Who We Are

  Our Mission:
NRC's mission is to regulate the civilian use of nuclear power and nuclear materials in order to protect the health and safety of our people, our environment, and our nation.

We've earned our top ratings by creating a work environment rich in opportunity, diversity, leadership training, teamwork, and work life balance. Help guide our nation into the next generation of nuclear safety! Begin a challenging career with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission where you can be part of a select group of professionals who protect people and the environment with the peaceful use of nuclear materials in medicine, industry and research.

For 2017-8, the NRC expects to hire some new staff and student summer interns. These positions are mainly in engineering fields such as mechanical, electrical, chemical, nuclear, and civil and geotechnical. The NRC also anticipate filling some positions in the areas of hydrology, seismology, health physics and information technology.

Diversity in NRC's Workforce
The NRC's approximately 4,000 employees are at our Headquarters complex in Rockville, Maryland, our four regional offices in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Illinois, and Texas, and in our Technical Training Center in Chattanooga, TN. Our workforce represents diversity in gender, ethnicity, occupation, and age.

Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Committees
The agency has seven Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Committees to assist agency management in accomplishing EEO objectives. These include the Advisory Committee for African Americans, Advisory Committee for Employees with Disabilities, the Asian Pacific American Advisory Committee, Diversity Advisory Committee on Ageism, Federal Women's Program Advisory Committee, Hispanic Employment Program Advisory Committee, and the Native American Advisory Committee. These committees provide advice and recommendations to the Director, Office of Small Business and Civil Rights, regarding policies, procedures, and practices related to career development of NRC employees and selection of applicants for employment.

Accessibility and Reasonable Accommodation for People with Disabilities
It is the policy of the NRC o to fully comply with the reasonable accommodation requirements of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Under the law, federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to qualified employees or applicants with disabilities, unless to do so would cause undue hardship to the Agency. The NRC is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to its employees and applicants for employment in order to assure that individuals with disabilities enjoy full access to equal employment opportunity at the NRC.

What We Do and Where We Do It

  The NRC licenses and regulates the following:

Nuclear Reactors-commercial power reactors, research and test reactors; license renewal; new reactor designs;

Nuclear Materials–nuclear reactor fuel; radioactive materials for medical, industrial, and academic uses;

Nuclear Waste-transportation, storage, and disposal of nuclear material and waste, decommissioning; and

Nuclear Security-physical security of nuclear facilities and materials

Where We Do It:

• The headquarters complex in Rockville, Maryland, houses our headquarters staff and our Public Document Room.
• The Region I Office in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, oversees our regulatory activities in the northeastern United States.
• The Region II Office in Atlanta, Georgia, oversees our regulatory activities in the southeastern United States.
• The Region III Office in Lisle, Illinois, oversees our regulatory activities in the northern midwestern United States.
• The Region IV Office in Arlington, Texas, oversees our regulatory activities in the western and southern mid-western United States.
• The NRC Technical Training Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, provides training for the staff in various technical disciplines associated with the regulation of nuclear materials and facilities.

The NRC also has onsite inspectors permanently stationed at each nuclear facility that it regulates.

Benefits

  Work/Life programs and policies are designed to create more flexible, responsive work environments supportive of commitments to community, home, and loved ones. Although the phrase Work/life balance” gets tossed around quite casually by many employers, at the NRC, it’s just who we are. Employees of the NRC are proud of the work environment they have created. Here are some of the words and ideas they use to describe working at the NRC:
 

Flexible schedules	Friendly atmosphere	Teleworking
On-site daycare	On-site fitness center	Family-first orientation
Camaraderie	Supportive	Collaboration
Open-door policy	Business casual dress	On-site health center
First name basis	Listening	Mentoring
High standards	Diverse	Part of something bigger
Excellence	Career Training	Company Culture

Annual Leave
All full-time employees earn from 2.5 to 5 weeks of paid vacation per year depending upon their years of Federal service. Part-time employees accrue leave hours depending on their work schedule.

Sick Leave
All full-time employees earn 13 paid sick days per year, which can be used for personal illness, care of sick family members, adoption, and medical appointments.

Holidays
All full-time employees enjoy 10 paid holidays per year.

Alternative Work Schedules
The NRC offers a variety of options and work schedules to help employees balance work and family responsibilities. The NRC offers two types of alternative work schedules: compressed work schedules (CWS and Flexible Work Schedules (FWS). CWS are fixed work schedules that enable full-time employees to complete the basic 80-hour biweekly work requirement in less than 10 workdays. FWS are schedules that allow options such as different work hours each day and allowing work hours to be split (i.e. noncontinuous work schedules are permissible). In addition, the NRC allows employees to earn and use credit hours to vary the length of an employee’s nonovertime workday or workweek. All work schedules are subject to supervisory approval based on work requirements such as office coverage, training, or participation in collaborative projects, as well as based on a need for direct supervision.

Retirement Plans
The NRC has two retirement plans. The first is for NRC employees who were Federal employees before December 31, 1983 and is called the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). The CSRS is a defined benefit system with no portability outside the Federal sector and with no benefits for employees who do not stay until retirement.

The second retirement plan and only system available to new employees is the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). FERS recognizes that not all Federal employees stay long enough to qualify for retirement, so it is a three-tiered design with portable benefits. The basic components of FERS are (1) Social Security; (2) automatic enrollment in the Thrift Savings Plan; and (3) a defined benefit (Basic Annuity) element based on years of service, pay level, and age at retirement.

