Principal Scientist

If you’re looking for an interesting, fulfilling career, you’ve come to the right place! Mission Support and Test Services, LLC (MSTS) manages and operates the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Our MISSION is to help ensure the security of the United States and its allies by providing high-hazard experimentation and incident response capabilities through operations, engineering, education, field, and integration services and by acting as environmental stewards to the Site’s Cold War legacy. Our VISION is to be the user site of choice for large-scale, high-hazard, national security experimentation, with premier facilities and capabilities below ground, on the ground, and in the air. (See NNSS.gov for our unique capabilities.) Our 2,750+ professional, craft, and support employees are called upon to innovate, collaborate, and deliver on some of the more difficult nuclear security challenges facing the world today.   

• MSTS offers our full-time employees highly competitive salaries and benefits packages including medical, dental, and vision; both a pension and a 401k; paid time off and 96 hours of paid holidays; relocation (if located more than 75 miles from work location); tuition assistance and reimbursement; and more.  
• MSTS is a limited liability company consisting of Honeywell International Inc. (Honeywell), Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (Jacobs), and HII Nuclear Inc.

• Bachelor’s degree in Health Physics, Nuclear Engineering or a similar calculus-based (STEM) field, plus 9 years' relevant experience. Skill building experience must demonstrate either deeper technical specialization or additional cross-disciplinary knowledge. Ph.D. is preferred.

• Experience with one or more of the following is highly desired: gamma-ray spectroscopy, operational health physics, customer service and/or training development and delivery, scientific computational tools (Python, MatLab, LaTex, etc).
• Additional enhancing experience includes: aviation, aviation operations, MCNP or other transport codes, numerical methods, advanced mathematics, Geospatial Information Systems (GIS), programming.
• Must have strong written and oral communications skills and must show a demonstrated ability to work on complex applied projects in a group atmosphere.
• Must have the ability to interface effectively with technical personnel from other MSTS organizations, outside organizations, and government agencies.
• Must be willing and able to perform work during non-standard hours, take on-call duty, and deploy worldwide on short notice.
• Must be able to perform critical job functions while under high stress environments such as those presented in real world deployments.
• Must be able to meet Company requirements for worldwide travel including medical physical and immunizations. 
• Must be able to obtain and maintain SCI accesses.
• Ability to work independently or in a team environment on a wide variety of tasks. 
• Must be able to lift 50 lbs.
• Must be able to participate in National Response Asset Deployment activities, including flight onboard government aircraft for missions and deployments. 
• The primary work location will be at the Remote Sensing Laboratory-Andrews on Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
• Employees are able to choose from the following work schedules: 4/10s, Monday through Thursday; 9/80, off every other Friday; and 5/8s, Monday through Friday. (subject to change) 

• Pre-placement physical examination, which includes a drug screen, is required. MSTS maintains a substance abuse policy that includes random drug testing.

• Must possess a valid driver’s license.

MSTS is required by DOE directive to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants offered employment with MSTS are also subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment. In addition, Applicants for employment must be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship, at least 18 years of age. Reference DOE Order 472.2, “Personnel Security”. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Department of Energy Q Clearance (position will be cleared to this level). Reviews and tests for the absence of any illegal drug as defined in 10 CFR Part 707.4, “Workplace Substance Abuse Programs at DOE Sites,” will be conducted.  Applicant selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation, required to participate in subsequent reinvestigations, and must meet the eligibility requirements for access to classified matter. Successful completion of a counterintelligence evaluation, which may include a counterintelligence-scope polygraph examination, may also be required. Reference 10 CFR Part 709, “Counterintelligence Evaluation Program.”

MSTS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. MSTS is a background screening, drug-free workplace.

Annual salary range for this position is: $121,867.20 - $ 185,848.00.

Starting salary is determined based on the position market value, the individual candidate education and experience and internal equity. 

Key Responsibilities

• Collect, analyze, and interpret radiological data from airborne and ground-based platforms during exercises, training, and real-world incidents.

• Maintain the ability to present analytical results to a technical or non-technical audience.

• Attain and maintain qualifications, programmatic training and medical fitness requirements to serve as an active emergency responder. 

• Utilize specialized tools and applications to calculate potential impacts to the public, workers, and the environment to support radiological emergencies.
• Serve on at least one of the National-level nuclear incident response teams for the NEST assets.
• Ability to deploy worldwide for exercises and responses, with as little as two-hour notice when on call.

• Provide mentorship and guidance to scientific and technical staff.

• Provide scientific guidance on projects involving an interdisciplinary team of engineers, physicists, and technicians. 

• Select and bring new scientific methods to bear.

• Maintain training and ensure job-specific qualifications remain current; as well as attend onsite and off-site training as necessary to maintain competency.
• Assist in the development of company and emergency response guidelines, manuals, procedures, etc.
• Develop and implement corrective actions and lessons learned.
• Develop training materials and deliver training to emergency responders across the DOE community and other partners.
• Prepare technical reports, recommendations, documentation, publications, and proposals.
• Organize, evaluate, and interpret data by comparison against standards and guidelines. 
• Plan and conduct work requiring judgment in the evaluation, selection, application, adaptation, and modification of standard techniques, guidelines, procedures, and criteria.
• Conduct test and evaluation of radiation detection equipment and acquisition/analysis software.
• Provide expertise, feedback, and input into the development of improved radiation detection systems and analysis algorithms.
• Provide scientific guidance on projects involving an interdisciplinary team of engineers, software developers, scientists, and technicians.
• Operate radiation detection equipment in field operations.
• Maintain subject matter expertise and proficiency on detection equipment to instruct during courses or offer troubleshooting during operations or events.
• Develop and design scientific and technical content for training exercises.
• Coordinate assigned work with other personnel as directed.
• Provide direction for specific activities as assigned.
• Perform other duties as assigned by Supervisor/Manager.
• In addition to fulfilling basic ESH&Q obligations:
  • Must address all aspects of safety in design and execution of work.
  • Work may affect public health and safety.