Vacancy Notice No. 2009/075


Position and Grade:	Section Head (P-5)
Organizational Unit:	Safety Assessment Section Division of Nuclear Installation Safety Department of Nuclear Safety and Security
Duty Station:	Vienna, Austria
Issue Date:	19 August 2009 (re-opened on 16 November 2009)
Application Deadline:	28 December 2009
Type/Duration of Appointment:	Fixed term, 3 years (subject to a probationary period of 1 year)

Organizational Setting

The Department of Nuclear Safety and Security consists of two divisions, the Division of Nuclear Installation Safety and the Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety. The objective of the programme implemented by the Division of Nuclear Installation Safety is to achieve and maintain a high level of safety of nuclear installations under design, construction or operation worldwide by: establishing and promulgating standards of safety for the protection of health, including standards for nuclear power plants and other nuclear installations (such as research reactors and fuel cycle facilities); and providing for the application of these standards through, inter alia, the provision of safety review and advisory services, the promotion of capacity building through education and training, the fostering of information and operating experience exchanges, the coordination of research and development, and support for the IAEA's technical cooperation programme. In addition, the Division helps ensure safety at nuclear installations by promulgating international safety instruments such as the Convention on Nuclear Safety and the Code of Conduct on the Safety of Research Reactors.

The Safety Assessment Section aims to strengthen Member States' capabilities in effective safety assessment and safety enhancement of nuclear installations through: the development and application of safety standards and guides for advanced deterministic and probabilistic analytical methods/tools related to events, accidents and severe accidents for the prevention of human induced events of malevolent origin, including the mitigation of their possible consequences, with respect to systems design; the integration of deterministic, probabilistic and performance-based approaches into the risk informed decision-making process; and the implementation of safety performance indicators for safety assessment application and increased transparency.

Specific topical areas include: design basis accident, beyond design basis accident, safety analysis, accident management, safety performance indicators, risk informed decision-making, and deterministic and probabilistic safety assessment methods/tools. The Safety Assessment Section coordinates, and supports Member States in establishing and implementing, safety assessment education and training programmes.

The operating environment is dynamic, participative and interactive with inputs received from the Board of Governors, the General Conference, policy and decision makers, and technical counterparts in Member States and the international development community.

Main purpose

Reporting to the Division Director, the Section Head is the manager and team leader of the Safety Assessment Section, initiating, developing and implementing the IAEA's policy and programme on the safety assessment of nuclear sites and installations. He/she leads the Section's activities to ensure the efficacy of the IAEA's programme on a global level and manages the Section's financial and human resources.

Role

The Section Head is: (a) a programme manager in a specialized, multilateral environment, finding practical solutions and presenting arguments that can achieve results; (b) an adviser, providing analysis and background information to the Division Director for the formulation of strategies and policies related to the Section's technical responsibilities and facilitating their implementation; (c) a managerial team leader, planning, managing, coordinating and supervising the activities of the Section in accordance with IAEA policies and programmes and Member States' needs and ensuring that programmes and tasks are implemented effectively; (d) a promoter, conveying to multiple audiences the IAEA's vision and mission in this area; and (e) a substantive technical expert contributor, managing and implementing projects of particular complexity and/or sensitivity.

Partnerships

The Section Head engages with senior technical and political counterparts in Member States and in other relevant international, multi and bilateral, national and specialized organizations to promote the IAEA's activities and to ensure the IAEA's programme maintains its high profile. The Section Head works closely with the Director and the other Section Heads of the Division, and with senior staff in the Department and the Secretariat in achieving the desired goals. The Section Head also works closely with and coordinates work with the Department of Technical Cooperation to ensure the seamless integration of all projects and programmes. The Section Head builds and maintains strategic partnerships and alliances with a wide range of stakeholders in Member States, international and other governmental organizations to ensure acceptance of the relevant IAEA standards. He/she leads efforts within the IAEA to ensure the coherence and synergy of related programmes of work.

