Job Description

Summary

This position is located in the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES), Division of Systems Analysis (DSA), Fuel and Source Term Code Development Branch (FSCB).The supervisor is Hossein Esmaili. Thisposition is in thebargaining unit, is not subject to Confidential Financial Disclosure reporting requirements, andis subject to the security ownership restriction reporting requirements.

Responsibilities

As Reactor Systems Engineer (Neutronics Analyst), you will conduct and coordinate specialized research and analysis in the area of nuclear analysis. Work involves expert use and development of neutronics analysis codes to support resolution of relevant safety and technical issues of Agency interest. You will provide coordination, planning, development, and technical direction of relevant safety research programs. Duties include but are not limited to:

1. Maintains state-of-the-art knowledge and expertise in the area of neutronics codes development, assessment and maintenance, and experiments used to develop and/or validate neutronics codes.

2. Maintains and assists in the development of the state-of-practice NRC neutronics codes such as SCALE and associated specialized routines such as Polaris, ORIGEN.

3. Performs neutronics modeling with SCALE in support of Agency research needs as well as urgent licensing needs of user offices.

4. Develops, plans and implements analytic and experimental research programs. Provides technical direction to contractors involved in various nuclear analysis, and coordinates support to users of these programs.

5. Prepares presentations at technical and programmatic review meetings.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

U.S. Citizenship Required

This is a Drug Testing position.

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 order to qualify for this position, you must have at least one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level (12) in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is defined as experience that demonstrates knowledge of neutronics analysis of operating and advanced reactor designs.

The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:

1. Demonstrated knowledge of engineering principles and mathematical methods for reactor and plant systems design and analysis, particularly relating to neutronics behavior. Examples may include experience that demonstrates your knowledge of engineering principles and mathematical methods for reactor and plant systems design and analysis, particularly relating to neutronics behavior. Examples may also include experience with neutronics response under steady-state, transient and accident conditions and issues related to operating and advanced reactors.

2. Demonstrated knowledge of the modeling techniques and assessment of neutronics codes (e.g., SCALE, PARCS) for nuclear reactors designs. Examples may include experience that demonstrates your knowledge of the modeling techniques and assessment of neutronics codes to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of the results for nuclear reactor designs.

3. Demonstrated ability to coordinate, plan, develop, and provide technical oversight and direction of analytical and experimental research programs or projects. Examples may include experience that demonstrates your ability to coordinate, plan, develop, and provide technical oversight and direction of analytical and experimental research program or projects. Examples may also include experience in reviewing, coordinating, and managing the activities of an analytical and experimental research program or project within schedule and resource limitations, in evaluating varied proposals and approaches to a program or projects challenges, and recommending and implementing changes for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of a program or project.

4. Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate technical information both orally and in writing. Examples may experience that demonstrates your ability to effectively communicate technical information both orally and in writing. Examples may also include leading complex technical discussions, consolidating complex and diverse opinions, data, or analysis results into concise, balanced and well-founded recommendations and producing high quality technical reports to diverse stakeholders.

5. Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective work relationships with management and staff, coworkers, and personnel of external organizations. Examples may include experience that demonstrates your ability to establish and maintain effective work relationships with management and staff, coworkers, and personnel of external organizations. Examples may also include experience using tact, diplomacy, and negotiation to achieve cooperation and develop consensus, experience using informal and formal networks to build support for programs and serving as a point of contact with other organizations, industry, advisory groups, international organizations, or other stakeholders to provide advice and recommendations on research areas and initiatives to enhance regulatory effectiveness and efficiency.

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.

Education

Qualification for All Professional Engineering 0800 Series:

Basic Requirements: Degree: 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. OR 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 professional registration 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 bachelors 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

The NRC provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Individuals with disabilities may contact the Selective Placement Coordinator for assistance with the application or hiring process via Disability.Resource@nrc.gov. Deaf applicants may contact the Disability Program Manager by calling the NRC videophone at 240-428-3217.Individuals who are eligible for non-competitive appointment under an OPM special appointing authority may apply for consideration under a comparable NRC non-competitive appointing authority. Veterans, please visit: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/Selectee's 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 will need a favorable education verification, reference, credit, and criminal history checks. If a wavier 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.The NRC is a zero tolerance agency with respect to illegal drug use. Individuals selected for this position will be subject to pre-appointment drug testing unless currently in a NRC position subject to random drug testing AND will be subject to random drug testing upon appointment to the NRC.