Senior Technical Advisor For Health Physics

Summary

This position is located in Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies within the agency.
The supervisor is Dafna Silberfeld
This position is subject to Public Financial Disclosure reporting requirements.
This position is subject to subject to security ownership restriction reporting requirements..

Duties

The successful candidate will serve as an agency authority on health physics and radiation protection for nuclear reactors fuel cycle facilities materials licensees waste management activities and emerging nuclear technologies. This includes developing and applying radiation protection principles; dosimetry; radiological assessments; source term evaluation; occupational and public dose assessment; environmental radiation protection; emergency preparedness; and radiation safety throughout the facility life cycle from design and licensing through operation decommissioning and waste management.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Maintains awareness of contributes to and helps shape advances in health physics and radiation protection science ensuring the agency remains at the forefront of emerging developments technologies and analytical methodologies.

• Serves as an agency staff technical expert on health physics and radiation protection.

• Advises senior management on highly complex safety policy and licensing issues associated with radiation protection radiological risk and the application of health physics principles to reactor fuel cycle materials waste management and emerging nuclear technology programs.

• Provides independent and expert evaluation of NRC and industry approaches to radiation protection dose assessment radiological consequence analysis environmental monitoring source term evaluation emergency preparedness and implementation of radiation protection standards and regulatory guidance.

• Performs independent technical reviews or leading teams to resolve significant and complex health physics issues including occupational and public radiation exposure; internal and external dosimetry; radioactive material transport and release; environmental pathway analyses; radiation instrumentation and monitoring; criticality-related radiation protection considerations; decommissioning radiological assessments; and the application of risk-informed and performance-based approaches affecting the licensing operation oversight and decommissioning of NRC-regulated facilities.

• Independently resolving complex safety issues requiring coordination and communication across agency offices; applicants; the Department of Energy; other Federal agencies; Agreement States; industry; and the public.

• Represents the agency on national and international working groups consensus standards committees and technical conference committees associated with radiation protection and health physics.

• Engages with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and other domestic and international organizations on radiation protection policy standards and emerging technical issues.

• Provides authoritative technical consultation to senior leadership supports Commission Congressional and adjudicatory activities through expert technical analyses and briefings and mentors agency staff in the application of sound health physics principles and analytical methodologies.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

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. All information in your resume must be true and accurate.

Conditions of Employment:

• U.S. Citizenship Required
• This is a Drug Testing position
• Must be able to meet and maintain security & suitability requirements
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public determining if your employment advances the public interest we may 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.

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

Qualifications

To qualify for this position you must meet the basic education requirements and possess at least seven to ten years of specialized experience or an equivalent combination of education (e.g. a graduate degree) and experience that demonstrates the required qualifications or equivalent experience in the private or public sector.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is defined as experience demonstrating expert knowledge of health physics radiation protection principles nuclear materials and health physics policy; providing authoritative technical advice on complex radiation safety issues; and evaluating or developing health physics programs and policies.

The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:

Ideal candidate will have:

1. Demonstrated expert knowledge and applied capability in radiation protection principles and health physics policy together with comprehensive knowledge of Federal and international radiation protection regulations standards guidance and recommendations (e.g. NRC EPA NCRP ICRP). Experience should include leading or authoritatively contributing to licensing/inspection findings compliance determinations policy or guidance development rulemaking support incident/operational evaluations environmental and public dose assessments and interagency coordination; education and training in health physics medical physics nuclear engineering radiobiology or closely related fields; demonstrated use of applicable NRC/EPA regulations and guidance NCRP reports ICRP recommendations and recognized consensus/industry standards; and the ability to reconcile differing frameworks and articulate the regulatory basis and technical rationale.

   2. Demonstrated expert knowledge and applied capability in internal and external dosimetry and in performing evaluating validating and documenting radiation dose calculations for occupational exposures medical events public dose evaluations technical issues incident response and environmental assessments. Experience should show sound technical judgment accurate application of dosimetric methodologies to complex technical issues accurate interpretation of results and the ability to provide technically sound defensible recommendations that inform regulatory and programmatic decisions.
   3. Demonstrated mastery in clearly accurately and effectively conveying highly complex scientific and technical information both orally and in writing to a wide range of audiences including technical and nontechnical stakeholders senior management interagency partners licensees contractors industry representatives and the public. Experience should reflect exceptional skill in preparing authoritative technical reports presenting sophisticated analyses explaining regulatory and scientific concepts with precision responding to challenging inquiries and facilitating collaboration across internal and external organizations.

A description of how you possess the specialized experience as well as how you meet the qualifications desired in an ideal candidate must be addressed in your resume. Applicants may also use the supplemental vacancy question to provide additional information pertaining to the specialized experience and ideal candidate criteria.

PLEASE BE CLEAR AND CONCISE. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Education

You must possess a graduate degree from an accredited college or university in health physics medical physics engineering physical science biological science or a closely related scientific addition you must possess the specialized experience described in the vacancy announcement.

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 have multiple degrees (e.g. BS MS PhD) please submit transcripts for each degree.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education see the Department of Education website. If you are qualifying on foreign education you MUST submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Transcripts must be uploaded with your application to verify education. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Additional information

This position may be eligible for situational telework in accordance with agency 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.

The NRC is a zero-tolerance agency with respect to illegal drug use. Individuals selected for these positions will be subject to pre-appointment drug testing.

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 will need a favorable education verification reference credit and criminal history checks.

If a waiver is granted the successful completion of a background investigation and favorable adjudication is 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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government passionate about the ideals of our American republic and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Required Experience:

Senior IC