Radiation Safety OfficerHouston, TX
About the Position:The Radiation Safety Officer will establish and lead radiation safety programs supporting the manufacture and inspection of mission-critical spaceflight hardware. The immediate priority is to implement a compliant, production-ready X-ray inspection program for propulsion plumbing welds, including equipment commissioning, facility controls, operating procedures, personnel qualification, dosimetry, training, and regulatory coordination. The role will also assume responsibility for laser radiation safety and may expand to radioactive-material or other nuclear programs as business and program needs develop. The ideal candidate combines practical radiation-protection expertise with hands-on experience supporting nondestructive examination in a high-reliability manufacturing environment.
Responsibilities:- Build, implement, and maintain the company radiation protection program for X-ray-generating equipment used to inspect propulsion plumbing welds and other flight hardware.
- Lead the X-ray inspection program from concept through production release, including equipment selection and acceptance, facility layout, shielding design coordination, controlled-area definition, interlocks, warning systems, surveys, commissioning, and readiness reviews.
- Develop and control radiation safety procedures, operating instructions, inspection workflows, emergency response plans, postings, access controls, recordkeeping, and audit processes using the ALARA principle.
- Obtain and maintain required registrations, permits, licenses, and agency correspondence for radiation-producing equipment and, if introduced, radioactive materials; serve as the primary contact for regulatory inspections and reportable events.
- Define personnel monitoring requirements; administer dosimetry, exposure investigations, area monitoring, instrument selection, calibration, and retention of occupational dose and survey records.
- Establish initial and recurring radiation safety training for operators, radiographers, maintenance personnel, emergency responders, contractors, and other affected employees; verify authorization and competency before independent work.
- Partner with Quality, Welding, Materials and Processes, Manufacturing, Facilities, and EHS teams to integrate radiographic inspection into qualified weld-production and acceptance plans.
- Support development and validation of radiographic techniques for thin-wall tubing, complex weld geometries, and aerospace alloys; ensure image quality, traceability, configuration control, and reliable defect detection meet drawing, customer, and program requirements.
- Coordinate qualification and certification of nondestructive testing personnel and procedures to applicable customer, industry, and company requirements, including NAS 410 or equivalent requirements when invoked by contract.
- Evaluate radiation-safety risks for new equipment, processes, facility changes, and maintenance activities; lead hazard analyses, pre-job briefs, corrective actions, and management reviews.
- Investigate abnormal exposures, interlock failures, procedural deviations, and radiation-related incidents; establish containment, notification, root cause, corrective action, and recurrence-prevention measures.
- Serve as or develop into the company Laser Safety Officer, maintaining a laser safety program consistent with applicable regulations and ANSI Z136 requirements, including hazard classification, controls, eyewear selection, training, inventories, and incident response.
- Assess future nuclear or radioactive-material program needs and develop a compliant framework for source receipt, use, security, storage, leak testing, inventory, transfer, transportation, and disposal if such materials are introduced.
- Maintain complete, inspection-ready records and routinely evaluate program effectiveness through audits, trend reviews, drills, and continuous-improvement activities.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Health Physics, Radiation Protection, Nuclear Engineering, Physics, Engineering, or a related technical field; equivalent specialized education and directly relevant experience may be considered.
- 5+ years of radiation safety, health physics, industrial radiography, or closely related experience in aerospace, defense, energy, medical-device, or other regulated high-reliability operations.
- Demonstrated experience developing, implementing, or administering a radiation safety program for X-ray-generating equipment in an industrial or manufacturing environment.
- Working knowledge of applicable federal, state, and local radiation-control requirements and the ability to translate regulatory requirements into practical shop-floor controls.
- Experience with radiation surveys, shielding evaluations, personnel dosimetry, exposure assessment, instrument selection and calibration, controlled areas, interlocks, and emergency response.
- Ability to develop clear procedures and training and to communicate radiation risk effectively with technicians, engineers, leadership, regulators, and emergency personnel.
- Strong investigation, documentation, and problem-solving skills, with the judgment and authority to stop work when radiological controls are inadequate.
- Ability to work hands-on in production and laboratory environments and support off-shift or emergency activities when required
Preferred Requirements: - Experience commissioning a cabinet, vault, or other industrial X-ray system used for digital or computed radiography of welded aerospace hardware.
- Current or prior formal designation as a Radiation Safety Officer and experience interacting with a state radiation-control program or the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
- ASNT or employer-based Level III certification in Radiographic Testing, or substantial experience working with Level III personnel under NAS 410, ASNT SNT-TC-1A, or equivalent requirements.
- Certified Health Physicist, National Registry of Radiation Protection Technologists certification, Certified Laser Safety Officer, or comparable professional credential.
- Knowledge of aerospace weld and radiographic examination standards, including AWS D17.1/D17.1M, ASTM E1742/E1742M, and customer-specific acceptance criteria when applicable.
- Experience with high-power lasers and ANSI Z136.1 or Z136.8 laser safety programs.
- Experience administering radioactive-material licenses or programs involving sealed sources, gauges, radiography sources, activation products, or other licensed materials.
- Experience in a high-mix, low-volume aerospace manufacturing environment and with electronic quality, training, dosimetry, or compliance-management systems.
