Public Notice - Health Physicist (Direct Hire)

Summary

Position supports the implementation of the facility's Radiation Protection Program. Primary duties involve conducting radiation surveys, performing hazard assessments for ionizing and non-ionizing sources, evaluating safety procedures, and ensuring worker and environmental exposures remain as low as reasonably achievable.

Duties



Help

• Duties described below are at the highest grade advertised. Duties assigned at lower grade levels will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity; duties will be commensurate with the grade of selected employee.
• Evaluate complex radiation use requests and authorizations and develop technical recommendations regarding radiation hazards, controls, and approval requirements.
• Evaluate and interpret federal, state, and local radiation safety regulations and develop recommendations for their application to complex site and field operations.
• Plan and conduct complex health physics surveys, inspections, and assessments to evaluate radiation hazards, identify deficiencies, and recommend corrective actions.
• Analyze complex radiation exposure and risk data associated with equipment, materials, and operations and develop recommendations for appropriate radiation safety controls.
• Evaluate contractor activities involving radiation sources, identify compliance or safety concerns, and recommend corrective actions or improvements to radiation protection practices.
• Interpret and apply ionizing and non-ionizing radiation safety requirements to complex operations and recommend changes to procedures or controls necessary to maintain compliance.
• Perform technical evaluations of personnel safety controls, monitoring practices, and equipment and develop recommendations to address deficiencies and improve radiation protection measures.
• Plan and coordinate technical response activities for industrial or radiological safety events, assess hazards and potential exposures, and provide recommendations for corrective and protective actions.
• For supervisory positions, you will perform a full range of supervisory duties which includes assigning and evaluating work; recommending personnel actions; taking disciplinary actions; and identifying training needs and developing employees.
  
  

Requirements



Help



Conditions of employment

• This position is open to U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
• This position may require a one-year probationary period. If selected, the requirement to serve such period will be determined by Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 11. **See Additional Information section**
• You must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• Position subject to pre-employment background investigation or higher-level clearance. Investigation/Clearance may differ and be required based on the duty location/NASA Center requirements.
• Financial Disclosure, Drug Testing, and/or the Travel Requirements for this position may differ and be required based on the duty location/NASA Center requirements.
• A one-year supervisory probationary period may be required.
  
  

Qualifications

Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work.

Promotion Potential: The full performance level (FPL) will vary based on the position in which the selectee is placed and does not default to the highest grade advertised

To qualify for GS-11, you must have:

• One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level:
• Assisting with radiation protection activities by conducting surveys, monitoring radiation hazards, evaluating health physics data, and supporting compliance with Federal, NASA, and organizational radiation safety requirements.
  
  

OR

• Completed all requirements for a doctoral degree (i.e., Ph.D. or equivalent) in an appropriate field
  
  

OR

• Completed 3 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent doctoral degree in an appropriate field
  
  

OR

• Have an equivalent combination of experience and graduate study as discussed in a), b) and c) above
  
  

To qualify for GS-12, you must have:

• One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level:
• Planning and conducting radiation protection activities by evaluating radiation hazards, performing health physics assessments, and developing recommendations to support compliance with Federal, NASA, and organizational radiation safety requirements.
  
  

To qualify for GS-13, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level:

• Developing and implementing radiation protection programs, conducting health physics assessments, and providing technical guidance to support compliance with Federal, NASA, and organizational radiation safety requirement.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job.



Please visit https://www.nasa.gov/careers/how-to-apply/#Artificial-Intelligence to review NASA's guidance on the use of artificial intelligent (AI) or AI-assisted tools during the application process.

Education

Basic Requirement:

You must have successfully completed a full course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in natural science or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours in health physics, engineering, radiological science, chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, and/or calculus.

OR

Have a combination of education and experience: courses as described above, plus appropriate experience or other education; or certification as a Health Physicist by the American Board of Health Physics, plus appropriate experience and other education that provided an understanding of the sciences applicable to health physics comparable to that described above.

U.S. degrees must have been awarded from colleges or universities that are accredited by recognized accrediting organizations. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, go to http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.



If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs. These education credentials must be deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.



All degrees must have been received in the year of, or any year subsequent to the original date of accreditation.

Additional information

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across NASA within the local commuting area(s) of the location(s) identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) within NASA. CTAP/ICTAP will be cleared for any additional selection from this announcement.

If you have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must:

• Indicate your eligibility when applying for a position. The questionnaire asks you to identify your ICTAP/CTAP eligibility.
• Meet the minimum qualifications requirements for the position
• Submit proof that you meet the requirements for CTAP/ICTAP as indicated in 'Required Documents.'
  
  

For additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, click here - https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/#ictap.

Any applicant that received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) from the federal governmentwithin the last five years based of the closing date of this announcement, if selected, may be required to repay the full amount prior to establishing a start date. For additional information on the VSIP repayment requirement, click here - https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/voluntary-separation-incentive-payments/.

Per Executive Order 14343, this position is not part of a bargaining unit.

Probationary Period

You may be required to serve a one-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. If selected, the requirement to serve such period will be determined by Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 11.

In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
  
  

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Supervisory probationary periods are not subject to the above process, although, if a standard probationary period is required. You are subject to the conditions of both a standard probationary period and the supervisory probationary period.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.



Help



A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.