Thrift Savings Plan
The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is a retirement savings and investment plan for Federal employees. The purpose of the TSP is to provide retirement income. It offers Federal civilian employees the same type of savings and tax benefits that many private corporations offer their employees under ''401(k)'' plans.
The TSP is a defined contribution plan. The retirement income that you receive from your TSP account will depend on how much you (and your agency, if you are a FERS employee) have contributed to your account during your working years and the earnings on these contributions. The contributions that you make to your TSP account are voluntary and are separate from your contributions to your FERS Basic Annuity or CSRS annuity.

Insurance Benefits
As a new/newly eligible Federal employee, you may be able to enroll in health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, and/or apply for long term care insurance. OPM provides a snapshot of insurance benefits with basic information about each program. You can find more comprehensive information at OPM's Insurance Programs page or at the Guide to Federal Benefits page.

Employee Assistance Program
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides professional counseling services for NRC employees who are experiencing personal problems that may be affecting their ability to perform on the job. The program offers assessment, referral, short-term counseling, and follow-up for employees dealing with family and marital problems, substance abuse, stress, depression, and many other personal challenges.
All employees of NRC may use the program at any time. Employees are encouraged to contact an EAP professional whenever they are experiencing personal problems. In many situations, family members of NRC employees are also eligible for the services of the program. Supervisors and managers may also seek the guidance of the EAP to help determine the appropriateness of referring employees who may be experiencing work performance and conduct changes due to personal problems.

Recruitment Bonus
For entry level engineers and scientists and certain other "hard-to-fill" positions, the NRC may provide a one-time recruitment bonus. Employees receiving a recruitment bonus incur a service obligation.

Relocation Expenses for New Employees
For certain "hard-to-fill" positions, some relocation expenses may be authorized. Such determinations are made on a case-by-case basis. Employees receiving relocation expenses incur a service obligation.

Union Representation
The National Treasury Employees Union is the exclusive representative for many employees at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Those employees may contact NTEU for further information on their services.

Company Culture

  When we ask our team what they like best about working at the NRC, the most common answer is “the people. Hear what current employees, entry-level, and experienced professionals have to say about working at the NRC.

In achieving our mission, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) adheres to the principles of good regulation — independence, openness, efficiency, clarity, and reliability. The agency puts these principles into practice with effective, realistic, and timely regulatory actions, consistent with our organizational values and our open, collaborative work environment.

In conducting all our work, we at the NRC adhere to the following organizational values. These values guide every action we take — from decisions on safety, security, and environmental issues; to how we perform administrative tasks; to how we interact with our fellow employees and other stakeholders.

Integrity
     …in our working relationships, practices and decisions 
     …trustworthy, reliable, ethical, unbiased

Service
     …to the public, and others who are affected by our work
     …responsive, accountable, proactive

Openness
     …in communications and decision-making
     …transparent, forthright

Commitment
     …to public health and safety, security and the environment
     …dedicated, diligent, vigilant

Cooperation
     …in the planning, management, and performance of agency work
     …helpful, sharing, team-oriented, engaged

Excellence
     …in our individual and collective actions
     …high quality, continuously improving, self-aware

Respect
     …for individuals’ diversity, roles, beliefs, viewpoints, and work-life balance
     …professional, courteous, objective, compassionate

Career Paths

  At the NRC, we strive to create a work environment focused on personal and professional growth. No matter how many degrees or years of experience you have, there are always opportunities to grow, especially in an industry as specialized as ours. For example, we offer unprecedented opportunities to gain expert knowledge, develop your career, and stay a step ahead of changing technology and industry. Our training isn’t limited to the technical though. We also encourage our team members to develop their management and leadership skills. From the day you join us, you’ll get a sense of our commitment to helping develop our employees. You’ll begin with a new employee briefing and typically be assigned a mentor to help chart your NRC career path. In addition, we offer one-on-one career counseling to ensure that you reach your personal and professional goals.

You’ll also have access to the Professional Development Center (PDC) located at the NRC Headquarters in Rockville, MD. The NRC PDC provides instructor-led, computer-based, and self-study programs in broad areas of interest. Training is offered in traditional classrooms, in a computer laboratory, and online. We also maintain and operate the NRC Technical Training Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee that provides education, training, and practical experience in key technical areas.

Entry Level
Joining the NRC early in your career is a great way to move ahead professionally. Our Nuclear Safety Professional Development Program (NSPDP) is one of the top professional development programs in the Federal government. NSPDP participants go through an 18- to 24-month program in a training/development track suited to the office where they’re placed. The objective of the program is to give a broad perspective of our operations, including completing a rotational assignment of at least 90 days outside your branch, as well as training and other activities related to both your job and the NRC overall. Pay increases and promotions come with successful movement through NSPDP, and on completion, the participant will be placed in a career ladder position that takes the individual from entry level to a full performance professional in his or her field.

Mid-Career
No matter where you are on your career path, a move to the NRC is a move in the right direction. With positions in a variety of specialties and the opportunity to pursue a position in the Senior Executive Service (SES), you’ll be able to advance your career while being part of a very important mission.

SES Candidate Development Program
NRC periodically offers an SES Candidate Development Program that prepares individuals who have demonstrated exceptional managerial potential for leadership positions at the U.S. NRC. Participants in the program will engage in developmental assignments and formal training activities to enhance their executive competencies and to increase their awareness of public policy, programs, and issues. The program seeks to promote the development of a Government-wide corporate SES culture through exposure to ideas and concepts across Government and to promote diversity in the SES by preparing a demographically diverse pool of qualified applicants for leadership positions. Candidates who successfully complete the program and receive certification of their executive qualifications by an Office of Personnel Management Qualifications Review Board under the criterion of 5 U.S.C. 3393(c)(2)(B) will be eligible for non-competitive appointment to the SES. Participation in the program does not guarantee placement in an SES position.

For more information about the NRC please visit www.nrc.gov