Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Quality Assurance Specialist

Department of Energy
National Nuclear Security Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is part of the NNSA Production Office, Department of Energy. A successful candidate in this position will serve as Quality Assurance Specialist, who is responsible for a variety of technical and analytical support services pertaining to Weapon Quality Assurance (WQA) aspects of operations at the National Nuclear Security Administration Pantex Plant.

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
09/18/2023 to 09/29/2023
Salary
$98,496 to - $151,308 per year
Pay scale & grade
NQ 3
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Amarillo, TX
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
3
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Q Access Authorization
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
23-XE-01086-12117443-GOV
Control number
749604500

Duties

Help

As a Quality Assurance Specialist, you will:

  • Plan and perform assigned Weapon Quality Assurance (WQA) surveys of the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) contractor or subcontractor as defined in the NNSA Weapon Quality Policy.
  • Write findings and defect reports where quality programs are found deficient and requires corrective action reports to address the root cause of the deficiency.
  • Represent the NNSA in evaluating, validating, and approving corrective action reports for adequacy and effectiveness.
  • Develop new procedures and product specific Quality Assurance Inspection Procedures for the purpose of defining the critical product acceptance requirements for verification inspection items.
  • Plan and perform weapon and weapon related product verification inspections and Contractor Acceptance Verifications (CAV) at the M&O contractor facilities to determine conformance to the product design agency and production agency drawing and specification requirements, and to quality requirements.
  • Represent the NNSA in determining verification or rejection of such material. The product is a wide variety of complex mechanical, electromechanical, electrical or plastic components, subassemblies, and assemblies of nuclear weapons or weapons related products.
  • Analyze nondestructive and destructive test results, recorded test data, radiographs and pictorial waveform data, manufacturing records and other quality evidence to assure that test results and manufacturing techniques meet criteria.
  • Independently analyze and make decisions on product acceptability where measured results do not conform to the descriptions provided in technical designs.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • Subject to Random Drug Testing
  • Must pass a pre-employment drug test.
  • Favorable suitability determination required.
  • Financial Disclosure is required.
  • Must be able to obtain/maintain a Q level Security Clearance.
  • You must be a United States Citizen.
  • This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
  • Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements.
  • Compliance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD-12) governing personal identity which will require that you provide two forms of identification.
  • A one year probationary period may be required.
  • Must be able to obtain certification in the DOE's Technical Qualification Program (TQP) within 18 months of start date. This position is covered by the Technical Qualification Program (TQP), which requires the incumbent to acquire and demonstrate competencies identified in the TQP Functional Area Qualification and Field Office specific standards and requires certification of the competencies by NNSA supervision and TQP qualifying officials. https://ntc.doe.gov/student/stp/techqualprogram
  • More than one position may be filled from this vacancy announcement.

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower NNSA Demonstration Project pay band or GS grade level in the Federal service (i.e., NQ-02, GS-12). Specialized experience for this position is defined as: using basic engineering principals of electrical, plastic, and mechanics to apply weapons quality assurance techniques and using sampling inspection or intensive product inspection techniques to verify that products comply with requirements prior to acceptance.

  • Perform pre-production assessments of tooling, test equipment, and facilities; and
  • Review contractor personnel training and certifications; and
  • Evaluate contractor's failure analysis of equipment/product interface when malfunctions occur; and
  • Provide technical information on assigned weapon products, technologies, or systems.


Examples of Specialized Experience:
1. Knowledge of fundamental principles and concepts of multiple engineering fields; quality assurance and quality management related to the field of weapons sufficient analyze operational and programmatic issues.
2. Knowledge inspection procedures and the use of precision measuring equipment to include destructive and nondestructive testing techniques, use generated data to evaluate procedural adequacy of production specified requirements.
3. Ability to evaluate and select criteria to provide management the data to make technical or operational changes.

Your application and resume shall demonstrate that you possess the following competencies. Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather, you must describe in your application how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the Competencies identified below. Cite specific examples of employment or experience contained in your resume and describe how this experience has prepared you to successfully perform the duties of this position. DO NOT write "see resume" in your application.

Oral Communication, Quality Assurance, Quality Management, Requirements Analysis, and Technical Competence

For more information on the "Qualification Standards for Quality Assurance Series 1910", please click here.

For more information on the "Qualification Standards for Administrative and Management Positions", please click here.

Time-in-Grade: Current Federal employees must have completed 52 weeks in a position equivalent to the next lower band, i.e., NQ-02 or GS-12 to receive consideration.

"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.

CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section. If you are eligible for career transition assistance plans such as ICTAP or CTAP, you must meet the definition of "well qualified" which is defined as having a score of 85 or better.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

Education

There is no positive education requirement for this position.

Additional information

  • The U.S. Department of Energy fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
  • Veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. For more information, please visit the links at the bottom of this page or visit the FedsHireVets website.
  • If you believe that you are eligible for the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), please visit the OPM ICTAP/CTAP website for more information. In order to be considered under the ICTAP program, your application must score within the pre-established "well qualified" category as stated in the Qualifications section.
  • More than one selection may be made from this vacancy announcement.
  • Some positions may require completion of a probationary period of up to 1 (one) year.
  • Many positions require successful completion of a background investigation.
  • All males born after December 31,1959 must abide by laws regarding Selective Service registration. To learn more about this law, visit the Selective Service web page, Who Must Register. If you are not registered and don't have an approved exemption, you will not be eligible for employment with the Federal government.
  • A Recruitment/Relocation Incentive may be authorized for a highly qualified applicant in accordance with Agency policy.
EEO Policy: Click HERE.
Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Click HERE.
Veterans Information: Click HERE.
Telework: Click HERE.
Selective Service Registration: Click HERE.
Information about the NNSA Demonstration project can be found by clicking HERE.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

The Department of Energy uses an application tracking system to evaluate the responses you provide in the applicant assessment questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications necessary for this position. Then, the HR Office and/or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will conduct a quality review of your application and supporting documentation to determine if your qualifications meet the criteria for referral to the selecting official.

Merit Promotion & VEOA Procedures: If you are minimally qualified for this job, your responses to the self-assessment questions (True/False, Yes/ No, Multiple Choice questions) will be evaluated to determine if you are a best qualified candidate. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. Due weight will also be given to federal employees, when applicable, for performance appraisals and awards in accordance with 5 CFR ยง 335.103(b)(3). Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements and current employees must have at least a fully successful or equivalent performance rating to receive consideration.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

Oral Communication, Quality Assurance, Quality Management, Requirements Analysis, and Technical Competence

Your application and resume shall demonstrate that you possess the following Competencies. Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather, you must describe in your application how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the Competencies identified below. Cite specific examples of employment or experience contained in your resume and describe how this experience has prepared you to successfully perform the duties of this position. DO NOT write "see resume" in your application.

Non-competitive Procedures: If you are applying under a non-competitive or special hiring authority, you will still be required to answer the assessment questions. However, you will not be evaluated against the rating and ranking criteria. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you are minimally qualified for this job. Veterans' Preference will be applied when required by the hiring authority (e.g., VRA, Schedule A).

All qualified Non-competitive applicants and the best qualified Merit Promotion and VEOA applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

Career Transition Assistance Programs: To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet the eligibility criteria; and 2) be rated "well-qualified", which is defined as having a score of 85 or better.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.