Safeguards Information Analyst Environmental Sampling

The Department of Safeguards carries out the IAEA’s duties and responsibilities as the world’s nuclear inspectorate, supporting global efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. The primary role of the Department is to develop and implement IAEA safeguards to ensure that there is no diversion of declared nuclear material from peaceful activities and no indications of undeclared nuclear material or activities in a State as a whole.

The Department comprises nuclear safeguards inspectors, responsible for carrying out inspections and verifications of all-safeguards relevant information for nuclear facilities in over 180 States; and technical staff responsible for a wide range of activities including: developing concepts and approaches for implementing safeguards; developing and maintaining safeguards equipment; providing analytical and laboratory services for sample analysis; collecting, evaluating and analysing safeguards-relevant information; providing information and communication technology infrastructure and services; and providing programme coordination support.

The Division of Information Management (SGIM) implements state of the art methodologies and techniques for the collection, processing and analysis of a range of safeguards-relevant information, including declarations submitted by States, evaluations resulting from the analysis of samples or measurements collected during infield activities, and information from open sources, including nuclear trade-related data and satellite imagery. Staff perform data validation and complex information analysis and evaluation to support infield activities and provide key input to the State evaluation process.

Main Purpose:

Reporting to the Team Leader (Environmental Sampling), the Safeguards Information Analyst (Environmental Sampling) contributes to the IAEA’s overall objective to maintain and further develop an effective and efficient verification system through the implementation and development of the environmental sampling programme for safeguards. The Safeguards Information Analyst (Environmental Sampling) contributes directly to the IAEA’s ability to draw timely and sound safeguards conclusions through the prompt acquisition and analysis of data from safeguards activities and safeguards declarations.

Role:

The Safeguards Information Analyst (Environmental Sampling) is: 1) a specialist, providing comprehensive advice on the most efficient and effective methods of conducting environmental sampling; 2) a key player in developing and improving environmental sampling plans and in assessing the quality of measurements and the effectiveness of inspection results as a service to the Department; and 3) a team member, collaborating with colleagues to identify and apply the best methods for sound and timely interpretation and evaluation of analysis results from environmental samples.

Functions / Key Results Expected

• Perform complex evaluations of Network of Analytical Laboratories (NWAL) analytical results for forensic nuclear significance of material present on environmental samples collected by safeguards inspectors.
• Perform quality control on the results, follow up on any issues, and provide in-depth environmental sampling reports to the Department, thereby contributing to State Evaluation Reports and the annual Safeguards Implementation Report which address the correctness and completeness of Member States’ declarations concerning their nuclear materials and activities.
• Supervise the evaluation of environmental sampling results provided by NWAL as well as the timely reporting of the related conclusions to relevant Departmental stakeholders and liaise with SGAS and NWAL in the framework of environmental sampling analysis matters.
• Participate in the planning of environmental sample collections, contribute to improvements in sampling procedures and sample processing, as well as to the implementation of environmental sampling under the Additional Protocol and procedures related to illicit trafficking.
• Design, implement and utilize nuclear fuel cycle modelling tools and participate in State Evaluation Groups for assigned States to contribute to the State Evaluation Process and related activities.
• Serve as a task officer for Member State Support Programme tasks to investigate, develop, and/or improve analytical methods, sampling procedures or strategies, QA/QC measures, and evaluation approaches.
• Subject to approval by the Board of Governors, participate in safeguards inspections and complementary accesses and provide support to in-field verification activities.
• Participate as a lecturer in conferences, seminars and training courses for safeguards inspectors and State representatives.

Qualifications, Experience and Language skills:

• Master’s Degree – Advanced university degree in chemistry, physics, nuclear engineering or a related scientific or technical discipline.
• Bachelor’s Degree – First level university degree in one of the stipulated fields with two years of additional relevant experience
• may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree.
• Minimum of seven years of experience in environmental sampling evaluation methodologies applied to safeguards.
• Experience of evaluating analytical results from multiple laboratories in order to corroborate observations and follow up on identified issues.
• Experience in performing uranium enrichment calculations and reactor fuel burn up calculations for various reactor types (research reactors, plutonium production reactors, light waterpower reactors and fast breeder reactors).
• Excellent oral and written command of English. Knowledge of other official IAEA languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is an asset.

Source: https://iaea.taleo.net/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=2024/0398%20(015042)