Nuclear Engineer

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Salary: GS-11 $83,265 (Step 01) to $108,251 (Step 10); GS-12 99,800 (Step 01) to $129,742 (Step 10) NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.

Open to current or former Federal employees: USGS-DEN-26-12889241-ST-DAH Definitions: EXPERIENCE: One year of work experience is twelve months working full-time (at least 35-40 hours per week).

Part-time experience can be pro-rated (i.e., a year at 20 hours per week is credited as 6 months of experience).

If your position consisted of mixed duties, experience credit is given for the percentage of time that you spent on qualifying duties (i.e., if you held a position for 2 years, full-time, consisting of 25% personnel work and 75% budget work, and then applied for a budget position you could calculate your experience as follows: 2 yrs = 24 months.

24 months x 75% [percentage of time spent on budget duties] = 18 months of qualifying experience.) UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: A year of undergraduate education is 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours or the equivalent of college study.

This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent was a prerequisite.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: In the absence of specific graduate program information, a year of graduate education is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours of graduate level college course work, or the number of credit hours the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full time study.

This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: A. Degree in 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: 1.

Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), 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) 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.) For GS-11: In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must meet A., B., or C., below to qualify for the GS-11 level: A.

At least 1-year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level as described in the qualifications section of the vacancy announcement.

Examples of experience may include supervising or direct operation and/or maintenance of research, commercial, or military nuclear reactors plants; assisting in the development of criticality safety technical reviews; assisting in technical oversight for engineering activities associated with TRIGA reactor nuclear systems/facilities; or identifying, planning, and coordinating efforts to ensure effective criticality safety is achieved and maintained.

**OR B. 3 years of progressively higher-level directly related graduate education leading to a Ph.D. **OR C.

A combination of graduate level education as described in above, beyond the first two years of progressive graduate study, and appropriate professional experience that together meet the qualification requirements for this position.

For GS-12: In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must have one year of appropriate professional experience that is equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service.

Examples of experience may include licensure as a Senior Reactor Operator at a similar reactor facility; qualification at a military reactor as Senior-in-Rate or higher, Nuclear Power Training Unit or Nuclear Power School Instructor; performance at a military reactor as Leading Petty Officer or higher; or evaluating engineering instructions to resolve deficiencies and increase efficiencies for the overhaul and repair of nuclear reactor plant systems and components; performing independent evaluation and analyses on contractor or licensee safety reports.

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement. Major Duties:

As a Nuclear Engineer within the TRIGA Reactor Office, some of your specific duties will include: Operate a TRIGA reactor utilizing knowledge of instrumentation/controls/mechanical maintenance.

Apply theory, new applications, or developments to plan and perform reactor experiments, maintenance, and repairs as required.

Prepare and process samples for a TRIGA reactor and troubleshoot when an issue occurs. Ship hazardous radioactive materials including procurement, transportation properly and safely.

Communicate the TRIGA reactor functions through providing tours of the facility and representing the USGS at interagency, national, and international meetings.

Operates a government owned/leased vehicle as an incidental driver.

Physical Demands: Occasional strenuous physical exertion such as climbing tall ladders and carrying lead shielding weighing up to150 pounds may be required.

Movement of shields up to 500 pounds with the use of appropriate mechanical handling equipment may also be required.

Work Environment: The work is performed in the nuclear reactor facility on the Denver Federal Center, primarily around the reactor and in adjoining control, office, and storage rooms.

The incumbent is exposed to potentially hazardous radiation that requires rigorous precautions including the use specialized safety and control equipment.

The employee is also exposed to potentially hazardous chemicals that require the use of additional precautions and equipment that monitors radiation exposure.

Conditions of Employment for this Position: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1- year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.

This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service.

In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: - your performance and conduct; - the needs and interests of the agency; - whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and - whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized.

In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.