Nuclear Safety Officer (Safety Assessment)(P4)
JOB DETAIL
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING APPLICATION DEADLINE: Please note that the closing date for submission of applications is indicated in local time as per the time zone of the applicant’s location.
Organizational Setting
The Department of Nuclear Safety and Security (NS) formulates and implements the IAEA’s nuclear safety and security programme, which encompasses the Agency’s activities to protect people and the environment from radiation exposure, and responds to the needs of its Member States related to nuclear safety and security.
The objective of the Division of Nuclear Installation Safety (NSNI) is to achieve and maintain a high level of safety of nuclear installations worldwide that are under design or construction or in operation. The Division does this by establishing standards of safety for the protection of health, including standards for nuclear power plants and other nuclear installations and facilities, and by providing for the application of these standards through, among other things, support for the IAEA’s Technical Cooperation programme, the rendering of safety review services, the promotion of education and training, the fostering of information exchange and the coordination of research and development. In addition, the Division helps ensure safety at nuclear installations by promulgating international safety instruments such as the Convention on Nuclear Safety and the Code of Conduct on the Safety of Research Reactors. NSNI comprises five Sections:
• External Events Safety Section
• Operational Safety Section
• Safety Assessment Section
• Regulatory Activities Section
• Research Reactor Safety Section
The Safety Assessment Section (SAS) helps to improve the capability of Member States in carrying out effective safety assessments and enhancing the safety of nuclear installations. SAS does this by developing safety standards and guides for design and safety assessment; by promoting the use of advanced safety assessment methods and tools with enhanced integration of deterministic and probabilistic analyses and the use of risk-informed and performance-based safety approaches. The Section undertakes Technical Safety Reviews (TSRs) that can be tailored to the needs of requesting parties. The work of the Section covers existing, evolutionary and innovative reactors, including small modular reactors (SMRs), non-water-cooled reactors and fusion reactors.
Main Purpose
Reporting to the Section Head, the Nuclear Safety Officer (Safety Assessment) plans and coordinates projects on technical disciplines in the area of safety assessment (deterministic safety analysis (DSA), probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) and severe accident analysis (SAA)) to support specific Divisional programmes and services aimed at strengthening the safety of existing and future nuclear installations.
Role
The Nuclear Safety Officer (Safety Assessment) is:
(1) a project planner and implementer, contributing to the development and implementation of activities aimed at promoting the Divisional programmatic objectives;
(2) a scientific secretary and technical expert, planning and leading Technical Meetings and consultancies;
(3) a mission leader, planning and leading technical safety reviews and follow-up missions; and
(4) a technical officer, leading and evaluating technical cooperation and extra-budgetary operational and coordinated research projects.
Functions / Key Results Expected
Provide technical Lead to projects with teams of internal and external experts to develop safety standards and supporting publications on safety assessment, to support the demonstration and strengthening of the safety of existing NPPs and advanced reactor designs.
Provide technical lead to projects with teams of internal and external experts to improve implementation of safety standards in the area of safety assessment, including determining the way in which new or updated standards are to be developed.
Provide Member States with advice and assistance in the application of DSA, PSA and SAA methodologies and safety standards, including to organize peer review missions to determine the alignment of safety assessments of NPPs with relevant IAEA safety standards and to formulate an action plan for the Member State to address identified deficiencies.
Organize and manage capacity building projects, including education, training and exercises at the national, regional and interregional levels to address all the safety assessment topics for nuclear power plants.
Provide assistance and technical expertise for the Incident Emergency System (IES); and participate in associated training events and exercises.
Participate as an active member and IAEA representative in professional meetings, conferences and projects.
