Department Manager - Tritium and Fusion Materials

Develop and execute transformative operational strategies at Idaho National Laboratory, where your work directly fuels America’s energy leadership and next-generation technological breakthroughs. As a driving force behind INL’s mission, you’ll shape policies and practices that advance nuclear innovation, national security, and energy solutions, continuing a legacy of scientific excellence. Your expertise will empower a world-class team to push boundaries in energy, cybersecurity, and space systems—right where history and cutting-edge research intersect.

This is your chance to build solutions that define the future of energy and security for decades to come.

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities:

• Manage the staff and R&D activities within the Tritium and Fusion Materials department. Lead the team through subordinate supervisors and professionals, providing guidance consistent with established company policies.
• Lead staff conducting R&D activities related to tritium and materials for fusion applications for sponsoring programs. This includes oversight of experiments in the Safety and Tritium Applied Research (STAR) facility.
• Act as point of contact for experimental activities in the Safety and Tritium Applied Research (STAR) facility and interface with other functions related to INL operations, including NS&T laboratories in IRC, EIL, and the ATR Complex.
• Program sponsors include DOE – Nuclear Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Office of Science, and other domestic and international partners through Cooperative Research and Development Agreements and Strategic Partnerships Projects and others.
• Manager will build relationships with DOE, other laboratories, the commercial nuclear industry, and universities that lead to new technical thrusts and programs of national relevance.
• Manager will provide employees with the guidance, direction, leadership, and support to ensure successful accomplishment of directorate goals and objectives.
• Develop technical staff to maintain a national reputation for technical excellence, build national leadership, and encourage and review staff publications.
• Manager will regularly evaluate processes and, when necessary, lead and/or provide guidance to implement process improvements.
• Manager will collaborate with leaders across the laboratory complex to leverage the full resources of the DOE, as well as industry and university partners, to accelerate innovation in tritium management and materials development for fusion applications.
• Manager will ensure allocated department overhead funds are tracked and appropriately administered, will coordinate with directorate departments, other directorates, and user facilities to provide integration of work across programs, and will work with user facilities and programs to improve execution and process efficiency.
• Recruit, retain and develop staff necessary to accomplish programmatic needs, including interns, post-docs and others to maintain talent pipeline. Conduct performance appraisals, salary reviews, promotion reviews and other administrative tasks.
• Responsible for the overall human capital management of the department. As a leader in the Nuclear Science and Technology Directorate, the department manager is responsible for creating a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, inclusion, and diversity with focus toward the professional development of staff.

Required:

• Advanced degree (PhD or MS) in Nuclear Engineering, Material Science, Physics, or a closely related discipline with commensurate experience in tritium and R&D for fusion applications.
• A minimum of 5 years' experience in tritium and fusion R&D with 2 years of leadership experience demonstrating effective skills in recruiting and developing research staff, conceiving, organizing, and leading nuclear fuels and materials-related research projects and programs, developing and implementing business plans, and proposal formulation and program development.

The ideal candidate will possess:

• PhD in Nuclear Engineering, Material Science, Physics, or a closely related discipline with commensurate experience in tritium and/or materials R&D for fusion applications.

Job…