Nuclear Safety Manager

Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) is one of the Department of Energy’s premier national laboratories, delivering solutions critical to national security, nuclear materials management, and environmental stewardship.

We are seeking an experienced nuclear safety professional to serve as Nuclear Safety Manager supporting the Laboratory’s nuclear safety programs. This role works under the direction of the Senior Nuclear Safety Manager and in close coordination with the Chief Engineer to ensure SRNL’s nuclear facilities operate safely, maintain technically defensible safety bases, and remain in full compliance with DOE requirements.

This is not a back-office compliance role. You will be embedded in the mission — supporting safety basis development for new and existing nuclear facilities, driving criticality safety and readiness activities, and helping strengthen the safety posture of programs that are growing rapidly. If you want a role where your technical expertise and leadership make a direct impact on national security missions, this is it.

Responsibilities

A Mission Portfolio That’s Growing

• Fusion Fuel Cycle Innovation — pioneering the science and safety frameworks for next-generation fusion fuel technologies
• Nuclear Deterrence and Nonproliferation — delivering solutions that support the nation’s nuclear security posture
• Accelerated Plutonium Disposition — breakthroughs like H-Canyon glass-loading analysis have compressed disposition timelines by approximately two years
• Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Isotopes — expanding SRNL’s role in nuclear materials processing and isotope production
• Environmental Cleanup and Restoration — applying cutting-edge tools, including AI, to complex environmental challenges

 

Why SRNL? Why This Role?

• Real Impact: Support safe operations across Hazard Category 2 and 3 nuclear facilities enabling critical national security missions
• Technical Depth: Work at the forefront of safety basis development, criticality safety, and nuclear readiness
• Growth Opportunity: Coordinate directly with the Senior Nuclear Safety Manager and Chief Engineer to shape programs during significant laboratory expansion
• Build Your Career: Develop leadership skills while deepening technical expertise with a clear upward trajectory
• Mission That Matters: Protect workers, the public, and the environment while enabling science and national security

 

What You’ll Do

Support Nuclear Safety Leadership

• Work under the direction of the Senior Nuclear Safety Manager to support the strategic direction for nuclear safety across the Laboratory
• Coordinate closely with the Chief Engineer on program execution and process development
• Lead day-to-day execution for a multidisciplinary team of nuclear safety analysts, criticality engineers, and readiness professionals
• Establish and maintain high technical standards and expectations for analytical rigor

 

Drive Safety Basis Execution

• Lead and perform development, revision, and maintenance of Documented Safety Analyses (DSAs) and Technical Safety Requirements (TSRs) under 10 CFR 830 
• Support safety basis strategy for new nuclear facilities and major modifications in coordination with the Senior Nuclear Safety Manager and Chief Engineer (Source: 
• Ensure rigorous Unreviewed Safety Question (USQ) processes are implemented and maintained 
• Maintain compliance with DOE-STD-3009 and related safety analysis standards 

 

Support Criticality Safety

• Provide oversight and technical support for the Nuclear Criticality Safety (NCS) program
• Ensure compliance with ANSI/ANS-8 standards and DOE O 420.1D requirements 
• Support development and maintenance of defensible criticality safety evaluations (CSEs) and controls
• Support integration between operations, nuclear safety, and criticality safety engineering

 

Support Readiness and Startup

• Support nuclear readiness reviews, management self-assessments, and DOE Readiness Assessments (RAs)
• Ensure readiness processes meet DOE O 425.1 requirements
• Support independent evaluation of facility safety posture prior to startup or restart
• Help guide facilities through startup following significant modifications or extended outages

 

Support DOE Interface

• Support the Senior Nuclear Safety Manager and Chief Engineer as points of contact for DOE field offices on nuclear safety matters
• Support interactions with the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) as needed
• Contribute to briefings for senior laboratory and federal leadership
• Support timely response to DOE findings, enforcement actions, and assessments

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Physics, or related technical discipline (advanced degree preferred)
• 10 years of experience in DOE nuclear facility operations or nuclear safety
• Demonstrated expertise in:
  • 10 CFR 830 (Nuclear Safety Management)
  • DOE-STD-3009 safety analysis
  • USQ process implementation
  • Nuclear criticality safety
  • NQA-1 quality assurance
  • DOE O 425.1 readiness requirements 
• Experience supporting DOE/NNSA oversight and regulatory interactions
• Proven experience leading or contributing to technical teams in high-hazard, highly regulated environments
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q clearance; US Citizenship is legally required 

 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Qualified as an expert Unreviewed Safety Question Determination (USQD) preparer/reviewer
• Qualified as a Nuclear Criticality Safety analyst
• Qualified as a Nuclear Safety Basis analyst
• Advanced degree in Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Physics, or related technical discipline
• Hazard Category 2 nuclear facility operations experience
• Direct experience supporting readiness and startup authorization
• Experience interacting with the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB)
• Experience contributing to safety culture improvement initiatives