Program Manager, West Valley State Licensed Disposal Area

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) owns the 3,300-acre Western New York Nuclear Service Center (also known as the Center or West Valley site) in the Town of Ashford in Northern Cattaraugus County, NY. The Center was the location of a spent nuclear fuel reprocessing operation in the 1960s and 1970s that resulted in contaminated buildings, below-ground tanks, soil, sediment, and groundwater. Site operations at that time also included the disposal of significant quantities of radioactive waste in two onsite disposal facilities, including a commercial facility called the State-Licensed Disposal Area. In 1980, Congress directed the U.S. Department of Energy, in cooperation with NYSERDA, to conduct the West Valley Demonstration Project to solidify the site's high-level radioactive waste and decontaminate and decommission certain parts of the Center.

NYSERDA's eleven-member team at West Valley is responsible for representing NYSERDA's interests in the West Valley Demonstration Project and for directly managing the State-Licensed Disposal Area. NYSERDA staff also manage the Retained Premises, a generally undeveloped portion of the Center with low levels of environmental contamination.

Job Overview

The Program Manager for the State-Licensed Disposal Area and Retained Premises leads one of NYSERDA's two main program areas at the Western New York Nuclear Service Center (the other main program area involves the monitoring and oversight of the federal government's West Valley Demonstration Project work). The Program Manager has overall responsibility for implementing all NYSERDA program activities for the State-Licensed Disposal Area and Retained Premises with a focus on technical excellence, protection of worker and public health and safety and the environment, regulatory compliance, and maintaining a safety conscious work environment and a culture of operational discipline.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead a technical team to safely manage the State Licensed Disposal Area and the Retained Premises to demonstrate containment of waste and contamination, protect the environment and protect the health and safety of workers and the public.
• Demonstrate compliance with a New York State Department of Health Radioactive Materials License, a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Radiation Control Permit, a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 10 CFR Part 50 License, a RCRA Hazardous Waste Permit, and all applicable regulations.
• Ensure that all work is conducted using a rigorous work planning process and a thorough and systematic evaluation, identification, and mitigation of radiological, chemical, and industrial hazards.
• Manage staff, serve as a "second set of eyes" on staff work products and coach and guide staff. Conduct verbal and written performance appraisals, identify opportunities for staff professional development and training to further enhance staff competencies.
• Develop budget requests to provide all resources needed to safely and successfully conduct all required activities.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in earth sciences, geology, chemistry engineering, health physics, environmental sciences, or other related discipline and eight years of directly relevant experience including two years of supervisory experience.
• Willingness to become Radiation Worker and Hazardous Waste Operations Qualified.
• Ability to perform all managerial and supervisory responsibilities with respect, fairness, consistency, and inclusion across the workforce.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in earth sciences, geology, chemistry engineering, health physics, environmental sciences, or other related discipline and six years of directly relevant experience including two years of supervisory experience.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a technical team in a highly regulated, detail-focused environment.
• Radiation Worker and Hazardous Waste Operations Qualified.
• Ability to perform all managerial and supervisory responsibilities with respect, fairness, consistency, and inclusion across the workforce.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Additional Preferred Qualifications

Working knowledge of:

• Radioactivity, radiation, radiation safety principles, and radioactive material quantitative analyses and data interpretation.
• Radioactive waste generation, management and disposal.
• Chemical aspects of radioactive and hazardous waste and mixed waste management and environmental monitoring.
• Statistical methods for environmental monitoring.
• Federal and state radiation and hazardous waste regulations.
• U.S. Department of Energy Policies, Directives, and Orders.

Additional Comments on the Working Environment

This is an office position with regular oversight and observation activities on the property of the Western New York Nuclear Service Center (about three miles from the office). Must have the ability to work effectively outdoors in inclement weather conditions and safely negotiate unpaved walking surfaces, moderately steep slopes, and uneven terrain. Although the position generally will not include direct work with radioactive materials or hazardous chemicals, the position requires Radworker and HAZWOPER training and may occasionally require work with or near radioactive materials.

Please submit two files, one for your cover letter and another for a resume.

Please note that during the application process, you may be prompted to opt-in to Artificial Intelligence ("AI") scoring. This is an automatic request in the ADP system but is not a feature that is used by NYSERDA in its recruiting and hiring process. Your response will have no impact on your application to NYSERDA.

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