Security Licensing, Lead (Nuclear)

JOB SUMMARY/PURPOSE

Senior nuclear security professional to lead the security licensing strategy during DOE authorization of our first site, carry that strategy forward into NRC commercial licensing, and ultimately help scale it across future Deep Fission sites.

This is not a standard single-site Facility Security Officer (FSO) role. The person we hire will help craft the regulatory security basis itself, working directly with our Licensing team and NRC and DOE staff to develop and demonstrate a security approach tailored to Deep Fission's underground, first-of-a-kind design while meeting applicable requirements. As the program matures, this person will help scale that security approach across future Deep Fission sites.

NRC security experience is the core qualification for this role. DOE experience is a strong plus but not required. Our licensing team will support an otherwise well-qualified NRC-focused security professional in coming up to speed on DOE requirements. During the DOE authorization period, this individual will also hold the Facility Security Officer designation for our facility; this is a formal requirement tied to facility clearance, not the primary shape of the job.

This is a Lead-level individual-contributor role. There is no security team in place at hire; the person we bring on will build the licensing security basis and the program itself, in close coordination with Licensing, Engineering, Operations, IT, and, as the program grows, site-level security staff, without managing a reporting structure.

The person we hire will help define, not merely administer, the security basis for a reactor design with no direct precedent, then carry that program into operations as the accountable security lead and designated FSO and ultimately extend it across future Deep Fission sites. This is a Lead-level individual-contributor role with outsized scope: no standing team to inherit, and a direct hand in shaping a first-of-a-kind security posture from licensing through fleet-scale operation.

ACCOUNTABILITIES AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Near-Term Priorities - DOE Authorization & NRC Licensing Strategy:

• Serve as the security subject-matter lead across Deep Fission's parallel DOE (Other Transaction Agreement) authorization and NRC licensing tracks, including the anticipated 10 CFR Part 57 pathway.
• Work directly with NRC staff and Deep Fission's Licensing team to develop and demonstrate a security approach tailored to the design that meets applicable requirements; this is the central focus of the role.
• Interpret and apply NRC security requirements under 10 CFR Part 73 and, as applicable, evolving requirements associated with the proposed Part 57 framework, including physical protection, cyber security interfaces (10 CFR 73.54), and fitness-for-duty interfaces.
• Engage with the licensing team on DOE requirements (physical protection, material control and accountability, information/cyber security, and personnel security) and map them to Deep Fission's design and operations, with team support to close any DOE knowledge gaps.
• Develop the DOE-to-NRC security bridging analysis: identify where DOE-authorized security measures satisfy NRC commercial requirements and where NRC-specific demonstration is required.
• Participate in development of licensing documents for the DOE Authorization and the NRC Application for operation of the Deep Fission facility.
• Lead security-informed design input for the first-of-a-kind underground configuration: target set analysis, protected/vital area boundary definition, insider threat mitigation, and access controls appropriate to a deep-borehole emplacement.
• Author or direct development of physical security and other security-basis documentation and supporting analyses; coordinate with accountable functional owners for cyber security plan inputs and interfaces on a schedule aligned to Deep Fission's committed milestones.
• As needed, participate in virtual and in-person presentations and discussions with DOE and NRC representatives.
• Provide security requirements as actionable tasks to Engineering, Operations, and IT, and maintain traceability from governing requirement to design and program response.
• Ensure that security measures at Deep Fission facilities comply with DOE and NRC regulatory requirements throughout the licensing process.

As the Program Scales - Facility Security Officer & Fleet Security:

• Serve as Deep Fission's designated Facility Security Officer for applicable facility-clearance and industrial-security requirements.
• Serve as the accountable security lead for development and maintenance of the NRC-regulated operational security program, coordinating with accountable functional owners for physical security, cyber security, and material control & accountability (MC&A) requirements.
• Serve as the accountable lead for protective strategy and response capability; coordinate with site-level security staff (e.g., CSSOs/CPSOs) as the program grows and communicate staffing needs to leadership rather than hiring/managing directly.
• Administer or coordinate applicable clearance and access authorization programs and personnel security, including DISS/NISS.
• Serve as primary security interface with NRC (and DOE as applicable), including inspections, reporting, and program changes.
• Maintain the security program's regulatory conformance and drive continuous improvement.
• As Deep Fission adds sites, extend and adapt the security program and licensing basis built during the DOE authorization work across the fleet, rather than rebuilding it site by site.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Minimum education required of the position:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent (4 years' directly relevant experience in lieu of degree).

