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Reactor Engineer (Modeling & Simulation) (Agency Employees Only)

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Summary

This position is located in the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES), Division of Engineering (DE), Reactor Engineering Branch (REB).


The supervisor is Raj Iyengar

This position IS subject to Confidential Financial Disclosure reporting requirements.

This position IS subject to security ownership restriction reporting requirements.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
03/09/2026 to 03/30/2026
Salary
$107,446 to - $139,684 per year

Salary represents base salary without locality. Salary will change once a selection is made and the locality is applied.

Pay scale & grade
GG 14
Locations
Atlanta, GA
1 vacancy
Naperville, IL
1 vacancy
Rockville, MD
1 vacancy
King of Prussia, PA
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—May be eligible for situational telework in accordance with Agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Approximately 10% or less.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Travel expenses associated with interview and/or relocation expenses associated with job offer may be paid to the extent allowed by Federal Travel Regulations.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Full Time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
L Access Authorization
Drug test
Yes
Financial disclosure
Yes
Announcement number
RES/DE-2026-0002
Control number
860199300

Duties

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As a Reactor Engineer (Modeling & Simulation), provides technical assessments of engineering aspects of reactor systems involving modeling and simulation of the design, analysis, fabrication, operation, maintenance and testing of reactor systems and components. Specific areas of technical assessments will involve structural and component performance and dynamics of mechanical systems, using multi-physics and artificial intelligence/machine learning algorithms and data analysis. Evaluates the technical issues and resolutions of application of digital twins, big data engineering, domain expertise (e.g., data cleansing, data management, analytics, visualization and engineering), statistics and machine learning.

Develops plans and objectives for complex analytic and experimental research programs to support the development and maintenance of constitutive relationships and correlations to improve the accuracy of code simulations and extend code capabilities. Performs detailed Verification and Validation studies to evaluate the applicability of NRC computer codes to proposed regulatory uses. Prepares and delivers presentations for technical and programmatic review meetings. Interacts with groups having interest and responsibility in regulatory research areas.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • This is a Drug Testing position.
  • Must be able to meet/maintain security & suitability requirements.

You must meet the qualifications for this position by no later than 30 calendar days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.

All information in your resume must be true and accurate.

Qualifications

In order to qualify for this position, you must have at least one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is defined as: experience that demonstrates a knowledge of the design, construction, operation, inspection, and/or evaluation of nuclear plant components, structures, and/or facilities to understand the value and impact of the requirements of proposed standards.    

The ideal candidate will possess:

1. Demonstrated knowledge of the design, construction operation, inspection and evaluation of nuclear plant components, structures, and facilities to understand the value and impact of the requirements of proposed standards.

(Example) Describe specific training, education, and work experience that demonstrates your knowledge of the design, analysis, fabrication, opertaion, maintenance and testing of reactor systems and components sufficient to understand the value and impact of the requirements of the proposed standard. Examples may include:

  • technical assessments of engineering aspects of reactor systems involving modeling and simulation of structural and component performance and dynamics of mechanical systems, using multi-physics and artificial intelligence/machine learning algorithms and data analysis, and/or
  • the technical issues and resolutions of application of digital twins, big data engineering, domain expertise (e.g., data cleansing, data management, analytics, visualization and engineering), statistics and machine learning.

2. Demonstrated knowledge of NRC’s regulations, principles and procedures, regulatory guides, and industry codes and standards applicable to the safety of reactor systems, structures, and components.

(Example) Describe your experience that demonstrates your knowledge of NRC’s regulations, principles and procedures, regulatory guides, and industry codes and standards applicable to the reactor systems, structures, and components.  Examples may include experience that shows understanding of risk-informed approaches or impact of technological advances related to the safety of reactor systems, structures, and components. 

3.  Demonstrated ability to plan, coordinate, and control complex engineering, technical, and inspection projects.

(Example) Describe your experience that demonstrates your ability to plan, coordinate, and control complex engineering, technical, and inspection projects.  Provide examples of relevant research projects that you have led.  Describe the scope of the projects, the identification of technical challenges and their resolution, and your specific role in the projects.

4. Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing with a broad range of audiences on technical issues, challenges, and resolutions.

(Example) Describe specific experiences and accomplishments communicating effectively orally and in writing with a broad range of audiences on technical issues, challenges, and resolutions.  Describe examples of significant oral communications and impactful written products.

PLEASE BE CLEAR AND CONCISE. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Education

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:

1. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.

2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

3. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.

4. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor’s degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)

Additional information

The duty location of this position is Rockville, MD. This position may be eligible for situational telework in accordance with Agency policy.

Based on the staffing needs of the agency/area of consideration, additional selections may be made from this vacancy announcement.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

When the application process is complete, your application will be reviewed to determine if you meet the job requirements.  You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume and responses to any vacancy questions to determine your level of knowledge, skill and ability related to the job requirements.  If you are among the top candidates for this position, your application will be referred to the hiring manager.

Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position.  Therefore, we encourage you to submit a thorough resume that directly relates to this position.


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