Director, Waste Disposition Programs Division

This position is part of the Office of Environmental Management - Savannah River Operations Office, Department of Energy. As a Director, Waste Disposition Programs Division, you will be leading Federal staff in providing senior-level engineering leadership, review, and oversight of contractor and Federal programs and activities, as delineated in the U.S. Department of Energy-SR functions, responsibilities, and authorities procedure.

Major duties

The Department of Energy's mission is to ensure America's security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions. The Office of Environmental Management - Savannah River Operations Office (EM) is to complete the safe cleanup of environment legacy resulting from five decades of nuclear weapons development and government-sponsored nuclear energy research. EM is responsible for managing and directing the cleanup of contaminated nuclear weapons manufacturing and testing sites across the United States. Integral to that responsibility is the need to safely dispose of large volumes of nuclear waste, safeguard and prepare for disposition of nuclear materials that could be used in nuclear waste, safeguard and prepare for disposition of nuclear materials that could be used in nuclear weapons, deactivate and decommission several thousand radiologically and chemically contaminated facilities no longer to support the Department's mission, and remediate extensive surface and groundwater contamination. We are truly honored that DOE has been named America's #1 Best Employer for Veterans in 2023 by Forbes-not only among Government agencies, but among employers across the U.S. We are so proud of this ranking which reflects our commitment to the employment of veterans. As so many veterans at DOE renew their service to our Nation, we are deeply committed to their success and advancement. Veterans shape the future of energy As a Director, Waste Disposition Programs Division, you will: Serve as the Senior Technical Advisor and senior engineering authority providing strategic leadership, review, and multidisciplinary engineering direction across major DOE-SR waste disposition programs, projects, and facilities. Oversee the development and execution of programmatic System Plans, life-cycle baselines, integrated schedules, and technical strategies for the design, construction, testing, startup, and steady-state operations of new or modified facilities. Manage comprehensive contractor oversight, formulate Performance Evaluation and Measurement Plans (PEMPs), evaluate contractor deliverables and baselines, and exercise independent technical judgment in recommending earned award fees. Direct and ensure technical and regulatory compliance for complex operations involving the safe receipt, storage, chemical/radiological treatment, processing, packaging, transportation, and disposition of liquid, solid radioactive/high-level, and hazardous waste. Serve as primary technical spokesperson and liaison to DOE-HQ, external regulatory bodies, contractor executives, and interagency partners to negotiate, defend, and resolve highly complex or controversial engineering and policy issues. Provide first-level administrative and technical supervision to Federal engineering staff, including workload planning, resource allocation, performance management, candidate selection, and staff development.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must meet both the Basic Requirement and the Specialized Experience as described below. BASIC REQUIREMENT: A. 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree in professional engineering. To be acceptable, the curriculum must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength materials (stress-strain relationships);(c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science and physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. - OR - Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following: 1. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions. 2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. 3. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A above. 4. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.) SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-14 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as meeting 3 of 4 the following: Providing direction and technical oversight for the design, construction, commissioning, startup, or operation of nuclear, radiological, chemical, or hazardous waste facilities and processes. Overseeing, leading or directing technical programs involving the safe handling, storage, treatment, packaging, transportation, or disposal of high-level radioactive, nuclear, or hazardous waste operations. Managing project scope, life-cycle baselines, integrated cost and schedule performance, and technical risk for major capital facilities, line-intern projects, or high-risk industrial operations. Evaluating contractor or vendor performance against formal performance metrics (e.g., Performance Evaluation and Measurement Plans, award-fee criteria, or statement-of-work deliverables) and recommending fee determinations or corrective action plans. Education cannot be substituted for specialized experience for the GS-15 grade level. "Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills; and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications. Your full resume will be made available to the hiring manager if you are referred. Time-in-Grade: Current Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement to receive consideration and current employees must have at least a fully successful or equivalent performance rating to receive consideration. You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

This vacancy has a positive education requirement. In order to be rated as qualified, you must provide copies of your college transcripts. Failure to provide copies of your college transcripts may result in a rating of "Ineligible". Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.