Key federal nuclear policy post opens to applicants

September 1, 2020, 11:59AM|ANS News Staff

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) within the Executive Office of the President is charged with reviewing and approving the annual budget requests of federal departments and agencies, including the Department of Energy. “In many ways, the OMB is the final authority on government spending,” explained ANS Executive Director/CEO Craig Piercy.

A window has just opened for applicants to serve as a nuclear program examiner for the OMB, with responsibility for analyzing nuclear policy issues and developing recommendations.

Piercy

An important role: “OMB has an incredibly important, if underappreciated, role in determining the scope and nature of the federal government’s investments in nuclear technology development,” Piercy said. With U.S. nuclear plant operators facing economic challenges and electricity generators across the country seeking cost-competitive options—including advanced nuclear—to meet their clean energy goals, well-targeted federal nuclear spending could have a huge impact.

“OMB approves the DOE’s annual budget request, as well as its major spending decisions,” Piercy added. “The nuclear program examiner position requires a deep understanding of the scientific and engineering dimensions of nuclear technology, program and project management, and an overarching understanding of the federal budget process.”

Requirements: The position can be filled at the federal government’s GS 12–13 or GS 14–15 pay grades, and, at a minimum, it requires one year of specialized experience in the federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector that demonstrates experience in applying analytic disciplines, such as economics, engineering, finance, or statistics, to policy challenges in highly technical fields or sectors; the capacity to analyze an array of civilian nuclear energy technologies and policies individually and within a broader energy policy context; and an understanding of federal energy programs and the commercial energy sector.

Responsibilities: The program examiner will:

Analyze legislative, budgetary, and regulatory proposals; review testimony, reports to Congress, and other materials for conformance with current policies and priorities; and monitor policy progress through congressional and executive branch processes.
Develop options and recommendations to address policy issues through budgetary resource allocation, improved management systems, and program oversight; identify and evaluate impediments to implementing policy direction and formulate alternative approaches; and advise and assist in the administration of policy and operating guidelines.
Review organizational structures, human capital plans, performance plans, and financial management and information technology systems to support long-range program and policy development and goals.

Visit usajobs.gov today for information about applying for the position of program examiner at pay grades GS 12–13 or GS 14–15. Applications will be accepted through September 11.

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