific theories, principles, and practices to effectively evaluate situations related to reactor fuel design, manufacturing, and reactor fuel performance as well as the analyses and analytical methods used to evaluate reactor fuel performance. Evidenced by your role and responsibilities in providing authoritative advice to senior management, types and complexity of projects or work assignments you have undertaken and your specific role (e.g., lead, contributor, etc.) that demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of technical issues, problems, and potential solutions in the reactor fuels area.)

Demonstrated extensive knowledge of industry codes, standards, and practices related to the design and operation of nuclear reactor fuel. This includes knowledge and experience in applying the appropriate portions of the relevant ASME, ASTM, and other codes and standards to design, inspection, evaluation, and operation of nuclear reactor fuel. Including specific work experience, education, training, and accomplishments that demonstrate your expert knowledge of and experience in industry codes, standards, and practices as related to the design and operation of nuclear reactor fuel. Evidenced by providing authoritative advice to senior management on these technical areas, the types and complexity of projects or work assignments you have undertaken and your specific role (e.g., lead, contributor, etc.) that demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of industry codes, standards, and practices related to the design and operation of nuclear reactor fuel.)

Demonstrated advanced oral and written communication skills, and experience effectively conveying and presenting complex and detailed information of a technical and/or policy nature to colleagues, peers, senior management officials, and representative of other institutions, agencies, or organizations. Evidenced by specific kinds of oral presentations or briefing you have made, and the audience levels and groups involved (e.g., colleagues, senior management officials, licensees, public, representatives of other institutions, organizations, etc.). Including the nature, scope and complexity of the issues and topics involved, your most difficult or challenging writing assignments, your contributions to the publication of reports, articles, or studies, your participation on panels or at professional meetings and conferences.

Demonstrated ability to function as an organizational representative and liaison on substantive technical and policy issues, and to achieve cooperation and consensus among parties engages in joint or parallel efforts. Including, the various types and levels of individuals you routinely interact with and for what purposes. Evidenced by, your experience representing (e.g., presenting, negotiating, advocating, defending) your organization before a variety of individuals and your success in achieving organizational goals and objectives, your experience and accomplishments interacting with internal stakeholders, your experience interacting with external entities, including both governmental and industry organizations, your accomplishments in identifying the internal and external policies that impact the work of the organization and developing and implementing successful approaches to discuss and resolve sensitive or adversarial situations/issues.

A detailed 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 and additional space provided for supplemental response.

Education

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:

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.

Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professionalregistration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

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.

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.)

Additional information

The NRC provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the Disability Program Coordinator at (301) 415-2294.. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Selection for this position will be made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, non-disqualifying physical or mental handicap, age, membership, or non membership in an employee organization, personal favoritism or other non- merit factors. Selectees will be required to complete a "Declaration of Federal Employment", (OF-306), prior to being appointed to determine their suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. False statements or responses on your resume or questionnaire can jeopardize your employment opportunity and subject you to disciplinary action, including removal from Federal service, A transferable security clearance from another agency or a background investigation leading to a clearance is required for all new hires. To begin work at the NRC without a security clearance, you must be granted a temporary waiver of the required clearance, referred to as a 145 (b) waiver. To be eligible for a 145 (b) waiver you need favorable education verification, and reference, credit, and criminal history checks. If a wavier is granted, the successful completion of a background investigation and favorable adjudication are required for continued employment. If you have resided outside the U.S. for an extended period of time, the agency may not be able to (1) grant the 145(b) waiver where the required investigation cannot be completed in a timely manner, or (2) achieve timely completion of the background investigation required for a security clearance.

The duty location of this position is Rockville, Maryland. In general, employees are expected to be in the office 4 days per pay period. Telework schedules are approved, on a case-by-case basis. If selected, telework will be determined 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.