Criticality Safety Officer

What You Will Do

This position will be filled at either the Criticality Safety Officer 3 or 4 level, depending on the skills of the selected candidate. Additional job responsibilities (outlined below) will be assigned if the candidate is hired at the higher level.

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Associate Laboratory Directorate of Weapons Production Chief Operations Office (ALDWP COO) is seeking a Criticality Safety Officer (CSO) to serve as the day‑to‑day technical liaison between the Nuclear Criticality Safety Division and the programmatic tenants of ALDWP Facility Operations Director(s). The CSO will support implementation of the ALDWP criticality safety program to ensure compliance with the requirements of the facility Criticality Safety Management Program and serve as an advisor in efforts to improve operational efficiency.

The CSO will assist in increasing Nuclear Criticality Safety Division personnel knowledge about operations in order to ensure an adequate understanding of processes, practical limitations, and credible potential upsets. The CSO will support initiatives to increase ALDWP operations staff knowledge about criticality safety, including operator understanding of criticality safety evaluations and the technical basis for the selected controls. The CSO will monitor criticality controls associated with operations, make recommendations for process improvement, and assist in identification and resolution of non‑compliance issues.

The Associate Laboratory Directorate of Weapons Production Chief Operations Office (ALDWP COO) primary mission is to ensure LANL successfully executes its mission assignments involving nuclear science, nuclear technology, and weapons research, development, and component fabrication.

Criticality Safety Officer 3 $104,100 - $172,200

At this level you will be expected to work independently with minimal operational and functional direction from supervisor and you will assist in increasing CSO knowledge about operations in order to ensure an adequate understanding of processes, practical limitations, and credible potential upsets.

Criticality Safety Officer 4 $125,200 - $211,300

In addition to what was outlined at the lower level, at this level you will be viewed as a strategic leader who provides functional and operational guidance to lower level CSOs. You will be responsible for developing and mentoring junior safety officers to ensure we maintain a robust Criticality Safety Officer Program and for providing oversight, and reviewing work of junior CSOs.

Minimum

Job Requirements:

• Advanced knowledge and experience in nuclear facility operations, nuclear safety, and nuclear criticality safety, including implementation of nuclear industry codes, standards, and regulatory guidelines.
• Advanced knowledge of the technical and operational discipline of Conduct of Operations (i.e., DOE Order 422.1 "Conduct of Operations").
• Extensive knowledge of the applicable ANSI/ANS national standards (i.e., ANSI-ANS 8 Criticality Safety series), and the DOE Order 420.1C "Facility Safety".
• Experience in the application of criticality safety standards to complex nuclear facilities to ensure compliance with special nuclear material manufacturing and fabrication processes.
• Ability to understand and interpret various physical and mechanical design documents such as drawings and schematics.
• Extensive experience and knowledge conducting research, investigating alternative solutions, and recommending solutions on problems affecting nuclear criticality safety.
• Experience in the preparation, review, and interpretation of nuclear safety and nuclear criticality safety technical reports and evaluations.
• Demonstrated experience interacting with all levels of the organization, requiring excellent interpersonal skills and training in communication, conflict resolution, and negotiation, etc.

Additional Job Requirements for Criticality Safety Officer 4:

• Experience in performing or leading nuclear safety and/or criticality safety basis compliance assessments (i.e., management self‑assessments and readiness assessments) associated with operations and/or process startup activities.
• Experience…