Senior Technical Advisor for Risk Assessment and Analysis

Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Rockville (MD); Remote; USD 152,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission seeks a Senior Technical Advisor for Risk Assessment and Analysis in Rockville, MD. You will advise on broad regulatory and safety matters, leading expert evaluations of reliability and risk in nuclear facility design and operation.

You will coordinate with internal teams and external entities, defend NRC positions, and represent the office at conferences. A strong engineering background and licensure are required, with civil / regulatory experience preferred.

Qualifications

• Basic requirements include a degree in engineering or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Professional registration such as EI, EIT, or PE by a U.S. authority qualifies.
• Knowledge of engineering sciences and their application to reactor design and safety.

Responsibilities

• Provide authoritative technical advice to the Director, DRSS, on risk assessment and safety matters.
• Serve as NRC's senior technical expert for risk assessment and analysis across design and operation of nuclear facilities.
• Develop guidance and independently evaluate NRC and industry risk assessment practices in regulatory matters.
• Lead or direct teams in significant technical issue resolution related to risk assessment.
• Coordinate with internal and external entities and represent the office at conferences and meetings.
• Review regulations and documents and provide comments to improve safety focus.

Job description

Senior Technical Advisor for Risk Assessment and Analysis

• Hiring Agency: Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• Department: Other Agencies and Independent Organizations
• Location: Rockville, Maryland
• Hiring Path: Fed Competitive
• Number of Openings: 1
• Security Clearance: L Access Authorization

This position is located in Division of Risk Assessment and Safety Systems, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. The supervisor is Jennifer Whitman. This position is subject to Confidential Financial Disclosure reporting requirements. This position is subject to security ownership restriction reporting requirements.

Key Responsibilities

The successful candidate will provide authoritative technical advice and assistance to the Director, Division of Risk Assessment and Safety Systems (DRSS), Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR), as a Senior Level Advisor on a broad variety of technical, regulatory and safety matters.

Serves as the agency's authority in performing and coordinating the evaluations and resolution of technical and regulatory issues related to reliability and risk assessment of the design and operation of nuclear facilities. Such duties include but are not limited to: Serves as NRR's senior technical expert for risk assessment and analysis. Advises senior management on highly complex safety issues associated with all aspects of the design and operation of nuclear facilities.

Develops guidance on and provides independent and expert evaluation of the NRC and industry's utility of risk assessment in regulatory matters. Performs independent risk assessment studies of, or leads and directs teams charged with resolving, significant and complex technical issues associated with the design and operation of nuclear facilities.

Independently pursues resolution of highly complex issues of safety significance which involve coordination and communication within many parts of the agency. Coordinates crucial agency interactions with external entities, both government and industry, relating to risk assessment, and presents and defends NRC technical positions, concerns, objectives, and requirements. Represents the office at government, academic, and industry conferences, seminars, and meetings.

Reviews proposed regulations, policies, reports, memoranda, and other agency documentation relating to or potentially impacting activities in the area of risk assessment, and provides comments, analysis, or suggestions as appropriate that will improve the agency's safety focus. Counsels office and agency management regarding the likely effect of regulatory or policy actions in or related to risk assessment.

Reviews NRC regulations, information notices, research studies, etc, and identifies those with potential for significant impact on the organization's use and application of risk assessments, based broad knowledge and in-depth understanding of reactor safety and the office's mission, functions, technical resources, and capabilities.

Independently consults with senior engineering management and staff in both assigned and originating organizations regarding issues identified, develops authoritative analyses and recommendations, and counsels senior management regarding needed changes in office level technical activities, priorities, or resource allocations to ensure the office maintains proper focus on the most safety significant issues.

Requirements & Education

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) electric 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.) Note: An applicant who meets the basic requirements as specified in A or B above, except as noted under B.1., may qualify for positions in any branch of engineering unless selective factors indicate otherwise. You must include an unofficial or official copy of your college and/or university transcripts with your application.

Transcript must include the School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded (if applicable). Education must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If you have multiple degrees (e.g., BS, MS, PhD) please submit transcripts for each degree. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements.

You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.

If you are qualifying on foreign education, you MUST submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Transcripts must be uploaded with your application to verify education. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

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.

The benefits link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal employees.

Which agency is hiring for this position?

This position is with Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Other Agencies and Independent Organizations.

What is the salary for this position?

The posted pay range is $151661 – $209600/yr.

Is this position remote or telework eligible?

This position is eligible for telework.

What security clearance is required?

This position requires a L Access Authorization security clearance.

What is the application deadline?

Applications close on 2026-11-06.

Who is eligible to apply?

This position is open under the 'Fed Competitive' hiring path.