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Associate Assistant Dep Admin for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development

Department of Energy
National Nuclear Security Administration
Assistant Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development

Summary

NNSA - building careers while securing the future through engineering, science, and national security in an environment where your contributions make a difference.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/20/2026 to 05/04/2026
Salary
$199,172 - $228,000 per year
Pay scale & grade
ES 00
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Senior Executive
Promotion potential
00
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Q Access Authorization
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
26-CBYU-NA-20-ES-006
Control number
865742900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from all United States citizens. You do not need to be a current or former federal employee to apply.

Duties

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As the Associate Assistant Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development you will have the following primary duties:

  • Provide leadership in planning, prioritizing, and managing a complex research portfolio supporting nonproliferation, nuclear warfighting counterproliferation, and nuclear counterterrorism, and in developing technical capabilities at the Department of Energy's National Laboratories.
  • Oversee the budgetary process for nonproliferation research and development activities, including annual budget preparation and execution.
  • Assess the allocation of financial and staffing resources for nonproliferation research and development activities and leading a complex mix of civilian, military, and contractor staff, including hiring, mentoring, equal opportunity advancement, performance management, and disciplinary actions.
  • Provide significant coordination across multiple interagency organizations, including external departments and agencies and Department of Energy headquarters and field offices, national laboratories, and academia, to ensure that the program effectively leverages the existing technology base across the enterprise.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT FOR THIS VACANCY: This is a career position in the SES. Unless the selectee is already a member of the SES with career status or are a graduate of an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) certified SES Candidate Development Program, your executive qualifications must be assessed and approved by OPM before you can be hired.

HOMELAND SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE (HSPD-12): A selectee's appointment is contingent upon compliance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD-12) governing personal identity. May be required to pass a pre-employment drug test, random testing after appointment.


PUBLIC FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REPORT (OGE 278): If you are selected for this position, will be required to file this report prior to entry on duty in accordance with the Ethics of Government Act of 1978.

PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You may be required to complete a one-year SES probationary period. Probationary periods are required for new employees appointed to a Senior Executive Service (SES) position for the first time. Employees serving on probationary period may be terminated at any time during the probationary for performance, conduct, or business-related reasons in the interest of Federal service.

SELECTIVE SERVICE: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.

SECURITY CLEARANCE: Must be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q security clearance.

DRUG TESTING: Subject to pre-employment/pre-appointment testing for illegal drug use under the U.S. Department of Energy Employee Drug Plan. If you are selected you will be provided information regarding drug testing. Failure to undergo testing or positive findings resulting from the test will eliminate you from further consideration for this position. If selected for and appointed to this position you will be subject to random drug testing while employed.

MOBILITY: Organizational and geographical mobility is essential in developing and managing SES leaders. Individuals selected for SES positions members may be subject to reassignment across geographical, organizational, and functional lines, and will be required to abide by NNSA's mobility policy.

E-VERIFY: New employees to the Department of Energy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.

Qualifications

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. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQ) related to this position within your resume - NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES. Resumes over the 2-page limit, will not be reviewed beyond page 2 or may be disqualified. Your resume should include examples of experience, education, and accomplishments applicable to the qualification(s). If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position.

Please DO NOT submit separate documents addressing the ECQs or MTQs. Only your resume capped at two (2) pages will be accepted and considered. Any additional documents submitted will not be accepted.

MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (MTQs): Your resume should demonstrate accomplishments that would satisfy the technical qualifications.

There are two MTQs.

  • MTQ 1: Demonstrated experience leading nuclear security (e.g. nuclear nonproliferation) programs involving research and development (R&D) in close coordination with a mix of U.S. Government agencies, with emphasis on specific outcomes and successes.
  • MTQ 2: Demonstrated experience leading an organization through the process of coordinating programmatic activities across a variety of Executive Branch agencies, Congress, the U.S. National Laboratories, industry and academia.
EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs): In addition to the Mandatory Technical Qualification Requirements listed above, all new entrants into the Senior Executive Service (SES) under a career appointment will be assessed for executive competency against the following five mandatory ECQs. If your 2-page resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of the ECQs and MTQs, you may not receive further consideration for the position.

There are five ECQs:

1: Commitment to the Rule of Law and the Principles of the American Founding: Demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people.