Minimum experience required of the position:

• 5+ years of professional security experience in a nuclear, DOD, or DOE-regulated environment.
• At least 3 years working directly with NRC nuclear security regulations at a licensed, applicant, or authorized facility (e.g., supporting a license application, security plan development, or NRC audits/inspections).
• Hands-on experience authoring or substantially revising at least one NRC-reviewed Physical Security Plan or comparable regulator-facing nuclear security basis document.
• Direct experience engaging with NRC staff in pre-application meetings, audits, or licensing reviews, not solely in a supporting role behind a supervisor or team lead.

Preferred:

• Prior FSO or equivalent individual-contributor security lead role at a nuclear facility.
• Experience with advanced-reactor, microreactor, or first-of-a-kind (FoAK) licensing security topics.
• Experience supporting pre-application or licensing engagement with NRC and/or DOE.
• Experience designing security programs intended to scale across multiple sites or a fleet, rather than a single facility.
• Industrial Security Professional (ISP) certification or equivalent security credentials.

Minimum knowledge, skills, and abilities required of the position:

• Thorough working knowledge of 10 CFR Part 73 (Physical Protection of Plants and Materials), including protected/vital area design, target set analysis, and insider threat mitigation.
• Working knowledge of cyber security interfaces relevant to NRC-regulated nuclear facilities, including 10 CFR 73.54.
• General knowledge of NISPOM / 32 CFR Part 117 industrial security requirements sufficient to serve as a facility's designated FSO.
• General familiarity with DOE Q clearance and personnel security processes; depth here is not required at hire and can be developed with team support.
• Demonstrated ability to translate regulatory security requirements into concrete design and program requirements, with clear traceability from requirement to implementation.
• Strong technical writing skills, with a verifiable work history producing regulator-facing security documentation (plans, analyses, or licensing submittals).
• Working proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) for report and briefing preparation.
• Able to work independently as an individual contributor and build a licensing security strategy from the ground up, without a standing security team in place at hire.
• Able to communicate clearly and credibly with government regulators, executives, and engineering stakeholders alike.

Preferred:

• Working knowledge of the DOE security framework (physical protection, MC&A, information security, personnel security) and relevant DOE orders/standards (e.g., DOE O 470.4C, NE O 470.1, DOE-STD-1271); helpful but not required; our team can support ramp-up.
• Familiarity with target set / vulnerability analysis and physical security design.

Eligibility requirements (all positions):

• Must be a U.S. person eligible to meet Department of Energy (DOE) Export Control requirements under 10 CFR 810.
• US Citizen; able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q clearance or final U.S. TOP SECRET security clearance.
• Able to travel to Parsons, KS on a milestone-driven basis (frequency will vary; not a fixed schedule).

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Able to operate a personal computer, either desktop or laptop.
• Able to sit for extended periods of time.
• Able to travel via commercial airline and ground transportation for regular milestone-driven travel to the site in Parsons, KS.
• Able to exert up to 10 lbs. of force occasionally, and/or a minimal amount of force frequently, to lift, carry, push, or otherwise move objects.

WORKING CONDITIONS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the accountabilities and essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable an individual with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Perform other job-related duties as assigned, within your scope of responsibilities.
• This role is remote-first, with regular milestone-driven travel to Parsons, KS. Travel frequency will vary and is expected to increase as the site progresses through DOE authorization, NRC licensing, and operational readiness.
• The role requires the ability to comprehend, document, calculate, visualize, and analyze information.
• The role may require regular hours, with occasional overtime, particularly around DOE authorization and NRC licensing milestones.

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