Come join our team at Jefferson Lab, where great minds matter
Posting Date: 02/19/2026
Salary Range: $115,900 - $183,000 (SE III)
Work Location Type: Flexible On-site (60% on-site work)
What your job will be like:
The CEBAF Operability Leader is responsible for planning, management, and execution of tasks which reduce CEBAF downtime due to hardware interruptions, and improve accelerator reliability. These tasks are determined in conjunction with the Director of Accelerator Operations, Accelerator Operations group leaders, and system owners from across the laboratory, such as Facilities, Engineering, SRF Operations etc. The Operability Leader will be responsible for gathering and summarizing CEBAF efforts that support and affect maintenance and upgrade activities associated with an accelerator shutdown. The Operability Leader will obtain information from all system owners to formulate schedules, determine interferences among tasks, and evaluate impacts to CEBAF operations. The Operability Leader will prioritize planned work with respect to safety concerns, operations downtime, and risk/benefit assessment. All planning must adhere to established JLab ESH processes and incorporate the Human Performance Improvement approach to work planning, control and execution. The Operability Leader will work across organizations where they have no line responsibility but are empowered by the Director of Accelerator Operations and Laboratory Division Heads to gather the necessary information and execute the agreed upon plan. The Operability Leader will report to the Director of Accelerator Operations.
In this role you will:
- Collect scope, urgency and risk input for tasks from the experimental hall work coordinators, support group leaders, project leaders, and divisional leadership to plan, manage and execute accelerator shutdowns to complete necessary work.
- Provide leadership and oversight of daily work plans to maximize safety and communications, and minimize risk. Review and approve work plans (ATLis).
- Track the status of planned activities and ensure appropriate reports are recorded in the electronic log book. Report on these activities in the daily and/or weekly operations meeting as needed.
- For shutdowns longer than one month, organize and run a regular coordination meeting of subject matter experts in which status and plans are discussed, and interferences identified.
- Monitor CEBAF performance and activities during non-core hours (beam and non-beam periods) and provide MCC control room, crew chief, and Director of Accelerator Operations guidance when problems arise.
- Serve as the Operations/Operability representative on lab-wide committees and teams.
Qualifications we require:
Education
- Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or related technical field required.
- Education above the minimum may be substituted for experience.
Experience
- 10 or more years relevant experience in operations of large research/scientific facilities such as accelerators, research reactors, or large detectors required
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Knowledgeable in all technical areas of accelerator operations, with a detailed understanding of how multiple systems interact, or have an ability to achieve that level of proficiency in a short period of time.
- Extremely high levels of technical knowledge, ingenuity and creativity in an environment where basic research is conducted.
- Able to assimilate technical information with widely varying levels of detail, presentation and explanation from a variety of sources outside their reporting chain.
- Able and willing to balance the needs and desires of a group with those of the Lab, and take ownership of higher-level institutional goals.
About Jefferson Lab
Join a community with a common purpose of solving the most challenging scientific and engineering problems of our time. The Jefferson Lab campus is located in southeastern Virginia amidst a vibrant and growing technology community. A career at Jefferson Lab is more than a job. You will be part of “big science” and work alongside top scientists and engineers from around the world unlocking the secrets of our visible universe. Managed by Jefferson Science Associates, LLC; Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is entering an exciting period of mission growth and is seeking new team members ready to apply their skills and passion to have an impact. You could call it work, or you could call it a mission. We call it a challenge. We do things that will change the world.
Total Rewards at Jefferson Lab
At Jefferson Lab, we believe that a comprehensive employee benefits program is an important and meaningful part of the compensation employees receive. Our benefits program includes, but is not limited to:
•Medical, Dental, and Vision Care Plans
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Paid Time-off and Leave Programs (Paid Parental, vacation, holidays, and sick leave)
• 401(k) Plan – 9% Lab Contribution; 100% vested
• Flexible Work Arrangements (Remote & Alternate Work Schedules available)
• Tuition Assistance, Training and Professional Development Programs
• Live near the waterways of the Chesapeake Bay region with access to nearby beaches, mountains, and all major metropolitan centers on the East Coast
Jefferson Science Associates, LLC (JSA) manages and operates the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab).
JSA is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities (unless doing so will result in an undue hardship). If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to recruiting @jlab.org or contact Human Resources by calling (757) 269-7100 and selecting option 1 between 8 am –5 pm EST to provide the nature of your request.
Employment with JSA is conditional upon DOE approval if at any time during your employment you are participating in a Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Program or Affiliated activity. Generally, such programs/activities include any foreign-state-sponsored attempt to acquire U.S.-funded scientific research through programs run or funded by the government that target scientists, engineers, students, academics, researchers, and entrepreneurs of all nationalities working or educated in the United States. This includes positions or appointments, both domestic and foreign, titled academic, professional, or institutional appointments whether or not remuneration is received and whether full-time, part-time or voluntary.
