Supervisory Nuclear Engineer

About the role

This position is part of the Naval Reactors Laboratory Field Office, Department of Energy. National Nuclear Security Administration Demonstration Project: This position is covered by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Demonstration Project. The NN-04 pay band is equivalent to the GS-14-15 grade levels.

For more information on the NNSA Demonstration Project and Pay Band/Salary Tables, review ***

What you will do

• This is an Open Continuous Announcement which allows acceptance of applications through the closing date of 12/07/2026.
• Check the "How to Apply" section for more details.
• As a Supervisory Nuclear Engineer, NN-0840-04, you will: Serve as a nationally recognized authority or principal expert providing technical and programmatic oversight of assigned Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program (NNPP) projects and initiatives.
• Review, evaluate, and appraise contractor programs related to reactor core and plant materials, reactor component design, development, manufacturing, and testing to ensure conformance with Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program technical, safety, and performance requirements.
• Serve as a technical advisory capacity, and as a representative in meetings, panels, task forces, and conferences with other federal agencies, state agencies, national laboratories, universities, and other stakeholders to present briefings.
• Review, evaluate, and provide oversight of contractor quality assurance programs and initiatives to verify that processes, procedures, and products meet applicable Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, Department of Energy, and Department of Navy requirements.
• Provide expert technical and programmatic advice, recommendations, and guidance to management and contractor counterparts on issues involving reactor core and plant materials, reactor components, design methods, testing programs, and related technology efforts.
• Supervise a staff of employees engaged in the review and oversight of contractor technical programs; assign work, set priorities, evaluate performance, provide coaching and development, and ensure effective use of personnel and other resources in accomplishing the office's mission.

Education

For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for a position by substituting education or training for experience, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted that includes your name, the name of the educational institution, course title(s), number of credits, grade, and date of completion.

An official transcript will be required if you are selected.

Basic Education Requirement for Engineering Positions 0800: Bachelor's Degree (or higher) in Engineering OR Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate professional field, provided you have had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.

OR Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and in engineering that included the courses specified in the basic requirements. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum.

OR Current registration as a Professional Engineer by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico allows eligibility only if your registration is within or closely related to nuclear engineering.

For Professional, Scientific and Engineering Positions: If qualifying on the basis of an alternate method, i.e., professional license, you must submit official documentation to support your claim with your application package. If selected for the position you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to onboarding.

Education must be from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the qualification requirements.

You must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private U.S. organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program.

It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications for more information. If this vacancy specifies particular educational requirements, please provide documentation to verify your educational claims.

This can include unofficial transcripts or any report that lists the institution, courses titles, credit earned, and final grades. For additional information, please see How to fill out your education.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g. resume, supporting documents), and your responses on the application questionnaire for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): The competencies for the Supervisory Nuclear Engineer are: Communication Nuclear Engineering Project Management Technical Competence Structured Resume Review: After it has been determined that you meet the minimum qualifications, Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will review the first two pages of your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required competencies.

Additional documentation (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) may not be considered. Once the announcement closes, we will conduct a review of your application package to verify your eligibility and qualifications. If you are found qualified, your application will move forward to additional phases of the review process.

All qualified applicants, including Non-Competitive, Merit Promotion and Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) applicants, will be referred to the hiring office for consideration.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) Eligibles: View information about ICTAP/CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. In order to be considered under these programs, your application must score within the pre-established "well qualified" category.

In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement. Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, the veteran must 1) be a preference eligible; or 2) be a veteran separated after 3 or more years of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions.

In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement. (Note: Veteran's preference does not apply under Merit Promotion procedures.) If your resume is incomplete or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible' or 'not qualified'.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (12/07/2026) of this announcement.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click ***

