National Nuclear Security Administration

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is a semi-autonomous agency within the Department of Energy, established in 2000, that maintains the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, works to reduce the danger of nuclear proliferation worldwide and provides nuclear propulsion for the Navy. It does most of its work through contractor-run national laboratories and production sites, so federal NNSA staff are largely overseers: engineers, program managers, contracting and support specialists at headquarters in Washington and at field offices co-located with the sites.

Recent listings have included a nuclear engineer and a supervisory nuclear engineer, a supervisory general engineer/physical scientist, a contract specialist and a supervisory procurement analyst, a transportation management specialist, a human resources specialist in recruitment, placement and classification, a program analyst, an accountant, an associate assistant deputy administrator for material management and minimization, and a deputy associate administrator for information management serving as deputy CIO.

Applying tip: most NNSA jobs require a DOE security clearance, often a Q clearance, which involves the same investigation level as Top Secret and can take many months, so apply early and expect it to be a condition of employment. The security clearance guide explains what the process means for remote and telework eligibility.