Division Director, Electromagnetic Enrichment and Stable Isotope Science Division

UT-Battelle; Oak Ridge (TN); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

On-site fitness center

Employee benefits package (medical, 退休

Flexible work hours

Job summary

UT-Battelle's Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee seeks a Division Director for the Electromagnetic Enrichment and Stable Isotope Science Division. The role leads science, engineering, isotope processing, and deployment readiness to advance DOE mission-critical applications.

You will shape strategy, manage budgets and staff, partner with DOE sponsors and national labs, and ensure safe, compliant operations while delivering high-value isotope capabilities.

Qualifications

• MS degree in physics, chemistry, engineering, materials science, nuclear science, or closely related technical field; PhD strongly preferred.
• 15+ years of relevant experience in R&D, engineering, isotope production, technology development, operations, or mission-delivery environments.
• Proven leadership in line management and organizational operations, including supervision of technical leaders, budgeting, recruitment, and performance management.
• Strong leadership, interpersonal, communication, and strategic vision abilities; track record in fast-paced R&D/production environments.
• Experience leading complex scientific/engineering organizations of significant scale (50+ staff).
• Ability to develop and execute strategic plans and manage large technical programs and budgets.
• Proven ability to build and sustain relationships with federal sponsors, program offices, and external stakeholders.
• Must be able to obtain/maintain DOE clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Electromagnetic Enrichment and Stable Isotope Science Division, providing effective line management for its capabilities.
• Provide strategic direction for science, isotope processing, and deployment-readiness activities.
• Oversee budgeting, staffing, recruitment, retention, performance management, and organizational effectiveness.
• Integrate division capabilities toward world-class isotope separation science and stable isotope production support.
• Develop and execute a strategic vision aligning with DOE isotope R&D and production needs.
• Transition concepts into scalable, operational isotope separation and processing capabilities.
• Champion R&D in isotope separation, plasma science, isotope chemistry, and related fields.
• Manage program interfaces with sponsoring organizations and external partners.
• Ensure projects meet sponsor commitments, safety, security, quality, and schedule requirements.
• Foster a culture of safety, compliance, and continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership

Program management

Budget planning

Staff development

Stakeholder management

Strategic planning

Communication

DOE clearance

Education

MS/PhD in technical field

Job description

Overview

The Isotope Science and Engineering Directorate (ISED) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) seeks applicants for the Division Director of the Electromagnetic Enrichment and Stable Isotope Science Division. This position reports to the ISED Associate Laboratory Director.

Requisition Id 17129

The Division Director will lead and manage the science, technology development, engineering, isotope processing, materials handling, dispensing, production-support, and deployment-readiness capabilities of the Electromagnetic Enrichment and Stable Isotope Science Division. The Director will be responsible for establishing and implementing strategies that advance current programmatic missions, strengthen future technical directions, and support the establishment and sustainment of a domestic stable isotope supply chain. The Electromagnetic Enrichment and Stable Isotope Science Division advances isotope separation science and technology and delivers stable isotope capabilities for medical, industrial, scientific, national security, and Department of Energy mission‑critical applications. The Division integrates plasma science and engineering, electromagnetic isotope separation, isotope chemistry and processing, stable isotope materials science, characterization, dispensing, configuration management, quality, and deployment‑focused R&D to support the production, processing, and delivery of high‑value stable isotope materials and related technologies. The Director will collaborate closely with ISED leadership, ORNL program managers, DOE sponsors, partners across ORNL and the national laboratory system, industry, universities, other federal agencies, and external stakeholders to establish and execute an integrated strategy for electromagnetic enrichment, plasma‑enabled isotope separation, stable isotope science, isotope processing, and stable isotope mission delivery.

