Radioisotope Program Shipment Coordinator

Oak Ridge National Laboratory•Oak Ridge, TN

31d•Onsite

About The Position

The Isotope Science and Engineering Directorate (ISED) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) seeks applications for a Radioisotope Program Shipment Coordinator. ORNL is the largest US Department of Energy science and energy laboratory, conducting basic and applied research to deliver transformative solutions to compelling problems in energy and security. ORNL has an extraordinary 80-year history of solving the nation's biggest problems. Our team is made up of over 7,000 dedicated and innovative individuals! Our goal is to create an environment where a variety of perspectives and backgrounds are valued, ensuring ORNL is known as a top choice for employment. These principles are essential for supporting our broader mission to drive scientific breakthroughs and translate them into solutions for energy, environmental, and security challenges facing the nation. ISED supports the largest radioisotope production and research portfolio within the Department of Energy Isotope Program, together with a growing stable isotope enrichment mission. ISED produces and ships isotopes such as Cf-252, Ac-225, Ir-192, Th-228, Pm-147 and Se-75 for medicine, science, national security, and industry, using unique ORNL facilities that include the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), the Radiochemical Engineering Development Center (REDC), Bethel Valley hot cells, and associated waste handling facilities. Every product that leaves an ISED facility, and many intermediate materials that move between ORNL facilities, depends on safe, compliant, and on-time radioactive material transportation. The Radioisotope Program Shipment Coordinator serves as the single ISED point of coordination for its directorate DOE-IRP sponsored radioactive material shipments, including on-site transfers and off-site shipments. Reporting to the Isotope Program Integration Manager, you will work on site with the ORNL Transportation team, Transport Activity Owners (TAOs), Transportation Safety Compliance, and ISED divisions to ensure that each movement is requested early, prepared in accordance with Standards-Based Management System (SBMS) procedures, and executed on schedule. You will maintain the integrated ISED shipment schedule, coordinate between radioisotope product leads, NIDC, RRD and facilities to ensure reliable and efficient radioisotope shipments. You will track key performance indicators (KPIs), and escalate shipments that are at risk so that sponsor commitments and short-half-life product deliveries are protected. This role does not replace the regulatory authority of Transportation Safety Compliance or the packaging and shipping expertise of the Transportation team. It connects ISED production planning to those organizations so that they receive earlier, more complete, and more consistent information about upcoming demand.

Requirements

BS degree in a technical, engineering, science, logistics, or supply chain field with at least 5 years of relevant experience, or an MS degree with at least 4 years of relevant experience.
Demonstrated experience building and maintaining schedules and developing, tracking, and reporting performance metrics.
Ability to apply formal procedures consistently and to work within the authority of regulatory and safety organizations.
Demonstrated ability to coordinate multiple organizations, influence without direct authority, and escalate issues clearly and early.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite software.
Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage competing priorities.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a DOE national laboratory, nuclear facility, or radiological production environment.
Experience coordinating hazardous material or radioactive material shipments, logistics, or transportation scheduling in a regulated environment.
Working knowledge of US Department of Transportation hazardous materials regulations (49 CFR Parts 171 through 180) and radioactive material transportation concepts, such as Type A and Type B packaging and excepted packages.
Current DOT hazardous materials employee training (49 CFR 172, Subpart H), or the ability to complete ORNL DOT Advanced Hazardous/Radioactive Materials training.
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.
Experience with Primavera P6 or another enterprise scheduling tool.
Experience with data visualization or dashboard tools, such as Power BI.
Lean Six Sigma or other formal process improvement experience.
Experience supporting multiple sponsors or customers with competing delivery commitments.

Responsibilities

Serve as the ISED single point of coordination for all radioisotope program (DOE-IRP) sponsored material shipments, both on-site transfers and off-site shipments, working with the ORNL Transportation team, Transport Activity Owners (TAOs), Radioisotope Product Leads, Transportation Safety Compliance (TSC), and ISED divisions and facilities, including HFIR, REDC, Bethel Valley hot cells, and waste handling.
Coordinate shipment requests and preparation in accordance with SBMS procedures, including the On-Site Transportation of Hazardous Material subject area and the ORNL On-Site Transportation Safety Document. Ensure timely and complete submittal of required documentation, such as ORNL-530, Request for Approval for On-Site Shipment; ORNL-531, On-Site Hazardous/Radioactive Materials Shipping Paper; Radioactive Material Transfer Data Sheets; off-site shipment requests; and transportation plans when required by TSC.
Establish and maintain the integrated ISED radioisotope program shipment schedule. Link shipment demand to ISED production schedules, and the ISED integrated master schedule in Primavera P6, and maintain a rolling look-ahead of at least 30 days.
Provide early notification of forecast shipments so that Transportation can reserve personnel, vehicles, packaging, and trained drivers. Ensure requests meet required lead times, including the 14-day advance notice requested for shipments that require TSC approval and standard lead times for routine movements.
Protect recurring shipping windows for short-half-life and time-critical products (for example, Ac-225 and Ir-192) and coordinate production release, quality assurance release, packaging, and carrier cutoff times to reduce late-day compression and after-hours movements.
Track the readiness of each shipment against required prerequisites, including material characterization, packaging selection, quality assurance release and certificates, receiving-site acceptance and license verification, customer documentation, and carrier arrangements.
Establish, track, and report shipment KPIs, such as on-time shipment performance, request lead-time compliance, number of shipments at risk, documentation completeness at first submittal, short-notice requests, after-hours or overtime movements, and cycle time from product release to shipment. Publish a weekly shipment status summary and a monthly KPI report.
Identify shipments that are at risk of missing a committed date and escalate them in accordance with defined thresholds to the Isotope Program Integration Manager, Transportation management, ISED division management, and the appropriate program integrator. Drive recovery actions to closure and document causes and lessons learned.
Lead a recurring weekly shipment coordination meeting with Transportation, TAOs, and ISED divisions to review the look-ahead schedule, resolve conflicts, and confirm readiness.
Coordinate with program integrators and the National Isotope Development Center (NIDC) on customer orders and delivery commitments, and confirm that orders are transmitted with sufficient lead time for packaging and documentation preparation.
Develop and maintain guidance for ISED staff who ship infrequently, including a clear description of the shipment request process, required forms, and lead times, and serve as the first point of contact for their shipment questions.
Identify and implement process improvements in partnership with Transportation and TSC, such as reducing duplicate data entry, automated schedule-to-Transportation notifications, and electronic document routing where permitted, without bypassing any regulatory or procedural control.
Support forward capacity planning for transportation resources, including people, trained drivers, vehicles, packaging, and staging space, as ISED isotope production and facilities grow.
Maintain shipment coordination records and support internal and external assessments, audits, and program reviews.
Deliver ORNL’s mission by aligning behaviors, priorities, and interactions with our core values of Impact, Integrity, Teamwork, Safety, and Service. Promote equal opportunity by fostering a respectful workplace – in how we treat one another, work together, and measure success.