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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Nuclear Quality Assurance Manager

💰 $ - $

NuclearQuality AssuranceManagement

🎯 Role Definition

The Nuclear Quality Assurance Manager is responsible for establishing, implementing and maintaining the nuclear quality assurance (QA) program across design, procurement, fabrication, construction and commissioning activities. This person ensures compliance with regulatory requirements (e.g., NRC 10 CFR/Appendix B), industry standards (NQA‑1, ASME, IEEE) and corporate quality policies, leads audits and supplier oversight, drives corrective action and continuous improvement, and serves as the primary QA technical authority for nuclear safety-significant systems and components.

This role requires proven experience in nuclear QA program development, regulatory interactions, audit leadership, supplier qualification and change/configuration control, plus strong stakeholder engagement and leadership capabilities.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Senior Quality Engineer (Nuclear / Power)
  • Nuclear Engineer with QA experience
  • Quality Assurance Specialist / Lead Auditor

Advancement To:

  • Director of Quality Assurance (Nuclear)
  • Corporate QA/Risk & Compliance Director
  • Plant Manager / Site Director (with combined operations experience)

Lateral Moves:

  • Regulatory Affairs Manager
  • Nuclear Safety & Licensing Manager
  • Supplier Quality / Procurement Quality Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop, implement and maintain the site and/or program-level Nuclear Quality Assurance (QA) program in accordance with NQA‑1, NRC 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix B, ASME, IEEE and applicable client or project requirements, ensuring all safety-significant work meets regulatory and contractual obligations.
  • Lead, plan and execute internal and external QA audits, vendor/supplier audits and surveillances, prepare detailed audit reports, track nonconformances and drive corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) to closure while reporting trends to senior management.
  • Act as the primary QA point of contact for regulatory agency inspections (e.g., NRC), prepare responses to inspection findings, coordinate corrective action plans and ensure timely regulatory reporting and follow-up.
  • Establish and maintain a formal nonconformance reporting system (NCR), ensure timely disposition of nonconformances, perform risk-based evaluations of nonconforming items and oversee disposition, rework or waiver processes consistent with QA procedures.
  • Oversee supplier qualification and oversight programs including vendor audits, vendor performance evaluations, supplier corrective action monitoring and vendor surveillance to ensure procurement of quality materials and services for nuclear safety components.
  • Develop, review and approve quality-related procedures, instructions, inspection plans, checklists and control documents; ensure document control system compliance including revision control, retention and distribution of QA documentation.
  • Lead Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Corrective Action investigations for quality events, ensuring effective containment, corrective actions, systemic fixes and preventive measures are implemented and verified for effectiveness.
  • Manage configuration management and change control activities for safety-related design, procurement and field changes; ensure changes are evaluated for quality, safety and regulatory impact and are documented and approved per QA standards.
  • Provide QA oversight during fabrication, assembly, testing, and commissioning activities including witnessing of inspections, tests and acceptance activities for critical equipment and systems to verify compliance with specification and code requirements.
  • Implement and manage inspection and test programs (including hold points, witness points and final acceptance criteria) for procurement, fabrication and field installation of nuclear safety components.
  • Lead cross-functional quality reviews (design, engineering, procurement, construction) and facilitate quality gates at project milestones to reduce rework, manage schedule impacts and maintain compliance with nuclear QA requirements.
  • Train, mentor and develop QA staff and engineering teams on nuclear quality principles, standards (NQA‑1, ASME, ISO), regulatory expectations and best practices to strengthen organizational QA culture and capability.
  • Develop and report QA performance metrics (KPIs) including audit findings, NCR trends, supplier performance, CAPA status and corrective action effectiveness; present metrics to project leadership and corporate QA to support decision making.
  • Review supplier procedures, inspection/test plans (ITPs), welding procedures, NDE plans and calibration programs to ensure acceptance criteria meet code, specification and QA program requirements.
  • Coordinate and control material traceability, certificates of conformance (C of C), test reports, welding records and as-built documentation to maintain a complete quality record for safety-related plant equipment.
  • Ensure calibration programs, measuring and test equipment (M&TE) control, and laboratory controls are maintained per QA requirements and that equipment is maintained, calibrated, and appropriately documented.
  • Support procurement with QA input for pre-award supplier evaluations, contract quality clauses, acceptance criteria, source inspection requirements and vendor quality surveillance activities.
  • Oversee and participate in performance of supplier corrective actions, nonconformance disposition reviews, and supplier development plans including escalation and remediation for persistent supplier issues.
  • Ensure integration of nuclear safety culture and human performance principles into QA activities and investigations; promote a blame-free, reporting-focused environment to identify latent conditions and prevent recurrence.
  • Maintain current knowledge of industry standards, regulatory changes, best practices and lessons learned from operational events and integrate them into the QA program and training plans.
  • Provide QA input to design reviews, technical baseline changes and procurement specifications to ensure quality, manufacturability, maintainability and compliance considerations are embedded early in the lifecycle.
  • Participate in cross-functional project risk assessments, change boards and technical committees to provide QA perspective on risk mitigation, acceptance criteria and verification strategies.
  • Manage quality budgets, resource planning and contract oversight for third-party QA services (inspection agencies, NDE providers, calibrations), ensuring cost-effective delivery of QA services without compromising safety or compliance.
  • Support claims, dispute resolution and contractual quality claims through factual QA records, inspector statements and comprehensive documentation to protect company interests.
  • Respond to emergent quality issues during construction or operations, coordinate rapid response teams, provide containment actions and lead field corrective actions to maintain safety and regulatory compliance.
  • Serve as a focal point for customer and stakeholder QA communications, prepare QA deliverables required by clients and regulatory bodies, and support business development with QA inputs for proposals and tender evaluations.

