Accelerator Operator

Brookhaven National Laboratory•Ridge, NY

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS-II) is a state-of-the-art, medium-energy (3-billion-electron-volt, or GeV) electron storage ring that produces x-rays up to 10,000 times brighter than the NSLS. Its mission is to provide extremely bright x-rays for basic and applied research across various scientific fields, including biology, medicine, materials, chemical sciences, geosciences, environmental sciences, and nanoscience. To support this, NSLS-II designs, fabricates, assembles, tests, installs, and operates unique research equipment for electron and X-ray beams, utilizing both custom-built and vendor-produced components developed by its scientific, engineering, and technical staff. The facility supports an international user community of over 2,200 researchers from 400 universities, operating in an environmentally responsible and safe manner under a rigorous conduct of operations approach. NSLS-II Beam Operations staff are shift workers, providing 24/7 support and are responsible for operating the facility with high reliability and adherence to all safety guidelines. The open position for an Operator requires shift work, with each shift lasting 12 hours plus a half-hour for turnover. Shifts are scheduled for 2 consecutive days (starting at 8 am and 8 pm) followed by 2 off days, and will include some weekends and holidays, primarily focusing on overnight shifts. Overnight shifts involve two operators, one designated as Lead, responsible for safe operation, and the other providing support and responding to issues outside the control room. Day shifts are assigned one Lead Operator. The hired Operator will use Control System Studio (CSS) to control and monitor machine operations, learn to use, edit, and design machine-control pages, and assist in updating controls pages for future CSS versions (Phoebus). The position includes shift differential pay.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline or closely related field of study
Minimum seven (7) years progressively responsible related work experience that demonstrates a sound knowledge of current principles and practices in a specialized field of engineering
Programming experience
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Demonstrated analytical skills
Demonstrated problem-solving skills
Hands-on troubleshooting skills
Ability to work well in a team environment

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in an engineering discipline or closely related field of study
Minimum of ten (10) years progressively responsible related work experience which demonstrates advanced capabilities and use of sophisticated engineering approaches
Previous work in an accelerator environment
Experience with controls systems; basic knowledge of EPICS and CSS
Programming experience (Python, HTML, etc.)
Troubleshooting experience
Use of basic tools
Experience with shift work

Responsibilities

Operating the NSLS-II with high reliability and within all safety guidelines provided in authorization basis documents
Providing support to NSLS-II 24/7 as a shift worker
Operating the NSLS-II facility 24/7 during periods of user beam and accelerator studies
Troubleshooting, recovery, starting-up & shutting-down the accelerator
Remaining on shift during extended shutdown periods (for a smaller staff of Operators)
Assuming responsibility for safe operation of the facility (Lead Operator on overnight shift)
Providing support to the Lead and responding to issues outside of the control room (other operator on overnight shift)
Taking the role as Lead (Operator on day shift)
Using Control System Studio (CSS) to control and monitor all aspects of machine operations
Learning how to use, edit, and design machine-control pages
Assisting in the process of updating controls pages for future versions of CSS (Phoebus)
Reliable attendance
Using basic computer skills, including Microsoft Office products
Demonstrating good communication skills