Senior Core Design Engineer

Responsibilities to include

• You would be involved in developing nuclear fuel and core designs, performing oversight of vendor fuel design safety limits to support the fuel reload analyses and plant operations. The specific technical responsibilities relate to tritium production in WBN Unit 1 and Unit 2 plants and are as follows:
• Core design development.
• Long term planning and budget evaluations for core designs.
• Evaluating program goals and changes such as loading changes and increasing tritium production.
• Target design inputs confirmation.
• Lead Use Assemblies evaluation including 50.59 and any technical reviews.
• Design initialization meeting support.
• Nuclear operations data review for long term TPBAR decay.
• TracWorks updates for tritium consolidation campaigns.
• Fuel Assembly Transfer Form development for tritium consolidation campaigns.
• Tritium consolidation campaign oversight (onsite, refuel floor).
• Development of corrective action plans.
• Overseeing/benchmarking code predictive capabilities.
• Reviewing and evaluating revised TPBAR cross sections and performing calculations to demonstrate that decay heat for tritium cores is bounded.
• Additionally, you will be expected to serve as a leader for the team with the following responsibilities:
• Responsible for contributing to projects and building a professional reputation for technical expertise, while completing recurring assignments and exercising limited judgement on work details.
• Required to lead specific tasks of the project to meet scope, schedule, and budget and coordinate closely with Project Managers.
• Required to build a network within the Technical Team and Group, begin extending this network into the National Security Directorate.
• Expected to provide strong technical judgement by providing solutions to an assortment of problems using conventional methods where causal relationships are progressively difficult to establish.
• Contribute to the development of new capabilities and proposals within the Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Technologies Division.
• Expected to work with non-sensitive, sensitive, and classified information as appropriate for individual projects and should demonstrate an ability to manage sensitive business situations and influence positive outcomes. The person in this position must recognize and accept that they will be working in technical areas associated with the National Security of the United States.
• Serve as a technical mentor to junior staff.
• Minimum Qualifications:
• BS/BA and 7+ years of relevant experience -OR-
• MS/MA and 5+ years of relevant experience -OR-
• PhD with 3+ years of relevant experience
• Preferred Qualifications:
• PhD degree plus 5 years of related work or educational experience.
• Master’s degree plus 7 years of related work or educational experience.
• Bachelor’s degree plus 10 years of related work or educational experience.
• Experience in a field directly relevant to PWR core design. Other experience in nuclear analysis is highly desirable.
• Ability to work with limited information to draw technically defensible conclusions that would support objectives of individual projects.
• Professional experience or knowledge of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or National Nuclear Security Administration practices and operations.
• Professional and educational experience applying qualitative and quantitative analytic techniques to nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear operation problems.
• Not Applicable.
• This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance.
• A security clearance background investigation includes review of your employment, education, financial, and criminal history, as well as interviews with you and your personal references, neighbors, and co-workers to determine trustworthiness, reliability, and loyalty to the United States. The investigation also examines your foreign connections, drug and alcohol use, foreign influence, and overall conduct.
• Requirements:
• U.S. Citizenship
• Background Investigation: Applicants selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified matter in accordance with 10 CFR 710, Appendix B.
• Drug Testing: All Security Clearance positions are Testing Designated Positions, which means that the applicant selected for hire is subject to pre-employment drug testing, and post-employment random drug testing. In addition, applicants must be able to demonstrate non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for the 12 consecutive months preceding completion of the requisite Questionnaire for National Security Positions (QNSP).
• Note: Applicants will be considered ineligible for security clearance processing by the U.S. Department of Energy if non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for 12 months cannot be demonstrated. eferral Eligible”
• This position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP). The candidate selected for this position will be subject to pre-employment and random drug testing for illegal drugs, including marijuana, consistent with the Controlled Substances Act and the PNNL Workplace Substance Abuse Program.
