Branch Chief
: Job Details :

Summary This position is located in the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR), Division of Reactor Oversight (DRO), Reactor Inspection Branch (IRIB). The supervisor is Philip McKenna. This position is Non Bargaining Unit. 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

• The public U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
• 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.
• Veterans
• Individuals with disabilities
• Military spouses
• Special authorities Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed above, but defined in the federal hiring regulations.
• Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista
• National Guard & reserves Current members, those who want to join or transitioning military members.
• Native Americans Native Americans or Alaskan Natives with a tribal affiliation.

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 As the Chief of the Reactor Inspection Branch, you will manage the NRC's oversight of commercial power reactors, including those under construction through inspection, policy development, coordination, implementation, assessment, and enhancement. This includes providing primary program management and supervision for the reactor oversight and construction reactor oversight processes (ROP) with an emphasis on improving the safety and risk focus of inspections and assessment activities.You will also oversee the development of inspection related program guidance for NRC inspections of commercial nuclear power facilities, including operating facilities and future advanced reactor oversight programs As a first-line supervisor, you will be responsible for implementing organizational change, supervising people, facilitating resolution of policy, technical, and administrative issues, and planning and executing activities within the Branch's scope of responsibilities. You will also be responsible for the administration of NRC human resources programs relative to employees under your supervision. You will assist the Division Director in the development and maintenance of operating plans, infrastructure documents, and policies.You will act as a change agent in the organization. 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. Ability to direct, lead, and manage a diverse technical staff in mission-critical programs with competing deadlines, conflicting resource demands, and changing environments. Describe specific training, education, and experience that demonstrates your ability to manage a diverse workforce; create and foster a positive team environment within and across Branches, Divisions, and Offices; implement changes in practices and policies; identify personnel needs; select, motivate, and develop personnel; apply equal employment opportunity (EEO) principles and practices; balance work among employees; establish standards and evaluate performance; ensure adequacy of internal controls; identify labor market conditions affecting availability of resources; recognize potential; and delegate authority. 2. Ability to communicate information, ideas, and advice in a clear, concise, and logical manner, both orally and in writing, with colleagues, subordinates, NRC management in headquarters or regions, ACRS, the Commission, members of the public, representatives of professional groups, other Federal or State agencies, and international regulatory counterparts.Ability to build and sustain coalitions across organizations.Describe specific experience, training, and accomplishments which demonstrate communication skills and your ability to: use formal and informal networks to build support for programs; lead complex and technical discussions and consolidate complex and diverse opinions into concise, balanced and well-founded recommendations; and communicate effectively in work relationships with subordinates, peers, management, government or industry officials, and/or international regulatory body counterparts to develop solutions to regulatory problems and issues. Describe the kinds of oral and written presentations you have made to represent agency positions to others and complex technical documents you have developed. Describe what editorial review of work prepared by technical staff you have conducted, if any. 3. Knowledge of the applicable NRC rules, regulations, policies, practices, and procedures for governing implementation of the reactor oversight process (ROP) and nuclear reactor systems regulatory reviews through familiarity with codes and standards, regulatory guides, and practices.Knowledge and ability to apply effective decision making using available information and risk insights. Describe specific experience, education, and training which demonstrate your knowledge of the applicable NRC rules, regulations, policies, practices, and procedures for governing implementation of the reactor oversight process (ROP), including regulatory guides, industry codes, and standards. Provide specific examples of how you have applied and interpreted rules, Executive Orders, regulatory guides, industry codes, standards and other criteria. 4. Demonstrated expert knowledge of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) reactor oversight process (ROP) including risk significance determination as applied to operating, construction, and decommissioning commercial nuclear reactor power plant inspections, operations, maintenance, engineering, and plant support areas of performance.Describe your experience with the NRC's ROP at commercial nuclear reactor facilities.Describe substantive experience in applying inspection knowledge (e.g, observe, identify issues, evaluate, and assess overall performance in) to operating, construction and decommissioning, commercial nuclear power plant performance assessments.Describe experience in applying the Significance Determination Process (SDP) and risk-informed decision making in power reactor oversight. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is defined as: experience that demonstrates expert knowledge of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's reactor oversight process (ROP) and associated inspection and other programs and regulations pertaining to the regulatory oversight of operating commercial nuclear power reactor facilities. 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. Education 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 are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of credibility of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency.If you have multiple degrees (e.g., BS, MS, PhD) please submit transcripts for each degree.Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: GG-0801 (General Engineering Series): 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) 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 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:

Professional registration or licensureCurrent 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 TestEvidence 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 coursesSuccessful 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 curriculumSuccessful 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.)