Major Duties And Responsibilities

• Lead the Electromagnetic Enrichment and Stable Isotope Science Division, providing effective line management for its science, technology, engineering, operations, workforce, infrastructure, and mission‑delivery capabilities.
• Provide strategic direction for the Division’s science, technology development, isotope processing, materials handling, dispensing, production‑support, and deployment‑readiness activities.
• Execute line‑management responsibilities including supervision of section heads and division leadership, budget and business planning, salary planning, staff recruitment, staff development and retention, employee relations, performance management, and organizational effectiveness.
• Provide leadership that integrates and focuses Division capabilities toward world‑class isotope separation science, stable isotope production support, plasma science and engineering, electromagnetic isotope separation, isotope chemistry, isotope materials, and mission‑delivery goals aligned with ISED and Laboratory missions.
• Establish and execute a strategic vision that ensures the Division’s technical capabilities, workforce, facilities, infrastructure, and partnerships support current and future DOE isotope R&D and production needs.
• Lead the transition of scientific concepts and laboratory‑scale technologies into demonstrated, scalable, operationally reliable isotope‑separation, isotope‑processing, and stable isotope materials capabilities.
• Champion world‑class research and development in electromagnetic isotope separation, plasma science and engineering, isotope processing, stable isotope chemistry, low‑loss chemistry, materials characterization, materials dispensing, and high‑value isotope materials handling.
• Provide direct and/or supervised point‑of‑contact program management interface to sponsoring organizations.
• Collaborate with program managers, peer division directors, directorate leadership, and sponsor organizations to develop practical and achievable division work scope, integrated schedules, milestones, deliverables, and performance expectations that meet sponsor commitments.
• Ensure the Division executes projects and delivers outcomes consistent with sponsor commitments, technical requirements, quality expectations, budget, schedule, safety, security, and mission‑delivery needs.
• Ensure safe, secure, compliant, and effective mission execution in high‑hazard, high‑consequence, DOE mission‑essential, export‑controlled, and security‑sensitive mission areas.
• Ensure appropriate stewardship of operational, safety, security, quality, configuration‑management, conduct‑of‑operations, and work‑control requirements for Division activities, facilities, materials, equipment, and infrastructure.
• Develop and execute mission objectives by integrating capabilities across scientific research, engineering development, plasma processing, isotope chemistry, materials science, characterization, operations, quality, safety, security, project execution, and production‑support organizations.
• Build and sustain strong partnerships with DOE programme offices, other federal agencies, industry, universities, national laboratories, isotope user communities, and other stakeholders to advance Division and Laboratory mission objectives.
• Represent ORNL before advisory committees, sponsors, peer review bodies, isotope user communities, technical organisations, and other external stakeholders.
• Develop and implement performance measures to monitor Division performance, assess progress toward strategic and operational objectives, identify emerging issues, support continuous improvement, and initiate corrective actions when needed.
• Emphasise scientific productivity, technical excellence, isotope‑delivery performance, operational reliability, ethical behaviour, and the reputation of the Division, including staff engagement in professional organisations and national technical communities.
• Promote a culture of accountability, clarity, consistency, open communication, trust, respect, continuous improvement, humility, and service‑focused leadership.
• Foster a diverse and inclusive work environment where every employee feels safe, heard, respected, and appreciated and where employees can thrive and contribute to mission success.
• Serve as the Division work authority, striving to implement a workplace culture attentive to hazard identification and responsive in providing controls and processes to address those hazards.
• Promote a strong safety, security, quality, Safe Conduct of Research, conduct‑of‑operations, customer‑service, continuous‑improvement, and compliance culture appropriate for isotope separation, isotope processing, high‑value materials handling, and mission‑delivery activities.

