Background

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) prides itself on creating a work environment rich in opportunity, diversity, leadership, training, teamwork and work life balance. Begin a challenging career as part of a select group of professionals who protect people and the environment with the peaceful use of nuclear materials in medicine, industry, and research.

Duties

This position is located in the Office of Nuclear Material Safety & Safeguards, Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery, and Waste Programs, Risk and Technical Analysis Branch, NRC Headquarters, Rockville, Maryland.

The successful candidate will perform the full range of Risk Analyst duties.
Duties include, but are not limited to:

Proposes and carries out risk analyses, including performance assessments, technical analyses, and evaluations of risk, from nuclear waste storage and disposal facilities, and remediation of nuclear facilities and sites to support NRC waste programs.
Reviews and evaluates pre licensing and licensing documents, reports, and letters with respect to near-surface low-level waste disposal, waste incidental to reprocessing disposal, and decommissioning activities.
Provides expert assistance in the area of performance assessment and risk management to support technical assistance requests.

Qualifications

This position will be filled as either a series 0801 Engineer or series 1301 Physical Scientist.

Education:

Engineer 0801

Degree in Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelors 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.

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.
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 the Education requirement, above
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 bachelors degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least one year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.

Physical Scientist 1301

Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.
OR
Combination of education and experience -- education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Experience:

The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate the following

KNOWLEDGE OF PRINCIPLES, THEORIES, AND APPLIED PRACTICES OF RISK ASSESSMENT ASSOCIATED WITH DECOMMISSIONING, URANIUM RECOVERY, AND LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE. (Example: Describe your specific applied experience with sites, remediation activities, training, and education that demonstrates your knowledge, skills, and abilities of the principles of applied. Describe the types of sites you worked with, and your role with those sites. Demonstrate how your experience would prepare you to review reports and applications associated with multi-media risk assessment of the potential doses from decommissioning, uranium recovery and low-level radioactive waste.)
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 REGARDING ISSUES PERTAINING TO RISK ASSESSMENTS FOR REMEDIATION OR WASTE ISSUES. (Example: Describe education, training and experience that demonstrate your ability to formulate technical judgments. Provide examples of judgments, recommendations, or actions you have taken regarding unique first of a kind technical or policy issues pertaining to remediation or waste issues. Describe your ability to identify complex issues and recommend successful approaches for resolution for areas representing a departure from past precedent, or in the absence of applicable guidance. Highlight examples that demonstrate resourcefulness, initiative, and ingenuity in reaching work objectives. Include specific examples that describe the complexity of the work, and your ability to organize, prioritize and accomplish the work.)
KNOWLEDGE OF PRINCIPLES, THEORIES, AND APPLIED PRACTICES OF RISK ASSESSMENT AS IT APPLIES TO SITES REQUIRING RECLAMATION OR PLANNED WASTE DISPOSAL SITES. (Example: Describe your specific applied experience with sites and environmental programs, training, and education that demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and abilities of the principles of applied risk assessments of contamination into the subsurface environment (i.e., chemicals, metals, radio nuclides) and/or waste disposal. Describe the types of sites you worked with, and your role with those sites. Demonstrate how your experience would prepare you to review reports and applications associated with conventional uranium mill facilities, complex decommissioning sites, or waste disposal with an emphasis on either near field, far field, or exposure assessment.)
ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE, BOTH ORALLY AND IN WRITING, COMPLEX TECHNICAL IDEAS, POSITIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND PROPOSALS BEFORE MANAGEMENT, LICENSEES, STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCY OFFICIALS, OR CLIENTS DEPENDING ON ONE'S EXPERIENCE. (EXAMPLE: Describe your experience, training and accomplishments that demonstrate your ability to communicate complex situations to these groups.) Describe education, training, and experience which demonstrate your ability to present information, ideas, and advice in a clear, concise, and logical manner both orally and in writing. Describe your ability to deal effectively with various levels of staff, to coordinate and prepare documents using various inputs. Describe the various types and levels of individuals you routinely interact with and for what purposes. What types of original writing do you generate? With whom do you communicate orally and for what purpose? What types of working relationships have you made, with whom, and how frequently? Include examples of situations where it was necessary for you to use tact, diplomacy, and negotiation skills to achieve cooperation or consensus when interacting with staff, management, or the general public.)

Specialized experience is described as: Experience leading the formulation, analysis, and implementation of risk management policies and strategies; AND developing and implementing standards and guidelines for risk and environmental assessment; AND developing and implementing policy guidance and instruction for an organization or management team in such areas as: risk management, remediation strategies, or long-term assessments.

A 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.
Be sure to review the complete details of the Qualifications sections in the official Job Opening Announcement (JOA) at USAJOBS.gov.

How to Apply

Visit www.nrc.gov Review the NRC Career Opportunities page, click on Apply Now then Search for Job Opportunities and click on current NRC vacancies. Find the Public Notice for Risk Analyst (Open to Everyone) Job Announcement Number NMSS/DUWP-2025-0003 and apply on-line by December 16, 2024.

If you are viewing this announcement after the closing date of December 16, 2024 please visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?a=NU00 to check out other jobs in which you may be interested.