Quality Representative

Requisition Id 17210 

Overview:  

The Quality Assurance Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is seeking a Quality Representative to serve as a senior technical authority and advisor for nuclear quality assurance. This Quality Representative will provide strategic and technical leadership in the interpretation, development, and implementation of quality assurance requirements supporting complex nuclear and radiological facilities, programs, projects, procurements, and operations. This position resides in the Isotopes Enrichment & Facilities Quality Assurance Group and is matrixed to the Technical Support Services Group within the Nonreactor Nuclear Facilities Division of the Isotope Science and Enrichment Directorate.

The Quality Representative will exercise considerable independent judgment and technical latitude in resolving complex and consequential quality issues involving ASME NQA-1, nuclear quality assurance, engineering, procurement, fabrication, inspection and testing, supplier quality, commercial-grade dedication, software quality assurance, assessments, corrective action, and nuclear facility operations. The position will serve as a senior quality assurance advisor to technical organizations, project leadership, and management and will influence the development and implementation of quality strategies, priorities, and solutions across organizational boundaries.

The position will lead or provide technical direction for major quality assurance activities and initiatives, including those involving multiple organizations, disciplines, suppliers, or facilities. Responsibilities include evaluating complex or novel quality issues, establishing technically defensible approaches where established methods do not fully address the circumstances, integrating quality requirements with engineering and operational objectives, and advising management regarding significant quality risks and programmatic issues.

ORNL is the largest U.S. Department of Energy science and energy laboratory. ORNL conducts basic and applied research to deliver transformative solutions to compelling challenges in energy and national security. The Laboratory’s diverse capabilities span a broad range of scientific and engineering disciplines, enabling it to address fundamental scientific challenges and accelerate the delivery of innovative solutions.

The ideal candidate will possess extensive nuclear quality assurance experience and advanced knowledge of ASME NQA-1 and related nuclear quality principles. The successful candidate will have a demonstrated record of independently resolving complex quality issues, leading significant technical activities or programs, advising senior management, coordinating across technical disciplines and organizations, and developing effective solutions to quality challenges with significant organizational or mission impact.

Major Duties/Responsibilities: 

• Serve as a senior technical authority and consultant for nuclear quality assurance, providing authoritative interpretation and guidance regarding ASME NQA-1 requirements, graded quality approaches, and their application to nuclear facilities, projects, procurements, systems, and operations.
• Independently evaluate and resolve complex and consequential quality assurance issues, including those for which established procedures or precedent do not provide a complete solution, and develop technically defensible approaches integrating quality, engineering, procurement, operations, and regulatory considerations.
• Advise senior technical and organizational management regarding significant quality risks, emerging and systemic issues, program effectiveness, technical strategies, and priorities necessary to achieve organizational and mission objectives.
• Lead the development, interpretation, and implementation of quality assurance strategies, plans, procedures, methodologies, and requirements across engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction, maintenance, testing, and operational activities, including appropriate inspection, verification, acceptance, and documentation strategies.
• Provide senior technical leadership for nuclear procurement quality assurance, including supplier qualification and evaluation, source surveillance and inspection, factory acceptance testing, receipt inspection, commercial-grade dedication, and resolution of complex supplier quality issues.
• Evaluate engineering, procurement, fabrication, maintenance, work-control, inspection, and testing documents and activities to determine whether applicable technical and quality requirements have been appropriately identified, integrated, and implemented.
• Plan, lead, and manage major quality assurance activities and technical functions involving complex nuclear programs, facilities, projects, suppliers, and organizational interfaces, including assessments, audits, surveillances, and independent reviews to evaluate compliance, program effectiveness, organizational risk, and systemic performance. Serve as an ASME NQA-1 Lead Auditor or assessment team lead when qualified and assigned.
• Lead or provide senior technical consultation in the identification, evaluation, disposition, and resolution of significant nonconforming conditions, findings, events, and adverse trends, including evaluation of causes, extent of condition, corrective and preventive actions, effectiveness, lessons learned, and objective evidence supporting closure.
• Provide senior technical consultation regarding software quality assurance requirements and their application to nuclear and mission-critical systems and activities.
• Analyze assessment results, nonconformances, operating experience, performance information, and supplier performance to identify systemic and emerging quality risks and lead cross-functional improvement initiatives involving engineering, operations, procurement, project management, suppliers, and other technical organizations.
• Represent the Quality Assurance Division as a senior technical advisor to project leadership, senior technical staff, management, customers, suppliers, and other internal and external stakeholders on significant nuclear quality matters.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to quality professionals and other technical staff and contribute to development of organizational capability in nuclear quality assurance. Travel as necessary to support significant supplier and quality assurance activities.
• Deliver ORNL’s mission by aligning behaviors, priorities, and interactions with our core values of Impact, Integrity, Teamwork, Safety, and Service. Promote equal opportunity by fostering a respectful workplace – in how we treat one another, work together, and measure success.

