Program Manager - Nuclear Criticality Safety Function

GE Vernova - Wilmington, NC

Full-time - Senior

Wilmington, NC

Utilities

About the position

The Program Manager - Nuclear Criticality Safety Function is responsible for overseeing NRC licensed activities related to criticality safety at the Global Nuclear Fuel - America's (GNF-A) commercial BWR nuclear fuel manufacturing facility. This role involves directing technical support for criticality safety, ensuring compliance with safety programs, and recommending improvements to safety protocols. The position also includes mentoring staff, performing safety evaluations, and collaborating with various teams to ensure the safe operation of nuclear facilities.

Responsibilities

• Advocate professional development of nuclear criticality safety engineer professional staff.
• Perform neutronics calculations and documented nuclear criticality safety evaluations (CSAs).
• Assess normal and credible abnormal operating conditions.
• Determine criticality safety limits for controlled parameters.
• Specify criticality control requirements and functionality.
• Perform technical verifications of documented CSAs.
• Coordinate nuclear criticality safety engineering technical staff to meet business needs and schedules; mentor other engineers in performing technical duties in support of CSA development.
• Review and approve design changes and ensure the impacts to the CSA's and identified IROFS for criticality safety are addressed throughout existing facility lifecycle.
• Ensure that IROFS are designed and constructed to perform their intended safety function, and management measures are implemented to ensure they remain available and reliable.
• Recommend methods improvements and validation of Monte Carlo codes used to support criticality safety analyses.
• Provide criticality safety support of integrated safety analyses and configuration management.
• Provide advice and counsel to area managers on criticality safety control measures, including review and approval of operating procedures.
• Qualify as the primary Nuclear Safety Advisor (NSA) in support of the site emergency organization and participate in response planning, drills, exercises, and events.
• Assess the effectiveness of the criticality safety program through scheduled internal and external audit programs.
• Provide technical counsel to GNF-A nuclear packaging engineering and logistics pursuant to 10CFR71 and IAEA SSR6.
• Participate in cross-functional team of Operations, Engineering and Safety staff in performing the PHA for proposed nuclear fuel cycle processes and equipment.
• Participate in the ISA process as a representative of criticality safety to ensure compliance with SNM-1097 license commitments and applicable NRC regulatory requirements.
• Perform reviews of supporting safety bases documentation such as Process Hazard Analysis (PHA), Quantitative Risk Assessments (QRA), and consequence severity calculations.
• Approve proposed changes in process conditions or equipment involving fissile material.
• Work closely with technical leaders, functional managers, project management to coordinate work planning, scheduling, and technical support of project deliverables.
• Communicate/collaborate with a cross-functional team to ensure project deliverables related to documented nuclear criticality safety analysis and licensing are completed on schedule.
• Participate in meetings with the NRC, directly interface with NRC staff during routine regulatory audits of facility, develop responses to NRC Requests for Additional Information, and support operational readiness reviews as needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Science or Engineering.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in Nuclear Criticality Safety at an NRC licensed fuel cycle facility or DOE regulated nuclear materials facility.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience with Monte Carlo Neutron Transport methods.

Nice-to-haves

• Bachelor's or advanced degree (MS or Ph.D.) in Nuclear Engineering.
• 10 years of experience in conducting nuclear criticality safety support at a Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) licensed facility.
• Experience in applying NRC required ISA methodologies or DOE DSA methodologies and hazard assessment techniques.
• Knowledgeable of the fundamentals of risk assessment, including event tree analysis for quantitative likelihood determination.
• Knowledgeable of the fundamentals of coupled neutron, photon transport shielding calculations in support of criticality accident alarm system (CAAS) detector placement analysis.
• Regulatory affairs experience in enrichment or fuel fabrication facilities (SNM license).
• Proficient in standard MS Office applications.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with ability to effectively interface at all levels of the organization.
• Ability to develop creative solutions for complex, challenging issues.
• Ability to work effectively within a highly collaborative and cross-functional environment.
• Clear thinker, detail oriented, insightful, and a results-oriented analyst/leader.
• Proven track record of delivering commitments on specification, on budget, and on schedule.
• Ability to explain complex issues to a non-technical audience.
• Demonstrated continuous improvement mindset with an ability to identify, influence, and implement better ways to do an activity or process.

Benefits

• Relocation Assistance Provided: Yes
• Professional development opportunities
• Challenging career paths
• Competitive compensation