Functions / Key Results Expected

Plan, initiate, develop, implement, guide, coordinate and supervise the activities of the Section.
Provide technical and managerial leadership of the Section in the following areas:

Enhancing the capability of Member States in relation to the application of the IAEA's safety standards by carrying out safety assessment review services in the fields of probabilistic assessments, accident management programmes, design safety and generic reactor safety;
Enhancing the capability of Member States in establishing and maintaining procedures for self assessment of their compliance with the IAEA's safety standards;
Coordinating and supporting Member States in the areas of education and training, including conducting coordinated research projects to enhance technical skills in Member States.

Broaden knowledge of safety assessment and safety enhancement of nuclear installations through:

Organizing scientific meetings, preparing scientific programmes, contributing to the preparation and editing of scientific reports, manuals, proceedings and other scientific publications, and organizing in-house meetings in support of the Section's scientific programme;
Establishing and maintaining contacts with individual scientists at relevant organizations, committees and scientific societies.

Plan, manage and lead the development, review and publication process of safety standards for all the nuclear installation types which are under the responsibility of the Section.
Plan, organize and lead complex safety review missions, including preparatory and follow up visits and assessment of Member States' needs. Provide technical input and coordinate the preparation of mission reports.
Identify strategies and analyse information to enhance the capability of the Section's programme to address Member States' needs, and lead the IAEA's activities related to supporting the further strengthening of the international safety regime in the assigned technical areas.
Coordinate the Section's provision of specialized technical input to technical cooperation projects in the subject area.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

In-depth knowledge of such complementary fields as: safety assessment tools, including probabilistic safety assessment methods, techniques and applications, design basis accident and beyond design basis accident analysis methods; severe accident analysis and management techniques; verification, validation and application of thermal hydraulics, neutronics, fuels and probabilistic safety assessment codes, which are essential for the multidisciplinary activities specific to the post. Knowledge of relevant international nuclear safety standards.
Knowledge in the scientific and technical areas related to safety assessment and safety enhancement of nuclear installations, including awareness of current issues in the field which may influence the IAEA's programme of work.
Demonstrated ability to manage human, financial and material resources to achieve established objectives and to plan and manage work programmes.
Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate and provide effective guidance to a team of professional and support staff, to provide feedback on performance and to encourage staff development.
Demonstrated analytical skills in interpreting organizational procedures and guidelines, judging their appropriateness and determining the necessity for adapting them, if required.
Demonstrated ability to set clearly defined objectives and to plan activities/projects well in advance, taking into account possible changing circumstances, and to monitor performance against deadlines, milestones and resources.
Demonstrated ability to exercise unbiased, tactful and prudent judgement on sensitive issues on the basis of in-depth factual analysis.
Strong ability to deliver presentations/briefings to a diverse target audience and ability to write and edit analytical and policy documents.
Ability to build and maintain strategic partnerships and alliances with a wide range of stakeholders in the IAEA and in Member States to ensure the visibility and impact of the Section's activities.

Education, Experience and Language Skills

Advanced degree in engineering or physical/nuclear sciences.
At least 10 years of experience in nuclear related applications, including 5 years in a senior position and 4 years at international level.
Excellent command of oral and written English. Knowledge of other official IAEA languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) desirable.

Remuneration

The Agency offers an attractive remuneration package including a tax-free annual net base salary starting at US $77 190 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance), a variable post adjustment which currently amounts to US $50 945*, dependency benefits, diplomatic status, rental subsidy, education grant, relocation and repatriation expenses; 6 weeks' annual vacation, home leave, pension plan and health insurance.

How to apply to the IAEA

* Subject to change without notice

Applications from qualified women and candidates from developing countries are encouraged

Applicants should be aware that IAEA staff members are international civil servants and may not accept instructions from any other authority. Staff members may be assigned to any location. The IAEA retains the discretion not to make any appointment to this vacancy, to make an appointment at a lower grade or to make an appointment with a modified job description or for shorter duration than indicated above. Testing may be part of the recruitment process.