Career Paths
The NRC has both entry-level positions and positions for employees with experience in the workforce in their field. On this page:
- Special Entry-Level Programs
- Entry-and Mid-Level Career Positions
- Accounting and Budget
- Administrative
- Attorneys
- IG Positions
- Information Technology/Management
- Engineers
- Investigators
- Scientists
- Senior Executive Service/Senior Level Staff Positions
The NRC's online job application system, NRCareers, has been integrated with USAJOBS. You can search for current job openings in USAJOBS. If you would like more information, see NRCareers--Your gateway to career opportunities or How to Apply.
Special Entry Level Programs
- Nuclear Safety Professional Development Program
- We hire recent graduates with bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degrees and strong academic records in health physics, earth sciences, or engineering to participate in on-the-job training, formal classroom training, and rotational assignments. If you would like to contact us about the Professional Development Programs, see Contact Us About Employment and select "Professional Development Programs" from the dropdown list.
- Honor Law Graduate Program
- We hire graduating law students or judicial law clerks with strong academic records; excellent writing, research, and advocacy skills; and an interest in the interplay of law, science, energy policy, environmental concerns, and public policy. To find out how to qualify for this program, see our Honor Law Graduate Program page. If you would like to contact us about the Honor Law Graduate Program, see Contact Us About Employment and select "Honor Law" from the dropdown list. See also, the Honor Law Graduate Program brochure.
- Judicial
Law Clerk Program
We hire graduating third-year law students, graduate law students, and current judicial law clerks with strong academic records, excellent analytic and writing skills, and an interest in administrative and environmental/energy law, to serve as judicial law clerks. To find out if you qualify for this program, and how to apply, see our Judicial Law Clerk Program page. If you would like to contact us about the Judicial Law Clerk Program, see Contact Us About Employment and select "Judicial Law Clerk Program" from the dropdown list.
Entry- and Mid-Level Career Positions
Career positions include positions for people at entry and middle levels with background in engineering, scientific, legal, investigative, computer, and administrative fields. You can search for current job openings in USAJOBS. If you would like to contact us about Career Positions, see Contact Us About Employment and select "Career Positions" from the drop down list.
- Accounting and Budget
- We hire budget analysts, auditors, accountants with bachelor's and master's degrees.
- Administrative
- We hire management analysts, program analysts, human resources specialists, and contract specialists with bachelor's and master's degrees, and secretaries and office automation assistants.
- Attorneys
- We hire attorneys with expertise in such diverse areas as environmental law, rulemaking, administrative law, and legislation development. Entry level attorneys are hired through the Honor Law Graduate Program.
- Engineers
- We hire general, nuclear, mechanical, chemical, structural, electrical, environmental, materials, software, and human factors engineers with bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degrees.
- Information Technology/Management
- We hire communications specialists, computer specialists, IT project managers, systems administrators, computer systems analysts, webmasters, and information management specialists with bachelor's or master's degrees.
- Investigators
- The Office of the Inspector General and the Office of Investigations hire investigators, analysts, and law enforcement specialists.
- Scientists
- We hire chemists, nuclear physicists, radiation biologists, physical scientists, materials scientists, health physicists, geologists, hydrologists, and seismologists with bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degrees.
- Security and Safeguards Analysts
- We hire security and safeguards analysts with physical, personnel, information, and operational security knowledge as well as individuals with experience in the physical protection, surveillance, control, and accounting of nuclear material.
Senior Executive Service/Senior Level Staff (SES/SLS) Positions
We hire Senior Executives, Senior Level Staff, and Administrative Judges (legal and technical).
You can contact us about SES/SLS Positions.
- 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. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
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 SES, see the Guide to SES Qualifications Handbook published by the Federal Office of Personnel Management.