Fire Protection Engineer

Background

This position is located in the Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards, Division of Fuel Cycle, Fuel Facility Licensing Branch 2., U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Headquarters, Rockville, MD.   

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proud to be ranked among the best places to work for compensation, work-life balance, and performance for mid-sized agencies in the Federal Government. 

The NRC protects public health and safety and advances the nation’s common defense and security by enabling the safe and secure use and deployment of civilian nuclear energy technologies and radioactive materials through efficient and reliable licensing, oversight, and regulation for the benefit of society and the environment.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Reviewing and evaluating, regarding the safety consequences of fire, applications for source and special nuclear material licenses, safety analysis reports, and environmental reports for fuel cycle facilities engaged in nuclear fuel fabrication, chemical processing of nuclear materials, enrichment, scrap recovery, and waste processing.
• Recommending and developing NRC policy and assists in the drafting of regulations, standards, procedures, and guides governing the Commission's regulatory program.
• Evaluating, regarding fire safety, the applicant's technical qualifications, including the training and experience of the members of the applicant's staff, to operate nuclear facilities in a manner that protects public health and the environment and minimizes danger to life and property.
• Evaluating licensee administrative programs, staffing, procedures, and equipment for adequacy of identification, assessment, mitigation, and monitoring of fire hazards.
• Making recommendations to management on programs and approaches needed to develop and maintain effective NRC fire safety policies, regulations, guidance, and programs. Makes professional presentations to other Agency offices as necessary to ensure effective communication.
• Preparing technical reports, documents, and publications as necessary to promote, support, and describe the NRC fire safety program.
• Maintaining technical knowledge of the fire hazards of licensed facility operations and identifies needed research work to appropriately understand and address any special issues that may arise. Advises management on matters involving application of fire safety principles to complex processes and equipment.
• Preparing written reports or technical publications, such as safety evaluation reports and environmental assessments, regarding the results of the evaluations and analyses which set forth conclusions and/or recommendations tor licensing action.
• Communicating with NRC staff and management, licensees, other Federal agencies, State and local officials, media, and members of the public regarding fire safety. Prepares responses to inquiries about Congressional, public, and others' concerns in matters of fuel cycle safety.

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:

Knowledge and/or experience as a technical expert reviewer for fire safety aspects of licensing applications for nuclear fuel cycle facilities; knowledge of fire protection programs and the effects of fires/explosions on structures, systems, and components that are important to safety; experience in developing safety evaluation reports; and experience in developing policy, standards, and guidance.

The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:

1.      Demonstrated knowledge of Fire Protection Engineering Expertise for Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities.

2.      Demonstrated ability to perform Licensing Review, Regulatory Compliance, and Technical Documentation.

3.      Demonstrated experience with Integrated Hazard Analysis and Interdisciplinary Coordination.

4.      Demonstrated experience with Policy, Standards, Guidance, and Rulemaking Support.

5.      Demonstrated experience with Communication, Stakeholder Engagement, and Expert Testimony.

A description of how you possess the specialized experience as well as how you meet the qualifications desired in an ideal candidate must be addressed in your resume. Applicants may also use the supplemental vacancy question to provide additional information pertaining to the specialized experience and ideal candidate criteria.

Education

Candidates for Federal Government professional engineering positions must meet certain basic professional knowledge requirements.

Generally these knowledge requirements are met by having a bachelor's or higher degree in a relevant professional engineering discipline (e.g., mechanical, metallurgical, materials, nuclear, structural, chemical, electrical) from a school of engineering with at least one professional engineering curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

However, if you do not possess such a professional engineering degree, you may still satisfy the professional knowledge requirements if you have current Professional Engineer (P.E.) registration in one of the relevant disciplines from any U.S. State or Territory; or if you successfully passed an Engineer-in-Training (EIT) written examination administered by a State Board of Engineering Examiners; or if you have either a related professional degree or at least 60 semester hours of specified engineering-related college courses COMBINED WITH at least a year of professional engineering work experience performed under professional engineer supervision and guidance.

Note: Engineering technology degrees are not generally qualifying unless supplemented by other evidence of the individual's professional knowledge (e.g., current P.E. license or EIT examination results, as discussed above).

How to Apply

Visit www.nrc.gov Review the NRC Career Opportunities page, click on “Apply Now” then “Search for New Opportunities” and click on “view a list of current NRC vacancies at USAJOBS.”  Or, click on the apply button/link on this site to be taken to NRC ‘s USAJOBS.gov employment page.  Find the Fire Protection Engineer Announcement Number DEST-13047707-26-KD and apply on-line by September 10, 2026.

Note: It is essential for you to view the official Job Opportunity Announcement found on USAJOBS.  It will provide precise information about the qualification requirements and the exact documents to be submitted for you to be evaluated, which will include your resume (not to exceed two pages in length), your transcripts, your responses to all required vacancy questions and any documents related to application eligibilities you may be claiming.

If you are viewing this opportunity after September 10th please visit NRC’s website and discover additional opportunities for which you might be interested.