Nuclear Material Control & Accountability (MC&A) Specialist

Search Jobs - INL Professional Careers; Idaho Falls (ID); On-site; USD 67,000 - 163,000; Full time

Job summary

Idaho National Laboratory seeks a Nuclear Material Control and Accountability Specialist to sustain leadership in nuclear material control and accountability, aligning with DOE directives and safeguarding procedures. The role covers shipments, receipts, inventories, and oversight across MBAs, with emphasis on data integrity and procedural compliance.

You will collaborate with Safeguards and operations management, perform complex analyses, and support the national NMMSS system while driving

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a scientific field or accounting; advanced degree acceptable.
• 5–11 years of relevant experience in lieu of a degree possible for Level 3.
• Experience in Nuc Ops, Accounting, RadCon, or as an MBA Custodian.

Responsibilities

• Implement DOE orders and directives for NMC&A within Safeguards.
• Coordinate and direct physical inventories of nuclear material.
• Analyze inventory accuracy in NMMSS and report to national databases.
• Provide oversight of MBA Custodians and access controls.
• Develop corrective actions and lessons learned to improve performance.

Skills

DOE security clearance

RadWorker II

Respirator qualifications

Nuclear materials experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in a scientific field or accounting

Advanced degree in scientific field or accounting

8–11 years directly relevant experience in lieu of degree

Job description

Idaho National Laboratory needs Nuclear Material Control and Accountability Specialists to sustain leadership in nuclear energy by ensuring precision and integrity of nuclear material control and accountability, with work directly supporting DOE directives while enhancing security and efficiency of operations. You'll represent the Safeguards department in implementing DOE Orders and directives related to nuclear material control and accountability, interpret and apply program requirements, manage execution of safeguards requirements for shipments and receipts of nuclear material, and coordinate, schedule, and direct nuclear material physical inventories.

Your responsibilities include observing nuclear material transfers within Material Balance Areas, reconciling and reporting accounting activities to the national accounting database, providing oversight for shipments and receipts, analyzing and assessing accuracy of laboratory nuclear material inventory with the National Nuclear Material Management and Safeguards System, contributing to department documentation including procedure reviews, providing oversight to MBA Custodians on proper access controls, and material surveillance requirements.

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities:

• Represent the Safeguards department in implementing DOE Orders and directives related to Nuclear Material Control and Accountability (NMC&A).
• Interpret and apply program requirements. Manage the execution of Safeguards requirements applicable to the shipments and receipts of nuclear material at INL facilities.
• Coordinate, schedule, and direct nuclear material physical inventories. Observe nuclear material transfers and associated activities within Material Balance Areas (MBAs). Reconcile and report accounting activities to the national accounting database.
• Analyze and assess the accuracy of the INL nuclear material inventory with the National Nuclear Material Management and Safeguards System (NMMSS), a national inventory of nuclear materials.
• Contribute to the department documentation program, including procedure reviews and updates.
• Provide Facility Operations management with an annual assessment of the performance of their MBA Custodians.
• Provide oversight and complex solutions for unique problems within MBAs in areas such as waste determinations, shipments, receipts, material adjustments, and reconciliations of nuclear material inventories. Provide recommendations to and advise Operations management and Safeguards management on issues that may affect nuclear materials receipts or shipments. Facilitate the preparation and execution of shipper/receiver agreements at the site.
• Evaluate and authorize the shipments and receipts of nuclear materials in LANMAS and through collaborations with other DOE sites, universities, or other countries. Provide oversight and approval of all Internal Nuclear Material Transfers at INL. Verify that material will not exceed MBA values.
• Provide oversight to each MBA Custodian on the proper access controls and material surveillance requirements for each MBA based on Safeguards category level. Investigate discrepancies in MBAs.
• Determine and pursue required actions, write reports, create corrective actions (CAs), and provide lessons learned to ensure performance is increased.
• Assess the accuracy and methodology of requests for nuclear material adjustments of special nuclear material items and evaluate those requests against DOE requirements for nuclear material control and accountability processes. Review, approve, and implement facility documents associated with MC&A.
• Provide oversight of MBAs, including training all MBA Custodians (in all INL organizations) and guiding the establishment of MBAs and appointing/releasing all MBACs. Define the criteria used to assess pass/fail criteria for the MBACs across INL. Assess the implementation of corrective actions related to previous opportunities for improvement or discrepancies discovered over the previous year. Complete Basic Instructor Training (BIT) and train other Safeguards and INL Nuclear Operations personnel.
• Manage the Tamper Indicating Device (TID) program, including acquisition and disposition, as well as providing training to all individuals who act as witnesses for application and removal. This includes managing the purchasing and budgeting of TIDs to ensure the specifications required by DOE are met and implemented.

Required:

• Level 2: Bachelor's degree in a scientific field or accounting degree and 2 years of relevant working experience, an advanced degree in the same fields, or 8 years of directly relevant working experience may be accepted in lieu of a degree.
• Level 3: Bachelor's degree in a scientific field or accounting degree and 5 years of relevant working experience, an advanced degree in the same fields and 2 years of relevant working experience, or 11 years of directly relevant working experience may be accepted in lieu of a degree.
• Relevant experience to include work in Nuc Ops, Accounting, RadCon, or as an MBA Custodian,.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q security clearance which requires US citizenship.
• Must be able to maintain Rad Worker II, and Respirator qualifications.

Preferred Requirements:

• Nuclear Material Operations experience.
• Material Balance Area Custodian experience.

Physical Requirements:

While performing the duties of this classification, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, stoop, kneel, bend, use hands to handle materials, manipulate tools, keyboard and type, reach with hands and arms, and operate job-related equipment including motor vehicles. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Sufficient visual acuity and hearing capacity to perform the essential functions and interact with people is required.

Job Information:

• Our team works a 4x10 schedule located out of our Materials and Fuels Complex with every Friday off.
• The pay range for this position is: Level 2 ($66,504 - $136,356) / Level 3 ($79,344 - $162,732). At Idaho National Laboratory compensation decisions are determined using factors such as education, relevant experience, and other credentials.
• Multi-Level: This is a multi-level posting and you will be placed at the appropriate level dependent on depth and breadth of proven experience and skills.
• TDP: This is a testing designated position; you will be required to submit to a pre-employment drug screen and periodic drug testing throughout the term of your employment.