Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Nuclear Compliance Specialist

🎯 Role Definition

We are seeking a detail-oriented Nuclear Compliance Specialist to own regulatory compliance, radiological safety, and license basis adherence for our nuclear operations. The Nuclear Compliance Specialist will serve as the subject-matter expert for NRC, DOE, and state regulatory requirements (including 10 CFR and relevant EPA/OSHA rules), lead internal and external compliance audits, prepare and submit regulatory filings and reports, and coordinate cross-functional corrective actions to ensure safe, compliant operation of nuclear facilities. The role requires strong technical knowledge of radiation protection programs, waste management, environmental monitoring, license amendments, and demonstrated experience interacting with regulators.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Radiological Control Technician / RadCon Technician
Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) Specialist with nuclear experience
Nuclear Engineering or Health Physics early-career roles

Advancement To:

Senior Nuclear Compliance Specialist
Nuclear Regulatory Affairs Manager
Site Compliance / Nuclear Safety Manager
Director of Regulatory Compliance

Lateral Moves:

Nuclear Licensing Engineer
Environmental Compliance Manager
Emergency Preparedness Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Maintain and interpret the facility's license basis, ensuring policies, procedures, and operations remain consistent with NRC licenses, Technical Specifications, and applicable 10 CFR requirements; draft and manage license amendment requests and evaluations.
Lead preparation, review, and timely submission of regulatory reports and notifications to NRC, state regulators, and EPA (including reportable events, quarterly/annual reports, radiological release reports, and abnormal occurrence reports).
Develop, implement and maintain an effective Radiation Protection Program (RPP) that adheres to ALARA principles, regulatory dose limits, and internal performance goals; oversee radiological surveys, dosimetry programs, and contamination control measures.
Conduct scheduled and surprise compliance audits, assessments, and inspections across operations, maintenance, and contractor activities; generate findings, write formal audit reports, and track corrective action closure to completion.
Serve as the primary point-of-contact for regulatory inspections and investigations by the NRC, state agencies, and third-party auditors; coordinate inspection logistics, responses to inspection items, and formal communications with regulators.
Oversee radioactive waste management and disposition strategies, ensuring compliance with RCRA, 10 CFR Part 61 (where applicable), on-site disposal criteria, transportation regulations (DOT/IATA), and manifesting/documentation requirements.
Manage non-compliance and event response through the Corrective Action Program (CAP): initiate condition reports, lead root cause analyses (RCAs), implement corrective actions, and verify effectiveness to prevent recurrence.
Develop and deliver training and qualification programs for site staff and contractors on radiation safety, regulatory requirements, procedures, and emergency response obligations; maintain training records and demonstrate regulatory readiness.
Review and approve procedures, work packages, and as-left conditions for radiation work permits (RWPs), hot work, and controlled access zones to ensure regulatory alignment and worker protection.
Maintain radiological monitoring systems, instrumentation calibration schedules, and dose assessment models; interpret monitoring data, perform trend analysis, and report anomalies to leadership and regulators.
Implement and support emergency preparedness and response plans for radiological incidents, including drills, exercise design, critique, and coordination with local/state emergency response organizations.
Support engineering and design reviews to ensure new equipment, modifications, and decontamination projects comply with license conditions, environmental permits, and radiation protection requirements.
Coordinate with procurement and vendor management to evaluate vendor qualifications, approve radiological work scopes, and ensure contractors meet site nuclear compliance standards and training requirements.
Maintain robust records and documentation practices for regulatory inspections, license conditions, personnel dosimetry, environmental sampling, and waste disposition to demonstrate compliance during audits.
Prepare technical regulatory correspondence, environmental and radiological impact assessments, safety evaluations, and position papers to support decision-making and regulatory filings.
Drive continuous improvement in compliance processes, leveraging metrics, lessons learned, and industry best practices to reduce regulatory findings, minimize dose, and enhance program maturity.
Perform radiological assessments for abnormal events, contamination discoveries, and personnel exposures; recommend immediate controls, investigations, and follow-on remediation steps to meet regulatory obligations.
Coordinate cross-functional teams (operations, maintenance, environmental, engineering, QA) to resolve compliance issues, implement corrective actions, and update procedures or licensing documents as required.
Stay current on changes to NRC rules, state regulations, DOE orders, EPA guidance, and industry standards (NEI, INPO), assess applicability to site operations, and implement required compliance changes.
Lead or participate in safety culture and compliance coaching with frontline staff and management, ensuring adherence to nuclear safety principles and transparent reporting of compliance concerns.
Drive permit and environmental monitoring programs including emissions reporting, effluent monitoring, groundwater/air sampling, and associated quality assurance to meet regulatory thresholds and reporting timelines.
Support budgeting and forecasting for radiological support, compliance projects, instrumentation upgrades, and corrective action implementation to ensure resources match regulatory priorities.
Participate in cross-site regulatory strategy discussions, benchmarking, and industry working groups to share lessons learned and proactively mitigate emerging regulatory risks.
Oversee quality assurance activities related to compliance documentation, procedure control, records management, and supplier quality where nuclear safety and compliance are impacted.

