Deputy Associate Superblock Director for Plutonium

Deputy Associate Superblock Director for Plutonium

Physics World is collaborating with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to strengthen U.S. national security. The Deputy Associate Superblock Director for Plutonium will support safe and efficient operations within LLNL’s plutonium facility (Hazard Category
2) located at Site 200 in Livermore, California.

Pay Range
$271,320 – $345,840 annually.

Job Description This position has responsibilities to support the safe and efficient operations within LLNL’s plutonium facility, a Hazard Category 2 nuclear facility at Site 200 in Livermore, California. The duties and responsibilities include technical, managerial, and safety aspects of the facility, programmatic mission, and support functions. You will support the ASD Plutonium and interface with senior DOE HQ officials, Strategic Deterrence senior management, Livermore Field Office (LFO), and various stakeholders both internal and external to the Laboratory.

You will assist in the management and development of staffing, short‑term and long‑term strategic planning, goals and budget. This position reports to the Associate Superblock Director for Plutonium (ASD Plutonium). This position resides in the Superblock of the Strategic Deterrence (SD) Directorate. This position requires full‑time on‑site presence due to the nature of the work.

In this role you will

• Provide support to the Associate Superblock Director for Plutonium in the technical leadership and direction of SD Plutonium programs to ensure that work is conducted safely and efficiently by well‑trained and qualified staff in compliance with DOE Orders and applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
• Ensure budgets, schedules, and performance standards are realistically set and attained, leading to the effective achievement of objectives and meeting Laboratory requirements.
• Collaboratively set long‑range goals and strategies aligned with institutional objectives, influencing policy‑making and ensuring the attainment of Laboratory mission deliverables. This role involves independent decision‑making on administrative, technical, and operational matters, overseeing budgets, schedules, and performance standards while promoting innovative concepts and ensuring program quality through oversight and technical review.
• Support pit certification, rate production, and sub‑critical experiment efforts by providing guidance and necessary resources to technical, scientific, and administrative staff that result in the timely completion of facility equipment modifications, replacement projects, and maintenance in the Pu Facility.
• Facilitate and support the implementation of opportunities for continuous improvement in security, safety, and operations through the implementation of both formal and informal inspection and assessment programs and metrics.
• Support the Associate Superblock Director for Plutonium in directing, implementing, coordinating, and integrating effort across major organizational segments, develop and optimize policies, and provide strategic vision and planning while negotiating with senior leadership and internal/external stakeholders on critical matters.
• Foster and promote a culture that supports innovation, efficiency, and the safe execution of plutonium science and engineering.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Ability to secure and maintain a U.S. DOE X-level security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship.
• Bachelor’s degree in a science, engineering, or other technical area or the equivalent combination of education and related experience and extensive experience resolving complex problems and developing, planning, and coordinating solutions.
• Extensive experience managing work with plutonium at a DOE, commercial, or Navy nuclear facility.
• Experience in strategically managing organizations with multiple or complex technical areas to achieve objectives and meet organizational, institutional, and customer/sponsor requirements.
• Extensive knowledge of DOE policies, procedures, regulations, and standards, including DOE Order 420.1C, Facility Safety, DOE Order 422.1, Conduct of Operations, DOE Order 430.1C, Real…