Basic Qualifications

• MS degree in physics, chemistry, engineering, materials science, nuclear science, or a closely related technical field with at least 15 years of relevant experience in an R&D, engineering, isotope production, technology development, operations, or mission‑delivery environment. A PhD is strongly preferred.
• Candidates must have demonstrated leadership experience in line management and organisational operations, including supervision of technical leaders, workforce development, budget and business planning, staff recruitment and retention, employee relations, performance management, and effective collaboration across diverse staff, customer, sponsor, and executive stakeholder groups.
• Candidates must have strong leadership, interpersonal, communication, and business management skills, with a proven record of developing and executing a technical vision and strategy in a fast‑paced R&D, engineering, production‑support, operations, or mission‑delivery environment.
• Candidates must have demonstrated experience leading complex scientific, engineering, technology‑development, production‑support, or operational organisations of significant scale and complexity, including organisations of at least 50 staff.
• Candidates must have demonstrated ability to develop and execute strategic plans and manage substantial technical programmes, projects, facilities, infrastructure, or organisational budgets.
• Candidates must have a record of building and sustaining relationships with federal sponsors, programme offices, partner organisations, and external stakeholders.
• Candidates must demonstrate humility and service‑focused leadership that prioritises mission and team success.
• This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a DOE clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Preferred candidates will have experience with isotope enrichment technology, electromagnetic isotope separation, plasma processing, stable isotope production, isotope chemistry, low‑loss chemistry, materials processing, high‑value materials dispensing, characterisation, and distribution of high‑value isotope materials.
• Preferred candidates will have demonstrated success transitioning R&D concepts into prototype demonstrations, scalable technologies, operational capabilities, or production‑scale processes.
• Preferred candidates will have experience leading multidisciplinary organisations involving scientific research, engineering development, facility operations, isotope processing, production support, manufacturing, or mission‑delivery activities in organisations of at least 75 staff members.
• Experience managing DOE‑funded programmes or working with DOE programme offices, national security sponsors, isotope production sponsors, isotope user communities, or other federal sponsors is preferred.
• Experience developing and implementing automation, process controls, modelling and simulation, process and equipment configuration control, data acquisition, data management, and data‑driven process‑improvement capabilities is preferred.
• Experience leading operations in environments involving significant safety, security, quality assurance, conduct‑of‑operations, regulatory, export‑control, or high‑value‑materials requirements is preferred.
• Demonstrated success recruiting, mentoring, developing, and retaining outstanding scientific, engineering, technical, operations, and mission‑support staff is preferred.
• Experience leading work under a formal Quality Assurance Programme, such as NQA‑1, ISO 9001, AS9100, or similar, is preferred.
• Experience managing complex sponsor relationships, production‑support commitments, safety‑basis expectations, multidisciplinary technical teams, high‑consequence facilities, controlled research environments, and cost/schedule/scope commitments is preferred.

Special Requirements

• Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
• This role requires the ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q clearance and is designated as a Workplace Substance Abuse Program testing designated position. Workplace Substance Abuse Program positions require passing a pre‑placement drug test and participation in an ongoing random drug testing program.

About ORNL

As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national laboratory, ORNL has an impressive 80-year legacy of addressing the nation’s most pressing challenges. Our team is made up of over 7,000 dedicated and innovative individuals! Our goal is to create an environment where a variety of perspectives and backgrounds are valued, ensuring ORNL is known as a top choice for employment. These principles are essential for supporting our broader mission to drive scientific breakthroughs and translate them into solutions for energy, environmental, and security challenges facing the nation.

ORNL offers competitive pay and benefits programs to attract and retain individuals who demonstrate exceptional work behaviours. The laboratory provides a range of employee benefits, including medical and retirement plans and flexible work hours, to support the well‑being of you and your family. Employee amenities such as on‑site fitness, banking, and cafeteria facilities are also available for added convenience.

Other benefits include the following: Prescription Drug Plan, Dental Plan, Vision Plan, 401(k) Retirement Plan, Contributory Pension Plan, Life Insurance, Disability Benefits, Generous Vacation and Holidays, Parental Leave, Legal Insurance with Identity Theft Protection, Employee Assistance Plan, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, Wellness Programs, Educational Assistance, Relocation Assistance, and Employee Discounts.

Relocation: Moving can be overwhelming and expensive. UT-Battelle offers a generous relocation package to ease the transition process. Domestic and international relocation assistance is available for certain positions. If invited to interview, be sure to ask your Recruiter (Talent Acquisition Partner) for details.

This position will remain open for a minimum of 5 days after which it will close when a qualified candidate is identified and or hired.

ORNL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, are encouraged to apply. UT-Battelle is an E‑Verify employer.