Senior Radiation Protection Specialist

VNS Federal Services•,

About The Position

The Senior Radiation Protection Specialist provides experienced radiation protection support, technical leadership, and field oversight for VNSFS projects in the commercial nuclear power industry. The role supports outage, maintenance, construction, and specialty service activities, ensuring work is planned and performed in accordance with radiation protection requirements, ALARA principles, customer procedures, and regulatory standards. The specialist serves as a technical resource to field personnel, project leadership, and customers, while providing hands-on support in radiological work environments. The role promotes nuclear safety, quality, accountability, and procedural compliance; helps plan and execute complex nuclear work; mentors less-experienced personnel; and strengthens VNSFS’s Radiation Protection capability. This is a field-focused position supporting customers throughout the United States. It may involve significant travel, extended assignments at customer facilities, work in radiologically controlled and industrial environments, and outage schedules that include extended shifts and work weeks, nights, weekends, and holidays, subject to applicable fatigue-management requirements.

Requirements

Minimum of 5 years of Radiation Protection experience in commercial nuclear power, or an equivalent combination of relevant education, training, and experience.
Previous experience supporting commercial nuclear outages and maintenance activities.
Demonstrated knowledge of radiation protection fundamentals, contamination control, radiological surveys, dosimetry, ALARA, and radiological work controls.
Working knowledge of applicable NRC requirements, including 10 CFR Part 20.
Ability to read and apply Radiation Work Permits, procedures, work packages, survey maps, and technical documentation.
Experience performing independent radiological job coverage in industrial and nuclear environments.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
Ability to work effectively with craft personnel, supervisors, project management, and utility leadership.
Ability to obtain and maintain commercial nuclear unescorted access authorization as required.
Ability to meet applicable Fitness-for-Duty requirements.
Ability to work extended hours, rotating shifts, nights, weekends, and outage schedules as required.
Ability to travel extensively throughout the United States.

Nice To Haves

ANSI 3.1 Senior Radiation Protection Technician qualification or equivalent commercial nuclear experience.
Previous Senior RP Technician, Lead RP Technician, RP Supervisor, or comparable experience.
Experience supporting high-risk or high-dose maintenance evolutions.
Experience with rotating equipment, reactor maintenance, refueling, turbine, mechanical, or major outage work scopes.
Experience developing or supporting ALARA plans and dose estimates.
Experience leading or mentoring Radiation Protection personnel.
Multi-site or fleet commercial nuclear experience.
Familiarity with industry training and qualification programs, including NANTeL where applicable.

Responsibilities

Provide senior-level Radiation Protection support for commercial nuclear outages, maintenance projects, and specialty work scopes.
Perform radiological job coverage in Radiation Areas, High Radiation Areas, Contamination Areas, Airborne Radioactivity Areas, and other controlled environments when qualified and authorized.
Conduct radiation, contamination, and airborne radioactivity surveys in accordance with site procedures.
Establish and maintain appropriate radiological boundaries, postings, controls, and access requirements.
Support personnel monitoring, dosimetry, contamination control, and radiological material controls.
Monitor changing radiological conditions and communicate hazards and required controls to affected personnel.
Stop or suspend work when radiological conditions or work practices do not meet established requirements.
Support responses to radiological events, changing conditions, contamination events, and other emergent issues.
Support waste packaging and perform package and truck surveys to prepare conveyances for shipment, as applicable.
Support pre-job planning and ALARA reviews for maintenance, outage, construction, and specialty work.
Evaluate work scope, expected radiological conditions, dose estimates, contamination potential, shielding opportunities, and personnel requirements.
Recommend practical methods to reduce personnel dose and minimize radiological risk.
Participate in pre-job briefs, job-site walkdowns, mockups, and post-job reviews.
Monitor work performance against ALARA goals and communicate emerging concerns to project and customer leadership.
Identify lessons learned and opportunities to improve future work execution.
Serve as a senior technical resource for Radiation Protection Technicians and VNSFS field personnel, including coaching and mentoring less-experienced staff.
Reinforce proper use of human-performance tools, procedural compliance, and conservative decision-making.
Support field leadership in resolving radiological issues that may affect safety, quality, schedule, or project execution.
Interface professionally with customer Radiation Protection organizations, Operations, Maintenance, Chemistry, Engineering, and project leadership.
Support development and review of radiological work practices and project-specific controls where required.
Perform activities in accordance with applicable NRC requirements, customer Radiation Protection programs, site procedures, and VNSFS expectations.
Maintain required qualifications, training, dosimetry records, and site access requirements.
Promote a questioning attitude, prioritize nuclear safety over production or schedule, and promptly communicate radiological, safety, quality, or procedural concerns.