Job Title: Senior Reliability and Risk Analyst

Background

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proud to be ranked as a BEST Place to Work in the Federal Government. We've earned our top ratings by creating a work environment rich in opportunity, diversity, leadership training, teamwork, and work life balance. Help guide our nation into the next generation of nuclear safety! Begin a challenging career with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission where you can be 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 Regulatory Research (RES), Division of Risk Analysis (DRA), Performance and Reliability Branch (PRB).
As a Senior Reliability and Risk Analyst, you will perform technical analyses, review technical studies, and mange research projects in the fields of system reliability analysis (for internally and externally initiated accidents, including fire initiated accidents), accident physical process analysis, human reliability analysis, and/or offsite consequence analysis associated with probabilistic risk analyses of nuclear reactors, other portions of the nuclear fuel cycle, or other facilities or devices using nuclear material. You will also interpret these results and provide risk-based perspectives for use in NRC's decision-making process. Such duties include but are not limited to:

1. Performs risk analyses.
2. Performs reviews of risk analysis and regulatory requirements.
3. Manages contractor projects in risk analysis methods development or applications.
4. Serves as liaison between Standards Development Organizations and the NRC.

Qualifications

In order to qualify for this position, you must have at least one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level (14) in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is defined as experience in the application of reliability and risk assessment methods of nuclear facilities.

The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:

1. Demonstrated knowledge of the design, operation and configuration of major systems of commercial nuclear power plants (reactor, engineered safety feature, balance of plant, and auxiliary). Examples may include your education, training and experience you have related to engineering (nuclear, mechanical, electrical, chemical or similar) or natural sciences (e.g., physics). Examples may also include your experience related to the following: (1) engineering and analysis or inspection experience involving design, maintenance, or operation of nuclear power plant systems; (2) plant transient and accident analysis typical of or similar to SAR Chapter 15.
2. Demonstrated skill in applying the principles, theories, and practices of probabilistic risk analysis in the assessment of complex nuclear facilities (e.g., operating commercial nuclear power reactors, new reactor designs, fuel cycle, spent fuel management, etc.). (DOUBLE WEIGHTED) Examples may include experience, education, and training which demonstrates your knowledge of the principles, theories and practices of engineering or physical science as it relates to the application of reliability and risk analysis, and/or severe accident analysis in nuclear power facility design, fabrication, construction, analysis, testing, maintenance and/or operations. Examples may also include your experience in the application of probabilistic risk analysis for nuclear power plants, other complex facilities, or PRA related voluntary consensus standards and your accomplishments in areas such as Levels 1, 2, and 3 risk analyses; severe accident progression; low-power and shut down operations; fire safety; human reliability analysis; common cause failure; and external events.
3. Ability to manage complex regulatory or technical issues and to develop sound recommendations and solutions. Examples may include your experience and training with managing complex regulatory or technical issues and developing recommendations for resolution where your specific role and examples that reflect your technical ability and contribution are provide.
4. Ability to communicate information, ideas, and advice in a clear, concise, and logical manner, both orally and in writing, with colleagues, subordinates, management, the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) or industry equivalent, the Commission or industry equivalent, members of the public, representatives of professional groups or other Federal or State agencies. Ability to build and sustain coalitions across organizations. Examples may include specific experience, training and accomplishments which demonstrate your communication skills, both orally and in writing. Examples may also include your ability to lead complex technical discussions and consolidate complex and diverse opinions into concise presentations, memoranda, letters, reports; work in a team or group atmosphere; formulate balanced and well-founded recommendations; establish effective work-relationships with colleagues, supervisors, and other government and industry officials and coordinate and lead meetings. Examples may also include oral and written presentations you have performed within your organization, including published technical documents you have authored; presentations you have made to outside groups including professional organizations, advisory groups, the public, and/or Congress).

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 and additional space provided for supplemental response in the official Job Announcement found on USAJOBS.

Education

Qualification for 0801 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/general-engineering-series-0801/

Qualification for 1301 series:
Basic Requirements:
A. 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
B. 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.

How to Apply

Visit www.nrc.gov Review the NRC Career Opportunities page, click on “Apply Now” then “Search for New Opportunities” and click on “view a list of current NRC vacancies, please visit USAJobs EXIT.” Find the Senior Reliability and Risk Analyst Job Announcement Number RES/DRA-2022-0005 and apply on-line by May 19, 2022. We strongly encourage you to read the entire announcement before you submit your application for this position so that you correctly submit all necessary materials and documentation. If you are viewing this opportunity after May19th please visit NRC’s website and discover additional opportunities for which you might be interested.