Competencies and Expertise
Core Competencies(Competency Framework)
| Name | Definition |
|---|---|
|   | |
| Communication | Communicates orally and in writing in a clear, concise and impartial manner. Takes time to listen to and understand the perspectives of others and proposes solutions. |
|   | |
| Achieving Results | Takes initiative in defining realistic outputs and clarifying roles, responsibilities and expected results in the context of the Department/Division’s programme. Evaluates his/her results realistically, drawing conclusions from lessons learned. |
|   | |
| Teamwork | Actively contributes to achieving team results. Supports team decisions. |
|   | |
| Planning and Organizing | Plans and organizes his/her own work in support of achieving the team or Section’s priorities. Takes into account potential changes and proposes contingency plans. |
Functional Competencies
| Name | Definition |
|---|---|
|   | |
| Judgement/decision making | Consults with supervisor/manager and takes decisions in full compliance with the Agency’s regulations and rules. Makes decisions reflecting best practice and professional theories and standards. |
|   | |
| Partnership building | Identifies and builds partnerships. Develops and maintains long lasting partnerships to strengthen relationships. Delivers programmatic outputs and acquires resources in support of Agency goals. |
|   | |
| Technical/scientific credibility | Ensures that work is in compliance with internationally accepted professional standards and scientific methods. Provides scientifically/technically accepted information that is credible and reliable. |
Required Expertise
| Function | Name | Expertise Description |
|---|---|---|
|   |   |   |
| Nuclear Safety | Nuclear Standards, Development and Application | Knowledge of the development and /or utilisation of safety standards related to deterministic safety analysis, probabilistic safety assessment and severe accident analysis of nuclear power plants. |
|   |   |   |
| Nuclear Safety | Project Management | Experience in the management of projects related to safety assessment of nuclear power plants. |
|   |   |   |
| Nuclear Safety | Safety Assessment of Nuclear Facilities | Practical experience in the development and /or review, and application of deterministic and probabilistic safety assessments and severe accident analysis (including modelling) of nuclear power plants. |
|   |   |   |
| Nuclear Safety | Technical Projects | Experience in developing technical reports on safety analysis |
Asset Expertise
| Function | Name | Expertise Description |
|---|---|---|
|   |   |   |
| Nuclear Safety | Safety of Advanced Nuclear Systems | Knowledge of innovative reactors, including non-water-cooled reactors and knowledge of the fusion technology. |
Qualifications, Experience and Language skills
Master’s Degree – Advanced university degree in engineering/physical/nuclear/chemical/mathematical sciences or a related field.
Bachelor’s Degree – University degree in engineering/physical/nuclear/chemical/mathematical sciences or a related field, with three additional years of relevant experience may be considered in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Minimum of seven years of relevant experience, of which five years at international level.
Practical experience in DSA and SAA (including modelling).
Deep knowledge and understanding of PSA for nuclear power plants (NPPs) and its applications in risk-informed decision making.
Experience organizing and leading technical meetings, capacity building missions, and other expert and advisory missions.
Experience in international projects an asset, particularly with embarking countries.
Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries and the ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relations in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.
Excellent oral and written command of English. Knowledge of other official IAEA languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is an asset.
Remuneration
The IAEA offers an attractive remuneration package including a tax-free annual net base salary starting at US $77326 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance), a variable post adjustment which currently amounts to US $ 35802*, dependency benefits, rental subsidy, education grant, relocation and repatriation expenses; Other benefits include 6 weeks’ annual leave, home leave travel, pension plan and health insurance. More information on the conditions of employment can be found at: https://www.iaea.org/about/employment/professional-staff/conditions
General Information
- The IAEA’s paramount consideration in the recruitment of staff member is to secure employees of the highest standards of efficiency, technical competence and integrity.
- Staff Members shall be selected without any unfair treatment or arbitrary distinction based on a person’s race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, age, language, social origin or other similar shared characteristic or trait.
- The IAEA is committed to gender equality and to promoting a diverse workforce. Applications from qualified women and candidates from developing countries are strongly encouraged.
- Applicants should be aware that IAEA staff members are international civil servants and may not accept instructions from any other authority. The IAEA is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. As part of the United Nations common system, the IAEA subscribes to the following core ethical standards (or values): Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for diversity.
- The IAEA has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and the IAEA, including sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.
Evaluation process
- The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the selection criteria stated in the vacancy announcement. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information. Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise, which may be followed by a competency-based interview.
- Candidates under serious consideration for selection may be subject to reference and background checks as part of the recruitment process.
Appointment information
- Appointment is subject to a satisfactory medical report.
- Staff members may be assigned to any location.
- Candidates appointed to posts in the Professional and higher categories are subject to IAEA rotation policy and their maximum tour of service shall normally be seven years.
- The IAEA retains the discretion not to make any appointment to this vacancy, to make an appointment at a lower grade or with a different contract type, or to make an appointment with a modified job description or for shorter duration than indicated above.
