We have an opening for an Associate Program Leader (APL) to manage aspects of the Nuclear Emergency Support Team's Consequence Management Operations (CM Ops) at LLNL. Specific responsibilities will depend upon the successful applicant's qualifications and experience. You will be responsible for the execution of a subset of Consequence Management (CM) operational mission areas of the Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST), including National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC) operations and Laboratory Analysis support to the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC). You will be responsible for operational CM reach back, training and deployments funded by NNSA and Strategic Partners. You will actively interact and support other operational assets within NEST (e.g., the Radiological Assistance Program, the Accident Response Group, the Joint Technical Operations Team (JTOT), the Aerial Measurement System, and forensics operations) and across the US Government (such as the Interagency Modeling and Atmospheric Assessment Center, DOD, DHS, and EPA) and specific international partners (such as the IAEA and its Member States). You will function as the primary point of contact for interactions with the CM stakeholder community and internal program elements (N Program, Z Program, E Program, and Strategic Deterrence) to establish and maintain an integrated and effective operational response capability working alongside LLNL's NEST Program Leader and the two Associated Program Leaders for Crisis Response and for Capability Development and Integration. This position reports through the NEST element of the Global Security Principal Directorate's Nuclear Threat Reduction Program.
In this role you will
- Provide operational leadership, management and planning for the ~$12M/year of operational CM components of LLNL's NEST in its interactions with the operational stakeholder community. Develop and maintain collaborations between LLNL's NEST and response programs at other Laboratories.
- Represent LLNL's NEST in its entirety with LLNL senior management and ensure integration of broader synergistic and complementary LLNL capabilities.
- Ensure that CM Ops is organizationally prepared to respond to sponsor needs within an operationally required timescale and meet security requirements. This includes coordinating necessary infrastructure, equipment, hardware, software, and training requirements.
- Administer and direct activities for staffing of CM Ops' response positions, determine qualification standards, and attract, retain, recruit, and select staff with necessary technical expertise.
- Provide leadership, management, planning, and support of activities required to meet programmatic goals, and guiding operationally focused collaborations across the US and internationally.
- Synergize CM Ops planning and operational activities with a "One NEST" approach alongside the Crisis Response and Capability Development & Integration APLs and the Program Leader.
- Establish appropriate elements of communication, project management, risk management, and technical rigor are applied to ensure accountability and quality of products.
- Commit to the goals of Integrated Safety Management, Integrated Safeguards and Security Management, compliance with all ES&H regulations as well as diversity and equal opportunity.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
In addition, at the SEL.5 Level you will
- Manage and grow cross-functional operations across the entire Public Health and Safety element of NEST at LLNL which includes the Radiological Assistance Program (RAP) in addition to CM's NARAC operations and FRMAC labs.
- Integrate operational cross-cutting capabilities across Crisis Response and Consequence Management assets for a desired "One NEST" approach.
- Develop and implement strategic plans to anticipate future staffing, training, resource and technology needs to expand current mission as well as identify and pursue new mission needs.
- An active Department of Energy (DOE) Q-level clearance or active Top-Secret clearance issued by another U.S. government agency at time of hire. You must have the ability to obtain and maintain Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access.
- Master's degree in science, engineering, or related field, or the equivalent combination of education and extensive related experience.
- Operational experience within one of NEST's Consequence Management or related assets, e.g., JTOT Effects, or relevant emergency operations in industry or government, and an ability to initiate training to become a qualified NEST operational response manager.
- Demonstrated ability to lead and develop innovative operational principles and concepts including bridging higher TRL research to operations and partnering effectively with other laboratories and organizations.
- Operational experience in organizing and managing complex projects/operations and sponsor relationships through honest interaction; experience planning, budgeting, staffing, and meeting milestones and deliverables; and resolving conflicts in scheduling, priorities, and funding to successfully sustain and build an operational program.
- Broad understanding of national and international goals of the federal NEST Program as well as a demonstrated ability to lead collaborative teams and to develop and implement industry and operational best practices.
- Demonstrated verbal and written communication skills (both verbal and written) as well as facilitation and collaboration skills necessary to interact effectively in an operational team environment including with the NEST PL and other APLs; and the ability to develop and deliver presentations, influence, and advise senior management, and external sponsors.
- Ability to manage and lead onsite personnel at short notice to sustain 24/7 emergency operations and assessments and to meet infrastructure and security requirements.
In addition, at the SEL.5 Level
- SCI access with strong track record of working with the intelligence community.
- Operational knowledge and experience of capabilities relevant to the overall NEST incident response mission and ability to apply them in unique and/or high-stress emergency response environments.
- Demonstrated experience participating in national policy-level discussions that affect the strategic direction of NEST's mission.
- Significant operational response experience with multiple NEST response assets.
- Ability to lead collaborative, multi-disciplinary teams to achieve novel technical objectives and ensure delivery of complex high-quality products in a timely manner to a sponsor or end user.
- Successful record of growing programs and developing new sponsor relationships.
- Significant experience with sponsors, interagency partners and/or collaborators and colleagues within the NNSA Complex (e.g., other laboratories, other programs, other sponsors).
Qualifications We Desire
- PhD in science, engineering, or related field, or the equivalent combination of education and extensive related experience with a demonstrated ability to lead and develop innovative cutting-edge principles, theories, and concepts.
- Software engineering experience with operational systems.
- Currently qualified NEST responder across multiple assets and/or an asset response manager with ability to take on additional roles within the NEST or IMAAC response community.