Secondary Functions

Provide technical support to incident investigations, leading data collection, sample analysis coordination, and regulatory notifications as required.
Support development and maintenance of compliance metrics and dashboards to inform leadership on regulatory status, trend analysis, and risk exposure.
Collaborate with IT and data teams to ensure secure, auditable recordkeeping systems for dosimetry, radiological surveys, and license documentation.
Assist in contract review and statement-of-work preparation for specialized radiological services, ensuring commercial agreements include regulatory compliance clauses.
Mentor and coach junior compliance staff and radiological technicians to build internal capability and succession planning.
Participate in emergency response on-call rotations and provide subject-matter-expert support during off-hours incidents.
Contribute to policy development, internal governance committees, and cross-functional working groups focused on compliance enhancements and regulatory readiness.
Assist in developing and maintaining business continuity and disaster recovery plans where regulatory obligations must be sustained.
Represent the organization at industry conferences, regulatory working groups, and professional associations to maintain technical currency and network with regulators.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Deep knowledge of NRC regulations (10 CFR), Technical Specifications, and applicable state nuclear regulatory requirements.
Proven experience developing and managing Radiation Protection Programs (RPP), ALARA programs, and dosimetry management.
Hands-on experience with radiological surveys, contamination control, smear/air monitoring, and interpretation of radiological lab results.
Experience preparing regulatory filings, license amendment requests, event notifications, and formal correspondence to NRC and state agencies.
Familiarity with radioactive waste classification, handling, packaging, transportation regulations (DOT 49 CFR), and RCRA requirements where applicable.
Expertise in conducting compliance audits, inspection programs, root cause analysis (RCA), and corrective action program (CAP) management.
Competence with environmental monitoring programs, effluent and emissions reporting, and interfacing with EPA/state environmental permits.
Ability to read and interpret technical drawings, engineering change notices, procedures, and safety basis documentation.
Proficiency with radiation monitoring instrumentation, calibration programs, and software tools for dose assessment; experience with electronic record management systems.
Understanding of emergency preparedness requirements for radiological events and the ability to design, execute, and critique response exercises.
Familiarity with QA and document control systems relevant to nuclear operations and regulatory recordkeeping.
Experience interacting with regulators during inspections, interrogatories, and formal settlements; strong regulatory strategy and negotiation skills.

Soft Skills

Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; able to convey technical regulatory issues clearly to leadership, regulators, and frontline staff.
Strong stakeholder management and interpersonal skills; experience coordinating across operations, engineering, QA, and external agencies.
High attention to detail and proven ability to work with complex technical documentation and data while maintaining accuracy.
Analytical problem-solving and critical-thinking skills to evaluate compliance risks and propose pragmatic, defensible solutions.
Strong organizational and project management skills; capable of managing multiple regulatory deliverables and deadlines.
Ethical judgment and integrity with a demonstrated commitment to nuclear safety and transparent reporting.
Coaching and mentorship ability to develop junior staff and improve team performance.
Adaptability and resilience; comfortable working in regulated, high-consequence environments with changing priorities.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering, Health Physics, Environmental Science, Radiation Protection, or related technical discipline.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering, Health Physics, Environmental Engineering, or related field.
Professional certification such as Certified Health Physicist (CHP), NEI/NRC compliance training, or equivalent regulatory certifications is highly desirable.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Nuclear Engineering
Health Physics / Radiological Science
Environmental Science / Environmental Engineering
Occupational Safety, Industrial Hygiene (with nuclear experience)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

5 to 12 years of progressively responsible experience in nuclear compliance, radiological protection, or regulatory affairs supporting nuclear facilities.

Preferred:

7+ years of direct experience with NRC-regulated facilities or DOE nuclear sites, demonstrated success leading inspections and license management.
Prior experience with license amendments, regulatory negotiations, and interaction with federal/state regulators.
Experience within a commercial nuclear plant, research reactor, national laboratory, or nuclear fuel-cycle facility preferred.