Basic Qualifications:

• A BS degree in engineering, science, quality assurance, or a related technical field and a minimum of 12 years of nuclear-related quality assurance experience; a MS degree and a minimum of 10 years of nuclear-related quality assurance experience; or a PhD and a minimum of 7 years of nuclear-related quality assurance experience.
• Extensive experience in nuclear quality assurance or another highly regulated nuclear technical environment.
• Advanced knowledge of ASME NQA-1 requirements and demonstrated experience interpreting and applying nuclear quality assurance principles to complex facilities, projects, procurements, systems, or operations.
• Demonstrated experience independently resolving complex technical or quality assurance problems requiring significant professional judgment and coordination across organizational or technical disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience leading significant technical projects, programs, assessments, or quality assurance functions.
• Ability to qualify as a radiological worker.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Significant experience interpreting and applying ASME NQA-1 requirements to nuclear facility operations, engineering, design, procurement, fabrication, construction, testing, or maintenance, including development of quality assurance strategies, methodologies, programs, or technical approaches for complex nuclear activities.
• Demonstrated experience serving as a senior technical advisor or subject matter expert for nuclear quality assurance, including identifying systemic issues and emerging risks and translating complex technical information into recommendations for project, technical, or organizational management.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary or cross-organizational technical activities and resolving complex issues requiring integration among engineering, operations, procurement, project management, suppliers, and quality assurance.
• Extensive experience interpreting engineering drawings, specifications, procurement documents, design documentation, and technical requirements, including nuclear procurement quality assurance activities such as supplier evaluations, source and receipt inspections, factory acceptance testing, commercial-grade dedication, and resolution of supplier quality issues.
• Qualification or significant experience as an ASME NQA-1 Lead Auditor, assessment team lead, or senior assessor, including experience evaluating nonconforming conditions, causal analyses, corrective actions, extent-of-condition reviews, effectiveness reviews, and objective evidence supporting closure.
• Experience interpreting and applying software quality assurance requirements to nuclear or other mission-critical applications.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical and quality matters effectively with senior technical staff, project leadership, suppliers, customers, and management.
• Demonstrated ability to operate with considerable independence and professional judgment, establish priorities, and manage multiple significant assignments and organizational priorities.

Special Requirements: 

• Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

For employment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), a Real ID compliant form of identification will be required.  Additionally, ORNL is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All employees must also be able to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card as mandated by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and Department of Energy (DOE) Order 473.1A, which requires a favorable post-employment background investigation.

To obtain this credential, new employees must successfully complete and pass a Federal Tier 1 background check investigation.  This investigation includes a declaration of illegal drug activities, including use, supply, possession, or manufacture within the last year.  This includes marijuana and cannabis derivatives, which are still considered illegal under federal law, regardless of state laws.

About ORNL:

As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national laboratory, ORNL has an impressive 80-year legacy of addressing the nation’s most pressing challenges. Our team is made up of over 7,000 dedicated and innovative individuals! Our goal is to create an environment where a variety of perspectives and backgrounds are valued, ensuring ORNL is known as a top choice for employment. These principles are essential for supporting our broader mission to drive scientific breakthroughs and translate them into solutions for energy, environmental, and security challenges facing the nation.

ORNL offers competitive pay and benefits programs to attract and retain individuals who demonstrate exceptional work behaviors. The laboratory provides a range of employee benefits, including medical and retirement plans and flexible work hours, to support the well-being of you and your family. Employee amenities such as on-site fitness, banking, and cafeteria facilities are also available for added convenience.

Other benefits include the following: Prescription Drug Plan, Dental Plan, Vision Plan, 401(k) Retirement Plan, Contributory Pension Plan, Life Insurance, Disability Benefits, Generous Vacation and Holidays, Parental Leave, Legal Insurance with Identity Theft Protection, Employee Assistance Plan, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, Wellness Programs, Educational Assistance, Relocation Assistance, and Employee Discounts.

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This position will remain open for a minimum of 5 days after which it will close when a qualified candidate is identified and/or hired.

We accept Word (.doc, .docx), Adobe (unsecured .pdf), Rich Text Format (.rtf), and HTML (.htm, .html) up to 5MB in size. Resumes from third party vendors will not be accepted; these resumes will be deleted and the candidates submitted will not be considered for employment.

If you have trouble applying for a position, please email ORNLRecruiting@ornl.gov.

ORNL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, are encouraged to apply.  UT-Battelle is an E-Verify employer.