Senior Technical Program Associate

Requisition Id 12616 

 

Overview: 

The Environment, Safety, Health, and Quality Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) invites applications for a Senior Technical Program Manager position within the Nuclear and Radiological Protection Division (NRPD).

ORNL is the largest U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) science and energy laboratory, conducting basic and applied research to deliver transformative solutions to compelling problems in energy and security. ORNL operates a research reactor, five non-reactor nuclear facilities and many of radiological facilities that perform nuclear research and isotope production activities to support the advancement of nuclear power applications, renewable energy, basic scientific research, and isotope production for medical and industrial applications. Our vision for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) is to cultivate an environment and practices that foster diversity in ideas and in the people across the organization, and to ensure ORNL is recognized as a workplace of choice. These elements are critical for enabling the execution of ORNL’s broader mission to accelerate scientific discoveries and their translation into energy, environment, and security solutions for the nation.

 

Major Duties/Responsibilities: 

The NRPD Technical Program Manager will report to the NRPD Division Director and will provide technical leadership and consulting expertise to lead program improvement initiatives as assigned by the NRPD Director.  The Technical Program Manager will primarily work individually on assignments and may also be assigned to periodically a manage project team as required.

 

Routine responsibilities include:

• Advise and consult with NRPD and ORNL management on best practices for the advancement of radiation protection support for new research activities, including production of medical isotopes and materials, materials investigations using neutron scattering, national security applications, and other DOE activities requiring high level health physics support.

• Provide radiation transport modeling and analysis to support the development of new high power/high energy radiation generating devices for unique applications.

• Provide technical support to the ORNL internal and external dosimetry programs.

• Develop solutions for technical issues associated with the buildup of difficult to detect radioactive contaminants at SNS and other facilities as needed.

• Support advancement and upgrades to radiological clearance programs at ORNL, including programs to release neutron scattering samples with potential volumetric activity.

• Provide technical support to the ongoing initiative to upgrade radiological stack monitoring at ORNL.

• Lead technical teams as required to solve radiological protection issues identified as new research operations are initiated, or as new facilities come online, or older facilities go through significant upgrades.

• Support ORNL initiatives and collaborate with local colleges and universities to provide health physics education to undergraduate and graduate level students.

• Lead efforts to identify and develop better methods for radiation detection for new or unusual facility or source configurations.

• Serve as a technical resource and mentor for new NRPD health physics and radiological engineering staff.

• Act as radiological protection subject matter expert for planning and designing nuclear and radiological facility modifications as required and performing calculations in support of engineering control cost/benefit decisions.

• Lead technically complex high-hazard radiological work planning and development of innovative radiological hazard controls.

• Develop or revise technical basis documents, technical evaluations, operational radiological protection procedures, and ALARA Reviews.

• Routinely interface with senior research and operations leadership staff and Department of Energy ORNL Site Office staff as appropriate.

• Abide by the principles of Safe Conduct of Research including being personally responsible for ensuring safe operations by raising safety concerns, using a questioning attitude, considering hazards for every task, and never stopping learning.

• Participate in assessments, critiques, incident investigations, and related reviews at ORNL or other Battelle- affiliated laboratories.

• Develop and present technical briefings to senior research and operations staff.

• Author technical articles for journal publications, provide technical seminars, technical training, etc.

• Serve on the ORNL Emergency Operations Center support team.