Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR), Division of Safety Systems (DSS), Nuclear Methods, Systems and New Reactors Branch (SRSB) Supervisor: Rebecca Patton (SRSB) This position is in the Bargaining Unit. NOTE: If additional vacancies occur, additional selections may be made.

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Responsibilities

As a Nuclear Engineer in NRR's Nuclear Methods, Systems and New Reactors Branch, you will be responsible for: 1) Reviewing and evaluating design, process design parameters, and performance of reactor systems and nuclear fuel designs for new light water reactors, including both thermal hydraulic and reactivity phenomena under steady-state, transient and accident conditions for design basis events; 2) Conducting reactor systems confirmatory analyses for new light water reactor licensing reviews and topical report reviews; 3) Reviewing and evaluating policy issues related to reactor systems or fuels requirements for new light water reactor designs and methodologies; 4) Preparing safety evaluation reports, audit reports, and other documentation related to new light water design reviews and topical report reviews; and 5) Presenting results of evaluations before the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) and other technical briefings, providing testimony at new light water reactor hearings, and performing technical audits related to nuclear fuel and reactor systems performance and design basis event evaluation.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
14

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• This is a Drug Testing position.
• Subject to security ownership restriction reporting requirements.
• U.S. Citizenship Required
• 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 addition to the educational requirements to qualify for this position, you must have at least one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level (GG-13) in the Federal Service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector.

Specialized Experience is defined as experience technically and analytically reviewing and evaluating design, process design parameters, and performance of reactor systems and nuclear fuel designs for power reactors, including both thermal hydraulic and reactivity phenomena under steady-state, transient and accident conditions for design basis events.

A description of how you possess the specialized experience should be addressed in your resume, responses to the vacancy questions, and in the additional space provided for your supplemental response

The ideal candidate for this position will show proof of experience in:

1. Demonstrated knowledge of the theories, principles, and practices in the field of reactor systems and nuclear fuel sufficient to evaluate designs, process design parameters, and review performance for a variety of new light water reactor and nuclear fuel designs.

2. Demonstrated ability in formulating sound technical judgements, making technical or policy recommendations, and finding solutions to unique first of a kind technical or policy challenges in regards to issues pertaining to design basis event evaluation in the areas of core physics, fuel behavior, reactivity control system and control rod design, and core thermal-hydraulic performance.

3. Demonstrated in-depth knowledge of NRC rules, regulations, and policies pertaining to power reactors through familiarity with the Part 52 and Part 50 reactor regulatory frameworks, topical report methodology processes, system design standards, regulatory guides and practices, and through the performance of regulatory reviews associated with the design and licensing of new light water reactors and fuel designs.

4. Demonstrated ability to communicate information, ideas, and advice in a clear, concise, and logical manner, both orally and in writing. Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective work relationships with management and staff, colleagues, and representatives of external organizations.

Education

Qualification for All Professional Engineering 0800 Series:

Basic Requirements:

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.)

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/nuclear-engineering-series-0840/

Additional information

Selectee is not subject to Office of Government Ethics Confidential Financial Disclosure reporting requirements (subject to change).

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.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
L Access Authorization

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

List of supplemental material that may be applicable:

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

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/.

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.