Senior Associate Director, Operations and Research

About the role

The Nuclear Engineering & Science Center’s (NESC) Reactor Facilities play an important role in the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station’s (TEES) mission of performing research and leveraging expertise from universities, national laboratories, and state and federal agencies to improve lives through basic and applied engineering research. The Reactor Facilities provide support to instructional and research programs for all TAMUS colleges and departments as well as other organizations state-wide, nationally, and internationally. The two reactors are the foundation of the NESC, consisting of a 1-Megawatt TRIGA (NSCR) and a 5-Watt AGN along with associated research and service facilities and infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Reactor Operations & Safety Management
  • Ensure the safe, secure, and compliant operation of the reactor in accordance with U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licenses, regulations, and technical specifications.
  • Prepare materials and otherwise support the Reactor Safety Board activities.
  • Aid the Director in coordination with the NRC, including regulatory communications, licensing actions, and other routine interactions.
  • Collaborate with A&M System engineering and safety personnel on projects to improve the facility’s capabilities and safety.
• Research & Education Coordination
  • Aid the Director, faculty, scientists, commercial partners, and or individually to develop new business opportunities for the utilization of the NESC facilities, and develop plans to integrate these activities into reactor operations.
  • Oversee the allocation of experimental space and reactor use time among multidisciplinary teams.
  • Establish integration activities for research programs considering scientific impact, budget, and operational constraints.
• Compliance & Regulatory Affairs
  • Manage and maintain all necessary and license-related documents, including Safety Analysis Reports, Technical Specifications, Emergency Plan, Quality Assurance Plan, Physical Security Plan, Training and Requalification Plan, and Corrective Action Plans.
  • Engage with the licensing engineer or consultant to prepare, and review technical specifications revisions, license amendment requests, standard operating procedures, facility operations authorizations, and experiment authorizations.
• Leadership & Budgeting
  • Supervise the NESC staff, the reactor supervisor, engineers, machinists, maintenance, radiation-safety personnel.
  • Develop and monitor annual divisional expense and revenue budgets, including sourcing grant and contract funding.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or any equivalent combination of training and experience.
• Nine years of related experience.

Qualifications

• Strong leadership and supervisory skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Experience with regulatory compliance and safety protocols.
• Knowledge of nuclear engineering principles and practices.

Skills

• Project management.
• Regulatory compliance.
• Facility operations.
• Research coordination.
• Team leadership.

Benefits

• Competitive medical insurance benefits through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and Prescription coverage by Express Scripts.
• Options for Vision, Dental, Life, and Long-Term Disability insurance.
• A defined benefit retirement plan with the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) with 8.25% employer contribution.
• Additional Voluntary Retirement Programs: Tax Deferred Account 403(b) and a Deferred Compensation Program 457(b).
• Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses.
• Generous paid time off with holidays, vacation and sick leave.
• Robust free training access through LinkedIn Learning plus professional development opportunities.
• Tuition assistance and Educational release time to further your academic pursuits.
• Access to Engineer Your Wellness programs that provide opportunities for employees to engage in health and fitness.
• Wellness release time offered to employees to promote work/life balance.

Pay

Commensurate with experience.

Schedule

Full-time.