2: Driving Efficiency: Demonstrated ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.

3: Merit and Competence: Demonstrated knowledge, ability, and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.

4: Leading People: Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and to drive a high-performance, high accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and to hold individuals accountable.

5: Achieving Results: Demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors.

Note: If you are a member of the SES or have been certified through successful participation in an OPM approved SES Candidate Development Program (SESCDP), or have SES reinstatement eligibility, you do not need to respond to the ECQs. Instead, you should attach proof (e.g., SF-50, Certification by OPM's SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB)) of your eligibility for noncompetitive appointment to the SES.

Education

You must meet the basic education requirements for at least one of the occupational series (0801 or 1301) identified below. You are required to submit unofficial college transcripts as outlined in the Required Documents section of this announcement. Failure to submit transcripts will result in disqualification for this position.

To qualify for the 0801 General Engineering series, you must possess:
A. Degree: Engineering. Successful completion of a bachelor's or higher engineering degree from an accredited college or university. 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. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.-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:
(I) Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), 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; or (II) Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) 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; or
(III) 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; or
(IV) 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.)

To qualify for the 1301 Physical Science series, you must possess:

A. Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics; OR B. Combination of education and experience: education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

You must provide a copy of your unofficial transcript(s). Be sure to include those transcripts directly applicable for meeting the education requirements. Failure to provide proof of education will result in non-consideration for this position. Official transcripts will be required prior to entrance-on-duty for individuals selected.

Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education.

Additional information

Veteran's Preference does not apply to the Senior Executive service (SES).

OF-306: You may be required to complete an OF-306, "Declaration for Federal Employment" form used to (a) determine your suitability for Federal Employment and/or (b) in conducting an investigation to determine your suitability or ability to hold a security clearance.

The U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy Statement: http://www.eeoc.gov/federal/index.cfm

Applications contain information subject to the Privacy Act (PL 93 579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.

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 non-compliance by completing the Fair Chance Act Intake Form and submitting it to the Administrative Investigations Program at AdministrativeInvestigations@hq.doe.gov.

The selecting official may need to consult Departmental ethics counsel to determine whether any of your former or current employers, affiliations, or financial holdings conflict with your ability to perform the duties of this position. If necessary, ethics counsel will work with you and the hiring office regarding potential mitigation strategies, if available.

A recruitment Incentive may be authorized in accordance with agency policy and if funding is available.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

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.

Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted. If you meet minimum qualifications, your Application Package will be further reviewed to determine if you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQ) listed above. ECQs and MTQs must be thoroughly addressed within your two (2) page resume. Separate narratives will not be accepted or reviewed. Highly Qualified applicants may undergo one or more interviews and may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration.

Upon selection, if not already a member of the SES serving under a career appointment, the individual selected must have his/her executive qualifications certified by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB) before appointment to this position. The selected individual's application will be forwarded to the OPM for review and certification by the QRB, unless the selectee provides evidence of their noncompetitive status (i.e., a current SES, OPM QRB certified SESCDP graduate, or SES reinstatement eligible). Upon QRB certification, the selected individual will be required to serve a one-year probationary period. For more information regarding the SES, go to https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/.

National Nuclear Security Administration

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is a separately organized agency of the Department of Energy. We manage highly visible U.S. National Security Programs, enhance U.S. national security through research, development, production, assembly, disassembly, and maintenance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, promote international nuclear non-proliferation and safety, reduce global danger from weapons of mass destruction, provide the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion, and oversee national laboratories and other production facilities to maintain U.S. leadership in science and technology.

The Office of Assistant Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development supports U.S. national and nuclear security objectives in reducing global nuclear security threats by advancing U.S capabilities to detect, identify, and characterize: 1) foreign nuclear weapons programs, 2) illicit diversion of special nuclear materials, and 3) global nuclear detonations and to provide the technical agility needed to support a broad spectrum of U.S. nonproliferation missions and anticipate threats.


Please view the following links for additional information:
Explore a world of opportunities at NNSA
Working at NNSA.pdf

Agency contact information

Michele James
Phone
202-287-6364
Email
Michele.James@nnsa.doe.gov
Address
National Nuclear Security Administration
24600 20th St SE
Kirkland AFB, NM 87117-5507
US

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