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a world-class research institution powered by a highly educated, diverse workforce committed to the values of Integrity, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Courage. Every year, scores of dynamic, driven people come to PNNL to work with renowned researchers on meaningful science, innovations and outcomes for the U.S. Department of Energy and other sponsors; here is your chance to be one of them!
• At PNNL, you will find an exciting research environment and excellent benefits including health insurance, and flexible work schedules. PNNL is located in eastern Washington State—the dry side of Washington known for its stellar outdoor recreation and affordable cost of living. The Lab’s campus is only a 45-minute flight (or ~3 hour drive) from Seattle or Portland, and is serviced by the convenient PSC airport, connected to 8 major hubs.
• Our laboratory is committed to fostering a work environment where all individuals are treated with fairness and respect while solving critical challenges in fundamental sciences, national security, and energy resiliency. We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. PNNL considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), protected veteran status, and any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local laws.
• We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures and in employment. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, contact us at careers@pnnl.gov .
• PNNL is committed to a drug-free workplace supported by Workplace Substance Abuse Program (WSAP) and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs.
• If you are offered employment at PNNL, you must pass a drug test prior to commencing employment. PNNL complies with federal law regarding illegal drug use. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug. If you test positive for any illegal controlled substance, including marijuana, your offer of employment will be withdrawn.
• As a national laboratory, PNNL is responsible for adhering to the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and Department of Energy (DOE) Order 473.1A, which require new employees to obtain and maintain a HSPD-12 Personal Identify Verification (PIV) Credential. To obtain this credential, new employees must successfully complete the applicable tier of federal background investigation post hire and receive a favorable federal adjudication. The tier of federal background investigation will be determined by job duties and national security or public trust responsibilities associated with the job. All tiers of investigation include a declaration of illegal drug activities, including use, supply, possession, or manufacture within the last 1 to 7 years (depending on the applicable tier of investigation). Illegal drug activities include marijuana and cannabis derivatives, which are still considered illegal under federal law, regardless of state laws.
• For foreign national candidates:
• If you have not resided in the U.S. for three consecutive years, you are not eligible for the PIV credential and instead will need to obtain a favorable Local Site Specific Only (LSSO) Federal risk determination to maintain employment. Once you meet the three-year residency requirement thereafter, you will be required to obtain a PIV credential to maintain employment. The tier of federal background investigation required to obtain the PIV credential will be determined by job duties at the time you become eligible for the PIV credential.
• Please be aware that the Department of Energy (DOE) prohibits DOE employees and contractors from having any affiliation with the foreign government of a country DOE has identified as a “country of risk” without explicit approval by DOE and Battelle. If you are offered a position at PNNL and currently have any affiliation with the government of one of these countries, you will be required to disclose this information and recuse yourself of that affiliation or receive approval from DOE and Battelle prior to your first day of employment.
• Employees and their families are offered medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, robust telehealth care options, several mental health benefits, free wellness coaching, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, basic life insurance, disability insurance*, employee assistance program, business travel insurance, tuition assistance, relocation, backup childcare, legal benefits, supplemental parental bonding leave, surrogacy and adoption assistance, and fertility support. Employees are automatically enrolled in our company-funded pension plan* and may enroll in our 401 (k) savings plan with company match*. Employees may accrue up to 120 vacation hours per year and may receive ten paid holidays per year. * Research Associates excluded. **All benefits are dependent upon eligibility.
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• PNNL lists the full pay range for the position in the job posting. Starting pay is calculated from the minimum of the pay range and actual placement in the range is determined based on an individual’s relevant job-related skills, qualifications, and experience. This approach is applicable to all positions, with the exception of positions governed by collective bargaining agreements and certain limited-term positions which have specific pay rules.
• As part of our commitment to fair compensation practices, we do not ask for or consider current or past salaries in making compensation offers at hire. Instead, our compensation offers are determined by the specific requirements of the position, prevailing market trends, applicable collective bargaining agreements, pay equity for the position type, and individual qualifications and skills relevant to the performance of the position.