You must meet OPM's basic education and professional knowledge requirements that apply to Federal engineering and sciences positions for the grade levels to which you are applying. This knowledge is met by having a bachelor's or higher degree in a relevant professional engineering/science discipline from a school of engineering with at least one engineering curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) (or by documenting how you meet the minimum OPM qualification standards for the 800 Occupational Series. GG-1301, (General Physical Science Series): Basic requirements: A. Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics. OR B. Combination of education and experienceeducation equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Additional information The duty location of this position is Rockville, Maryland. 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. 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. 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 NOTE: Your complete application includes your resume, your responses to any vacancy questions, and if necessary, documents which prove your eligibility to apply. To ensure all of the essential information is in your resume, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS online Resume Builder. If you choose to use your own resume, please ensure it contains all of the required information and you organize it so we can associate the following information for each experience/position. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.
• Job title
• Name of employer
• Beginning and ending dates of employment (month/year) format
• Hours worked per week. We will assume full-time unless otherwise stated. We will prorate part-time employment in crediting experience.
• Detailed description of job duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable).
• Series and grade or equivalent (if a federal position).
If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying on the basis of education, please submit your transcript OR list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses along with the course credits in your resume. Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. We will not access web pages linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualifications. If 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 submitting your supplemental documents: 1.Use the USAJOBS feature to download documents from your USAJOBS portfolio; or 2.use the Upload feature to upload documents directly from your computer.The following types of documents can be uploaded:.gif, .jpeg, .png, .rtf, .pdf, and .doc; or 3. use the Fax feature to print the Fax Cover Sheet and fax it, along with your supplemental documents to 1-571-###-####. If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
• How to Apply We strongly encourage you to complete your USAJOBS profile before you submit your application for this position. Please read the entire announcement.Your application for this vacancy must be received online via the USAJOBS application system BEFORE 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to submit a complete online application, you will not be considered for this position. To ensure you are using the correct resume type when applying to our vacancies, please make sure that the resume you are using during the application process is listed with a format type of USAJOBS Resume and a source type of Built with USAJOBS Resume Builder. Verifying this information on your USAJOBS resume before applying will ensure the successful submission of your application to the NRC job vacancy. Paper applications will not be accepted unless hardship circumstances can be demonstrated. Requests for extensions WILL NOT be granted. If applying online poses a hardship for you, the Human Resources Specialist listed on the announcement will provide assistance to ensure that applications are submitted online by the closing date. Applicants must contact the Human Resources Specialist during business hours BEFORE the closing date of the announcement and speak to someone who can provide assistance for your online submission. You must answer any job specific vacancy questions. You will be rated based on your responses to any vacancy questions and especially the information provided in your resume. Breadth, recency, and length of experience in the field; training, awards, and commendations; past and current performance; and community or outside professional activities will be considered to determine your level of knowledge, skill or ability for this position. Abbreviated responses to the vacancy questions, such as significant experience or see resume do not provide enough information and should not be used. You will not be considered for this position if you leave any of the vacancy questions unanswered. To begin the application process, select the Apply On-line button to the right on this screen. Then follow the prompts to login/register, submit all required supplemental documents, and complete the application process. Agency contact information Dariele N. Taswell Phone 301-###-#### TDD 240-###-#### Fax 000-###-#### Email ...@nrc.gov Website Address NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of Human Resources Attn:Please Complete Washington, District of Columbia 20555 United States Next steps You may check the status of your application at any time after the announcement closes by logging onto USAJOBs and selecting Application Status.
• Fair and Transparent The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
  • Criminal history inquiries
  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Financial suitability
  • New employee probationary period
  • Privacy Act
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Selective Service
  • Signature and false statements
  • Social security number request

Required Documents 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 NOTE: Your complete application includes your resume, your responses to any vacancy questions, and if necessary, documents which prove your eligibility to apply. To ensure all of the essential information is in your resume, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS online Resume Builder. If you choose to use your own resume, please ensure it contains all of the required information and you organize it so we can associate the following information for each experience/position. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

Job title

Name of employer

Beginning and ending dates of employment (month/year) format

Hours worked per week. We will assume full-time unless otherwise stated. We will prorate part-time employment in crediting experience.

Detailed description of job duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable).

Series and grade or equivalent (if a federal position).

If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying on the basis of education, please submit your transcript OR list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses along with the course credits in your resume. Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. We will not access web pages linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualifications. If 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 submitting your supplemental documents: 1.Use the USAJOBS feature to download documents from your USAJOBS portfolio; or 2.use the Upload feature to upload documents directly from your computer.The following types of documents can be uploaded:.gif, .jpeg, .png, .rtf, .pdf, and .doc; or 3. use the Fax feature to print the Fax Cover Sheet and fax it, along with your supplemental documents to 1-571-###-####. If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating. How to Apply We strongly encourage you to complete your USAJOBS profile before you submit your application for this position. Please read the entire announcement.Your application for this vacancy must be received online via the USAJOBS application system BEFORE 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to submit a complete online application, you will not be considered for this position. To ensure you are using the correct resume type when applying to our vacancies, please make sure that the resume you are using during the application process is listed with a format type of USAJOBS Resume and a source type of Built with USAJOBS Resume Builder. Verifying this information on your USAJOBS resume before applying will ensure the successful submission of your application to the NRC job vacancy. Paper applications will not be accepted unless hardship circumstances can be demonstrated. Requests for extensions WILL NOT be granted. If applying online poses a hardship for you, the Human Resources Specialist listed on the announcement will provide assistance to ensure that applications are submitted online by the closing date. Applicants must contact the Human Resources Specialist during business hours BEFORE the closing date of the announcement and speak to someone who can provide assistance for your online submission. You must answer any job specific vacancy questions. You will be rated based on your responses to any vacancy questions and especially the information provided in your resume. Breadth, recency, and length of experience in the field; training, awards, and commendations; past and current performance; and community or outside professional activities will be considered to determine your level of knowledge, skill or ability for this position. Abbreviated responses to the vacancy questions, such as significant experience or see resume do not provide enough information and should not be used. You will not be considered for this position if you leave any of the vacancy questions unanswered. To begin the application process, select the Apply On-line button to the right on this screen. Then follow the prompts to login/register, submit all required supplemental documents, and complete the application process. Agency contact information Dariele N. Taswell Phone 301-###-#### TDD 240-###-#### Fax 000-###-#### Email ...@nrc.gov Website Address NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of Human Resources Attn:Please Complete Washington, District of Columbia 20555 United States Next steps You may check the status of your application at any time after the announcement closes by logging onto USAJOBs and selecting Application Status. Fair & Transparent The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

• Criminal history inquiries
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• Financial suitability
• New employee probationary period
• Privacy Act
• Reasonable accommodation policy
• Selective Service
• Signature and false statements
• Social security number request