Documents you must provide

• Limit your resume to no more than two pages.
• The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages.
• Be clear and specific in describing your job-related qualifications, as HR cannot make assumptions regarding your experience.
• Include dates (month and year) and hours worked per week.
• For military or Federal civilian service, you MUST include your pay plan/band, series, and/or rank/grade (e.g., Captain, E-5, GS-0301-9).
• Do NOT include photographs, social media links (e.g., LinkedIn), inappropriate content, or other personal or sensitive information such as date of birth, social security number, gender, religious affiliation.
• IF INCLUDED YOUR RESUME WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
• OTHER SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS (only submit if applicable): CURRENT OR FORMER FEDERAL CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE: Submit a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action which shows the grade, step, tenure (block 24) "1" (Career) or "2" (Career-Conditional), and position occupied (block 34) "1" (Competitive Service).
• Provide proof of permanent appointment if applying based on an Interchange Agreement.
• If applying for a higher grade, provide a SF-50 which shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade or promotion potential held.
• You may need to provide more than one (1) SF-50, if your SF-50 does not clearly demonstrate that you meet the one-year time-in-grade requirement (examples of appropriate SF-50s include Appointment/Conversion, Within-Grade/Range Increases and Promotion actions).
• NOTE: Pay adjustments and awards are NOT acceptable.
• TRANSCRIPT REQUIREMENT: Submit a copy of your transcripts from an accredited institution.
• Unofficial transcripts will be accepted that includes your name, educational institution name, declared degree program, course title(s), credits completed, grade, date of completion, Grade Point Average (GPA), and date of degree conferral.
• If selected, an official transcript will be required.
• VETERAN DOCUMENTATION: Submit a copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (Member Copy 4 or equivalent).
• ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: If applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces that you will be discharged or released from active duty within 120 days from the date on the certification.
• This must indicate your dates of active service, rank/grade, expected character of service (i.e., honorable or general) and type of separation (i.e., separation or retirement).
• NOTE: The VOW Act provides tentative preference.
• If selected, a DD-214 must be provided prior to appointment.
• 10-POINT VETERANS' PREFERENCE: Submit a SF-15 and provide an official document from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces certifying your overall compensable service-connected disability rating (NOTE: Your overall percentage must be clearly shown), and/or any other associated documentation based on your preference.
• NONCOMPETITIVE OR SPECIAL HIRING AUTHORITIES: (e.g., Military Spouses, Individuals with Disabilities, Peace Corps & AmeriCorps VISTA, Land Management, Former Overseas Employees, etc.) Provide documentation which supports your eligibility.
• INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM/CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (ICTAP/CTAP): Submit a copy of the following: Reduction in Force (RIF) separation notice, notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate, notice of disability annuity termination, or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement; SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action'', documenting your RIF separation, noting your position, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through reemployment priority list (RPL), etc.; Latest performance appraisal including your rating; AND Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.
• CURRENT OR FORMER POLITICAL SCHEDULE A, SCHEDULE C, NON-CAREER SES OR PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTEE EMPLOYEE: Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment: Position title; Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee); Agency; AND Beginning and ending dates of appointment.
• All documents, including transcripts, must be in English.
• For more information about what to include in your resume, please view this USAJOBS Resume Tutorial video on YouTube.
• Failure to submit required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package.

What to expect next

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your status will be updated on USAJOBS throughout the process. If you are determined qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview.

You may check your application status by logging into USAJOBS. You may also sign up to receive automatic notifications when your application status changes by logging into your USAJOBS Account and editing the Notification Settings. Thank you for your interest in the Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration!

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement. In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to the four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire.

Answers to these questions are not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.

Employees or applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) for assistance, when applying or competing for a job or performing a job due to their medical condition or to exercise their religious beliefs. If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Staffing Specialist listed on this vacancy announcement.

The Fair Chance Act prohibits specific inquiries concerning an applicant's criminal or credit background unless the hiring agency has made a conditional offer of employment to the applicant.

An applicant may submit a complaint to the agency within 30 calendar days of the date of alleged noncompliance by completing the Fair Chance Act Intake Form and submitting it to the Administrative Investigations Program at ***.

The Department of Energy (DOE) encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR 213.3102(u), and or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR 315.707.

Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DOE mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs.

To determine your eligibility for a non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees.

If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office. Shared Certificates: The Department of Energy shares lists of applicants among its internal Departmental Elements and organizations.

You may be referred for consideration to other DOE Hiring Managers throughout the Department for more than one position based on this application. By applying to this announcement, you understand your application materials may be shared with multiple Hiring Mangers throughout DOE. If additional positions are filled from this announcement conditions of employment may differ.

You will be notified if you are referred for additional positions. EEO Policy: Click HERE. Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Click HERE.

Veterans Information: Click HERE. Selective Service Registration: Click HERE.