HEALTH PHYSICIST LEAD/ADVANCED

PLEASE DO NOT APPLY THROUGH HANDSHAKE BECAUSE THE APPLICATION WILL NOT BE COUNTED.  APPLY ON THE STATE WEBSITE ONLY! 

Main Purpose of Job

The Health Physicist III will serve as the lead for coordinating the planning and training of Department and non‑Department personnel in a variety of roles associated with the State Nuclear Power Plant Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP) response program. The incumbent will work within the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response at the Maryland Department of the Environment.  Job duties will include performing operational checks, services, and minor repairs on environmental sampling equipment (radiation detection), communication equipment, and dosimetry devices.

The incumbent will serves as a member of the Department’s Nuclear Emergency Response Organization and will be an on‑call duty officer within the Directorate for all hazards as needed.  The Incumbent may be assigned to work evenings and weekends and may be required to perform emergency response duties on a 24/7 recall basis.  The Health Physicist III must be capable of stepping into various job functions in the Agency’s Incident Command System structure, as well as acting as a Liaison Officer representing MDE as the lead agency in the Environmental Protection State Coordinating Function (SCF) at the Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM).

The Health Physicist III will also be the technical expert and advanced‑level lead for training Department and non‑Department Health Physicists in the use of specialized computer‐modeling software to perform radiation dose projection calculations to the public in the event of a nuclear power plant release. The incumbent will be the agency coordinator and lead for maintaining, updating, exercising, and submitting for annual approval to MDEM the Department Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP).

The working conditions of this position involve exposure to uncomfortable or unpleasant surroundings. The incumbent in this position may be deployed to the filed during a nuclear emergency in cold winter months or hot summer months while wearing Tyvek protective equipment. Position involves exposure to hazardous conditions which may result in injury. This position is required to measure radiation levels and assist staff. The work involves special physical demands such as lifting 50 pounds or more, climbing ladders, etc. Some sampling equipment is mounted above six feet, and maintenance requires that the instrumentation be removed from its station. This position also requires the use of protective equipment such as goggles, gloves, masks, etc. during site visits.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Experience: Eight years of experience performing in performing the recognition, evaluation and control of radiological hazards to employees and the general public.

Notes:

1. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum of 30 credit hours in mathematical, physical or biological sciences and four years of experience performing in performing the recognition, evaluation and control of radiological hazards to employees and the general public for the required experience.

2. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Bachelor’s degree in radiation safety, radiological health, health physics or a related radiation control field from an accredited college or university for five years of the required experience.

3. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Master’s degree in radiation safety, radiological health, health physics, or related radiation control field from an accredited college or university for six years of the required experience.

4. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Master’s degree in mathematical, biological or physical science from an accredited college or university for five years of the required experience.

5. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Doctorate in health physics, nuclear physics, radiation management or related field of radiological health from an accredited college or university for seven years of the required experience.

6. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in Health and Medical Physicist classifications or Health and Medical Physicist specialty codes in the Physicist field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required experience.

DESIRED OR PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

It is preferred that the selected candidate has the following:

•  Certified Health Physics (CHP), American Board of Health Physics (ABHP), Advanced Professional Series (APS) and FEMA emergency management certifications;

•  Experience with emergency response systems like Incident Command System (ICS),National Incident Management System (NIMS), and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) operations;

•  Proficient in radiological software and Geographic Information System Software (GIS) for emergency planning;

•  Field experience in nuclear oversight, radiation monitoring, or HazMat, including emergency drills and exercises;

•  Strong leadership and mentoring in emergency preparedness projects.

LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

Employees in this classification may be assigned duties which require the operation of a motor vehicle. Employees assigned such duties will be required to possess a motor vehicle operator’s license valid in the State of Maryland.