Operations Specialist - Radiochemical Processing Laboratory

Overview

At PNNL,our core capabilities are divided among major departments that were referred to as directorates within the Lab, focused on a specific area of scientific research or other function, with its own leadership team and dedicated budget.

Our Science & Technology directorates include National Security, Earth and Biological Sciences, Physical and Computational Sciences, and Energy and Environment.

In addition, we have an Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus.

The Energy and Environment Directorate delivers science and technology solutions for the nation’s biggest energy and environmental challenges. Our more than 1,700 staff support the Department of Energy (DOE), delivering on key DOE mission areas including: modernizing our nation’s power grid to maintain a reliable, affordable, secure, and resilient electricity delivery infrastructure; research, development, validation, and effective utilization of renewable energy and efficiency technologies that improve the affordability, reliability, resiliency, and security of the American energy system;

and resolving complex issues in nuclear science, energy, and environmental management.

The Energy and Environment Directorate (EED) is seeking an outstanding Operations Specialist to provide leadership and safety oversight of EED’s portfolio of research operations focusing on, but not limited to, the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory, PNNL’s hallmark Category II, Non-Reactor Nuclear Facility.

Key duties and responsibilities include:

• Integrates operational capabilities, requirements, and solutions across research and support organizations to enable and enhance effective and efficient project execution in support of the Lab’s mission.
• Maintains awareness of existing and planned changes in the operational risk profile of assigned research operating envelope.
• Maintains situational awareness of operational needs and emerging regulatory requirements, providing analysis of options and recommendations to mitigate exposure to operational risk and reduce the frequency of operational upset conditions.
• During upset conditions, assists management in the identification and implementation of immediate actions. This may include leading or participating in critiques and accident investigation, participating in causal analyses, and identifying and managing corrective actions and lessons learned.
• Evaluates the need for and provides necessary Subject Matter Expert (SME) support to line management, staff, and Project Management Offices to assist with project planning, assessment activities and risk identification and mitigation.
• Supports day-to-day work being conducted in research spaces including coordinating, scheduling, and logistics of contractors, crafts personnel, and other visiting researchers, including utilization of equipment, systems, and capabilities within their assigned spaces.
• Conduct risk reviews in the Electronic Prep & Risk System – review safety questions with Project Managers and approve operations risks.
• Provide oversight into Lab Assist activities (planning, assessments, routine operations, hazards analysis).
• Represent EED management for lab space related issues, including overseeing project and equipment startups.
• Interface and communicate with research, including lab modifications and other facility needs, to Subject Matter Experts (Safety and Health, Facilities, Infrastructure & Operations staff [building managers, and engineers] and assure operational needs are met and support the R&D mission’s needs.
• Mitigate impact to R&D activities during outages, facility modifications, etc.
• Coordinates operations and performs duties within the DOE and appropriate regulatory agencies requirements.
• Identifies issues, develops solutions, and manages implantation of PNNL-wide requirements, also provides recommendations that have measurable long term impact on the success of the laboratory and sets precedent on future decisions.
• Demonstrates the ability to build consensus across a broad spectrum of stakeholders and/or interest groups by articulating the strategic…