Radiological Assistance Program Nuclear Scientist/Engineer

LLNL•Livermore, CA

1d•$146,340 - $222,564•Hybrid

About The Position

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is hiring a Nuclear Scientist/Engineer to serve as a point of contact for the Region 7 Radiological Assistance Program (RAP), coordinating the region’s technical and scientific interests as part of LLNL’s nuclear emergency preparedness and response activities within the Strategic Threat Analysis and Response Principal Directorate. RAP provides an agile, scalable, rapidly deployable federal first-response capability for radiological and nuclear crisis operations and consequence-management events. The position is considered a Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST) First Responder. The successful candidate must maintain required training, qualifications, and readiness for deployment. The role requires domestic and international travel, potentially frequent travel to austere environments, and may include participation in a 24-hour/7-day watch-bill rotation. The position may be filled at either the SES.2 or SES.3 level, based on knowledge and related experience; additional responsibilities apply at SES.3. The role supports RAP technical expertise, responder training and readiness, equipment and operational procedures, partner-agency outreach, drills and exercises, regional planning, and integration of new equipment. At SES.3, the position independently leads projects to resolve complex and ambiguous technical issues and identifies capability gaps and recommendations to strengthen RAP mission effectiveness and emergency-response readiness.

Requirements

Active Department of Energy Q-level clearance or active Top Secret clearance issued by another U.S. government agency at the time of hire.
Bachelor’s degree in physics, nuclear engineering, chemistry, health physics, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and related experience.
Comprehensive knowledge of radiation detection principles, including equipment capabilities, detection limits, and deployment considerations.
Broad experience operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting radiation detection equipment.
Broad experience developing and delivering training to various audiences.
Comprehensive knowledge of the current RAP program, personnel, partners, and customers.
Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with team members, partner agencies, and members of the public.
Proficient verbal and written communication skills to present and explain technical or operational information.
Ability to obtain and maintain RAP responder qualification in accordance with applicable Personnel Qualifications Standards.
At SES.3, advanced experience operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting radiation detection equipment.
At SES.3, direct experience with NNSA nuclear emergency preparedness and response capabilities.
At SES.3, relevant technical experience supporting nuclear emergency preparedness and response.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in health physics, nuclear engineering, nuclear science, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and related experience.
Experience in operational health physics or radiological control.
Knowledge of gamma spectroscopy methods and nuclear measurement methods.

Responsibilities

May serve as a RAP Program technical expert in equipment, training, outreach, and operational readiness.
Contribute to developing training for new and experienced RAP team members on equipment, software, and operational procedures.
Monitor team training readiness and prepare periodic status reports and recommendations for management.
Coordinate with other RAP regions to determine training priorities and objectives and serve as the program’s primary technical contact.
Participate in the planning, coordination, execution, and evaluation of drills and exercises.
Maintain comprehensive knowledge of RAP specialized detection equipment and procedures.
Provide input for moderately critical regional plans, budget estimates, organizational objectives, and programmatic schedules.
Contribute to presentations, demonstrations, and hands-on training for federal, state, and local partner agencies.
Represent the RAP region in regular conference calls, group meetings, and working groups as needed.
Provide solutions to technical and moderately complex to complex issues in preventative radiological and nuclear detection.
Participate in evaluating and integrating new equipment to enhance and streamline RAP operations.
Maintain qualifications and readiness requirements to serve as a RAP responder.
Perform other duties as assigned.
At SES.3, independently analyze and resolve highly technical, complex, and often ambiguous problems, leading projects from planning through successful completion.
At SES.3, identify critical gaps in RAP capabilities and develop innovative applications, methods, and technical recommendations to strengthen mission effectiveness, responder readiness, and emergency-response capabilities.