Federal Position Descriptions
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Board Member and Chairman

Board Member/Chairman, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
Responsibility
Management Scope

In fiscal 2020, the DNFSB had over $29 million in budget outlays and 113 employees.
The president designates a board chairman and vice chairman from among board members. The chairman is the board’s chief executive officer. (42 U.S.C. § 2286)

Primary Responsibilities

• Reviews and evaluates the content and implementation of standards relating to the design, construction, operation and decommissioning of DOE’s defense nuclear facilities, including all applicable DOE orders, regulations and requirements, at each DOE defense nuclear facility.
• Recommends to the secretary of energy those specific measures that should be adopted to ensure that public health and safety are adequately protected.
• Includes in its recommendations necessary changes in the content and implementation of such standards, as well as matters on which additional data or research is needed.
• Investigates any event or practice at a DOE defense nuclear facility that the board determines has adversely affected, or may adversely affect, public health and safety.
• Has access to and may systematically analyze design and operational data, including safety analysis reports, from any DOE defense nuclear facility.
• Reviews the design of new DOE defense nuclear facilities before construction begins and recommends to the secretary design modifications the board considers necessary to ensure adequate protection of public health and safety.
• Reviews and monitors the construction of such facilities periodically and submits to the secretary recommendations relating to construction that the board considers necessary to ensure adequate protection of public health and safety.
• Makes recommendations to the secretary of energy with respect to DOE defense nuclear facilities, including facility operations, standards and research needs that the board determines are necessary to ensure adequate protection of public health and safety.
• Considers the technical and economic feasibility of implementation when making recommendations, and assesses risk, whenever sufficient data exists (42 U.S.C. § 2286a).
• (Chairman only): Handles the appointment and supervision of board employees, the organization of any administrative units established by the board, and the use and expenditure of funds (42 U.S.C. § 2286).

Strategic Goals and Priorities
[Depends on the policy priorities of the administration.]
Requirements
  • Board requirements:
    • The board is composed of five members.
    • Not more than three members of the board shall be of the same political party.
    • Any vacancy in the membership of the board shall be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made.
    • No member of the board may be an employee of or have any significant financial relationship with DOE or any DOE contractor.
    • Members of the board shall serve for terms of five years and may be reappointed.
    • Any member appointed to fill a vacancy that occurs before an appointed officer’s term of office expires will be appointed only for the remainder of that term.
    • A member may serve after the expiration of his or her term until a successor has taken office (42 U.S.C. § 2286).
  • Candidate requirements:
    • Appointed from civilian life.
    • Respected expert in the field of nuclear safety with demonstrated competence and knowledge relevant to the board’s independent investigative and oversight functions.
    • Technical expertise in an area relevant to the nuclear safety field.
    • Knowledge of what DOE is and what its nuclear operations are and why.
    • Demonstrated awareness and understanding of the nuclear industry codes and standards that provide the foundation for DOE/National Nuclear Security Administration regulatory framework.
    • (Chairman): demonstrated management experience.
Competencies

• Board members should be nearing the end of their technical career to avoid potential conflicts of interest over their decisions. If there is a possibility they might one day work in the industry they are judging, there is potential for their decisions to be influenced, or they may be unable to respect the decision-making process Congress incorporated into the enabling statute (cited by Congress).

Past Appointments
  • Joyce L. Connery (2015 – Present) – Member at Large, Executive Committee, Institute of Nuclear Materials Management; Director for Nuclear Energy Policy, International Economics, National Security Council Staff, Executive Office of the President; Special Assistant, Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, Office of the Undersecretary for Nuclear Security/Administrator for National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy
  • Joseph B. Hamilton (2015 – Present) – President, Fuelco LLC; Director of Luminant Power, Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant; CAPT United States Navy
  • Daniel J. Santos (2014 – Present) – Senior Technical Advisor, Division of Engineering, Office of New Reactors, Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Deputy Manager, U.S. Navy, Instrumentation and Control Division, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, Department of the Navy; Senior Engineer, U.S. Navy, Instrumentation and Control Division, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, Department of the Navy
AGENCY

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

Mission: The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) is an independent organization in the executive branch, with the responsibility of providing recommendations and advice to the president and the secretary of energy regarding public health and safety issues at Department of Energy (DOE) defense nuclear facilities.

COMPENSATION

Level III $168,400 (5 U.S.C. § 5314)1

REPORTS TO

The DNFSB is an independent agency

SENATE COMMITTEE

Armed Services

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Footnote
  1. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260, December 27 ,2020), contains a provision that continues the freeze on the payable pay rates for certain senior political officials through January 1, 2022. The compensation information is based on guidance from the Office of Personnel Management and can be accessed here. If you are selected for this position, please consult the agency’ HR representative for further guidance on compensation.
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