Secondary Functions

  • Support cross-discipline technical reviews and integrate QA requirements into engineering change notices, procurement actions, and site procedures.
  • Provide subject matter expertise to incident investigations related to quality or safety-significant equipment and participate in follow-up verification activities.
  • Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives and lessons learned programs to reduce defects, drive process improvements and enhance supplier performance across the nuclear lifecycle.
  • Coordinate with health physics, environment, safety & health (ES&H) and operations teams to ensure QA controls align with radiological protection and site safety requirements.
  • Assist in readiness reviews, pre-operational testing and turnover activities by verifying QA deliverables and documentation completeness prior to system energization and handover.
  • Maintain relationships with external certification bodies, third-party inspection agencies and industry groups to stay aligned with evolving QA practices and expectations.
  • Mentor junior QA staff in audit techniques, NCR processing, supplier oversight and regulatory compliance to build bench strength for future leadership roles.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Deep knowledge of NQA‑1 (Nuclear Quality Assurance Standard), NRC regulations (10 CFR Part 50 / Appendix B), ASME codes (Section III/III Welding & NDE) and applicable IEEE standards.
  • Proven experience developing, maintaining and implementing a nuclear QA program and quality management system for safety-related nuclear projects.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead and execute internal and supplier audits, prepare audit plans/checklists, and generate thorough audit reports and corrective action plans.
  • Strong experience with corrective and preventive action (CAPA) systems, root cause analysis techniques (5 Whys, Fishbone, 8D) and verification of corrective action effectiveness.
  • Supplier quality management: pre-award evaluations, vendor surveillance, inspection at source, vendor corrective action oversight and supplier performance metrics.
  • Configuration management, document control, drawing revision control, electronic document management systems and as-built record compliance.
  • Nonconformance control and disposition experience, including technical evaluation for use-as-is, repair, rework, or scrap and waiver/Engineering Justification processing.
  • Proficiency in inspection and test plan (ITP) development, witness point planning, acceptance criteria definition and test witnessing for mechanical, electrical and systems commissioning.
  • Familiarity with NDE methods (RT, UT, MT, PT, VT), welding procedure qualifications (WPS/PQR), material traceability and certificates of conformance handling.
  • Experience with quality assurance software tools and QMS platforms (e.g., Intelex, ETQ Reliance, Teamcenter, SAP QM) and strong Microsoft Office/SharePoint skills.
  • Knowledge of calibration program management and M&TE control processes including ISO/IEC 17025 awareness where applicable.
  • Understanding of nuclear licensing, regulatory interactions and preparation of QA packages for regulatory submittals and inspections.
  • Data-driven performance measurement skills: KPI development, trend analysis, and reporting to influence management decisions and continuous improvement.
  • Experience in procurement quality clauses development, contract oversight and managing QA performance on supplier contracts.
  • Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, codes and standards relevant to nuclear components and systems.

Soft Skills

  • Strong leadership and people-management skills with proven ability to motivate, coach and develop multidisciplinary QA teams.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills for clear technical report writing, regulatory response preparation and stakeholder briefings.
  • High attention to detail, rigorous organizational skills and a methodical approach to documentation and record-keeping.
  • Critical thinking and analytical problem-solving capability with a pragmatic focus on risk-based decision making and safety-first priorities.
  • Influential stakeholder management: ability to work collaboratively with engineering, procurement, construction, operations and regulatory bodies.
  • Conflict resolution and negotiation skills to manage supplier performance issues, contract disputes and cross-functional disagreements.
  • Proactive mindset with a continuous improvement orientation and ability to drive cultural change toward quality and safety excellence.
  • Time management and prioritization skills to balance audits, inspections, regulatory deliverables and emergent operational issues.
  • Ethical judgment and integrity in handling safety-significant nonconformances and regulatory reporting obligations.
  • Training and presentation skills to deliver effective QA workshops, onboarding and competency development sessions.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Nuclear Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Quality Engineering or a related technical discipline.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's degree in Engineering, Quality Systems or MBA; professional certifications such as ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Certified Quality Auditor (CQA), CQM/OE, or equivalent nuclear QA certification are highly desirable.
  • Formal nuclear industry training (NRC fundamentals, NQA‑1 training, ASME code committees, industry-specific QA courses).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Nuclear Engineering
  • Mechanical or Electrical Engineering
  • Materials Science / Metallurgy
  • Quality Engineering / Industrial Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 8–15+ years of progressive quality assurance experience in the nuclear power, nuclear services, defense nuclear or critical infrastructure sectors.

Preferred:

  • 10+ years of hands-on nuclear QA experience with direct responsibility for NQA‑1 compliant programs, supplier oversight and audit programs.
  • Demonstrated history of responding to and coordinating regulatory inspections (NRC or equivalent), resolving findings and implementing effective corrective actions.
  • Prior experience supervising QA teams, managing cross-functional QA activities on large capital projects, and interfacing with clients and regulatory agencies.
  • Experience with nuclear construction, fabrication, commissioning and operations environments and familiarity with plant systems, codes and standards.
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