Summary

This position is located in the Office of Nuclear Material Safety & Safeguards (NMSS), Division of Fuel Management (DFM), Materials & Structural Branch (MSB).

The supervisor is Tom Boyce.

This position is Bargaining Unit with the National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 208.

This position IS subject to Confidential Financial Disclosure reporting requirements.

This position IS subject to security ownership restriction reporting requirements

This job is open to

• Individuals with disabilities
• Federal employees - Competitive service
  Current or former competitive service federal employees.
• Federal employees - Excepted service
  Current excepted service federal employees.
• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
  Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
• Military spouses
• Native Americans
  Native Americans or Alaskan Natives with a tribal affiliation.
• National Guard & reserves
  Current members, those who want to join or transitioning military members.
• Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista
• The public
  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
• Special authorities
  Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed above, but defined in the federal hiring regulations.
• Veterans

Clarification from the agency

All NRC Employees are encouraged to apply.

Based on the staffing needs of the agency/area of consideration, additional selections may be made from this vacancy announcement.

Duties

The successful candidate will perform the full range of Material Engineer duties:

1. Provides technical assessments in the areas of materials, metallurgical and mechanical engineering relating to areas that may include design, analysis, fabrication, operation, maintenance, inspection and testing of systems and components of facilities and components, particularly nuclear fuel facilities and fuel storage and transportation systems.

2. Conducts reviews of analytical evaluations related to materials behavior, irradiation effects, environmental effects, chemical effects, fracture mechanics, structural integrity and non-destructive examinations (NDE) of facilities and components.

3. Participates in the development of guides, standards, criteria, and methods of analysis related to fuel facilities and storage and transportation of spent fuel and other radioactive material.

4. Participates in discussions with representatives of external organizations having interests and responsibilities in the materials engineering aspects of nuclear power plants, fuel facilities, and fuel storage and transportation systems, including standards development organizations, government agencies such as the Department of Energy (DOE), NRC applicants and licensees, and various industry organizations.

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 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector.

The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:

1. Demonstrated knowledge and experience in the field of materials science and metallurgy, particularly as applied to the design, construction, operation, maintenance, inspection, and evaluation of nuclear facilities, including reactors, fuel transportation and storage installations, and fuel cycle facilities.

2. Demonstrated experience in leading, managing, or participating with others in complex, highly technical research projects or tasks leading to timely issue resolution.

3. Demonstrated ability to work effectively with internal and external organizations on technical projects on a variety of subjects related to materials or metallurgical engineering.

4. Demonstrated ability to communicate and present technical information clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is defined as experience that demonstrates thorough knowledge of the principles, theories, and practices in the field of materials science to be able to review and evaluate the materials properties of proposed designs of fuel cycle facilities and transportation and storage systems to ensure compliance with regulatory standards.

Education

Qualifications for All Professional Engineering 0800 Series:

Basic Requirements:

1. 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

1. 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:
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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/materials-engineering-series-0806/n

Qualifications for Metallurgy 1321 Series

1. Degree: metallurgy or metallurgical engineering that included at least 20 semester hours in metallurgical subjects.
   or
2. Combination of education and experience courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Additional information

The duty location of this position is Rockville, MD. In general, employees are expected to be in the office at a minimum of 4 days per pay period. Telework schedules, including full-time telework, are approved, on a case-by-case basis. If selected, telework will be determined in accordance with Agency policy and the Collective Bargaining Agreement, if applicable.

• Benefits
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  As an NRC employee you will enjoy excellent Federal Benefits, including:
  
  • comprehensive health and life insurance plans
  • Flexible Spending Account Program for health and dependent care
  • Dental and Vision Insurance
  • retirement savings and investment plan similar to 401(k) (Thrift Savings Plan)
  • annual (vacation) and paid sick leave
  • family friendly leave policies
  • 11 paid holidays per year
  • transit benefits
  
  This link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal employees. https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

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.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

• Benefits
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  As an NRC employee you will enjoy excellent Federal Benefits, including:
  
  • comprehensive health and life insurance plans
  • Flexible Spending Account Program for health and dependent care
  • Dental and Vision Insurance
  • retirement savings and investment plan similar to 401(k) (Thrift Savings Plan)
  • annual (vacation) and paid sick leave
  • family friendly leave policies
  • 11 paid holidays per year
  • transit benefits
  
  This link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal employees. https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
• Required Documents
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  List of supplemental material that may be applicable:
  If you are an NRC employee, you are required to submit your most recent Rating of Record (Performance Appraisal) or a statement saying that one is not available. Additionally, you must also submit a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action).
  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/.
  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