Nuclear Engineer
What you'd do
These positions serve as a Nuclear Engineer, GS-0840-11/12 with the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Rocky Mountain Region, U.S. TRIGA Reactor.
Major duties
These positions are located within the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Rocky Mountain Region, U.S. Triga Reactor, duty stationed in Lakewood, CO. At the full performance level (GS-12) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following: Operate a TRIGA reactor utilizing knowledge of instrumentation/controls/mechanical maintenance. Apply theory, new applications, or developments to plan and perform reactor experiments, maintenance, and repairs as required. Prepare and process samples for a TRIGA reactor and troubleshoot when an issue occurs. Ship hazardous radioactive materials including procurement, transportation properly and safely. Communicate the TRIGA reactor functions through providing tours of the facility and representing the USGS at interagency, national, and international meetings. Physical Demands Occasional recurring and strenuous physical exertion, such as climbing tall ladders and carrying leadshielding, is required. Lifting of shielding up to 100 pounds may be required. Movement of shields up to10,000 pounds with the use of appropriate mechanical handling equipment may also be required. Work environment The workplace contains safety risks associated with the routine exposure to all types of ionizing radiation.Radiation protective equipment and exposure monitoring equipment must be worn. Radiation surveysrequire exposure to the outdoors in all weather conditions and require some work on building roofs. TheUS Geological Survey has categorized the duties of this position as suitable for telework only during anemergency or natural disaster. Random Drug Testing You will be required to undergo random drug testing as a condition of employment. Driver's License You will be required to maintain a valid State issued Driver's License as a condition of employment. Travel You will be required to travel for training, meetings or site visits. You will also be required to trave one week a year for conference attendance and/or other facility visits. License/Certification You will be required to obtain and maintain a NRC Senior Reactor Operator License within one year of employment.
What you need to qualify
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement 08/06/2026 unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position you must meet the (1) Basic Educational Requirements AND/OR (2) Specialized Experience for the series/grade to which you are applying. Nuclear Engineering Series, 0840: Individual Occupational Requirements (1) Basic Educational Requirements: To be eligible for this position, you must meet either A or B below for the series to which you are applying. A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; 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 of 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 or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. -OR- B. 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: Professional registration or licensure Written Test Specified academic courses Related curriculum For further information on the adequacy of such background demonstrated by one of the above listed are found in the link below: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800/ Please Note: This position requires specific educational coursework to qualify. You MUST provide transcripts in order to verify that the educational requirements have been met. This information must be received by the closing date of the announcement. Failure to provide this information may result in you receiving an "INELIGIBLE" rating. -AND- (2) Specialized Experience/Education GS-11 To qualify for the GS-11, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: Supervising or direct operation and/or maintenance of research, commercial, or military nuclear reactor plants. Assisting in the development of criticality safety technical reviews. Assisting in technical oversight for engineering activities associated with Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics (TRIGA) reactor nuclear systems/facilities or a similar reactor such as (e.g. PULSTAR, AGN-201 series, SLOWPOKE & MAPLE Reactors and/or Fast Burst Reactors). Identifying, planning, and coordinating efforts to ensure effective criticality safety is achieved and maintained. If qualifying on Specialized Experience, you MUST MEET at least 2 of the 4 specialized experience statements above. -OR- B. Education: You may substitute graduate education for experience if you have achieved: 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. -OR- C. Qualifying combination of Education and Experience: A combination of successfully completed graduate education (only successfully completed education beyond the second year (or 36 semester hours) is creditable towards meeting this requirement) and specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level that is related to the position and total 100% of the requirement for this grade level. GS-12 To qualify for the GS-12, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: Supervising or direct operation and/or maintenance of research, commercial, or military nuclear reactor plants. Preparing and developing criticality safety technical reviews. Supervising the technical oversight for engineering activities associated with Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics (TRIGA) reactor nuclear systems/facilities or a similar reactor such as (e.g. PULSTAR, AGN-201 series, SLOWPOKE & MAPLE Reactors and/or Fast Burst Reactors). Identifying, planning, and coordinating efforts to ensure effective criticality safety is achieved and maintained. Evaluating engineering instructions to resolve deficiencies and increase efficiencies for the overhaul and repair of nuclear reactor plant systems and components. Performing independent evaluation and analyses on contractor or licensee safety reports. To qualify you must meet at least 4 of the 6 specialized experience statements above. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). 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.
Before you apply
Federal applications are different: your resume should be 3–5 pages and mirror the language of this announcement. Read our federal resume guide first — it's the #1 reason qualified people get screened out.
Don't miss the next one.
Get an email the moment a similar federal job opens — postings can close in as little as 5 days.