Consolidated Nuclear Security, the government’s managing contractor for the Y-12 and Pantex sites, is engaged in one of the biggest hiring campaigns of the post-Cold War nuclear weapons complex.
The contractor plans to hire about 300 workers over the next three months, according to a 90-day plan released by CEO Morgan Smith, who assumed leadership at the first of February. That is part of the contractor’s overall plan to hire more than 1,100 new employees in fiscal 2016 to meet “mission needs” at the key production facilities in the U.S. nuclear security enterprise.
The hiring effort is so intensive that Consolidated Nuclear Security – a corporate partnership headed by Bechtel – has suspended internal job transfers for two months at Y-12 and Pantex in order to put as much attention as possible on new hires.
“To enable us to stabilize our current situation and provide more focus on achieving our external hiring needs, we are temporarily suspending internal transfers for the next 60 days, effective immediately,” CNS said in a message to Y-12 and Pantex employees. The announcement said CNS is “actively recruiting” for more than 900 job openings.
The temporary suspension of job transfers includes current requisitions where no offer has yet been made, CNS said.
“For those offers that have been accepted but no start date has been set, the start date and subsequent pay change will be addressed in concert with resumption of internal transfers,” the contractor stated. “Where there are more immediate needs that cannot wait, we will work through these on a case-by-case basis.”
CNS did not provide a breakdown on the hiring needs at the individual sites, but the hiring effort is reportedly greatest at Pantex, near Amarillo, Texas. However, both sites are trying to hire a significant number of new workers and process their security clearances.
A central part of the 90-day plan is to hire and retain “the right people with the right skills” through a “revitalized hiring and retention process,” according to CNS.
The company has not revealed details of the workers to be hired or why the expanded payroll is necessary, but at least some of the rise in employment is tied to plans to accelerate the dismantlement of old nuclear weapons at the two production sites. Pantex is the assembly and disassembly center for the nuclear weapons complex, and Y-12 also plays a key role in handling the so-called secondaries – the second stage of thermonuclear warheads – and dismantling the parts originally manufactured in Oak Ridge.
In a message to CNS employees at Y-12 and Pantex, Smith said a key item to be addressed by the plants is a 16 percent increase in “weapons deliverables” from fiscal 2015 to 2016. “This is a significant step increase that will only be accomplished with focused and flawless work execution day in and day out,” he said.
The 90-day plan lists nine priorities, topped by significantly reducing injuries and improving security performance. “Dramatically reduce the number of people being hurt and commit ourselves to safety: each day, each person, each other,” the plan states. “Take individual responsibility for information security and site security.”
Other priorities include:
— Exceed production baselines or “established recovery schedules.” Outperform the “must do” requirements for delivery of weapons commitments, materials and services, and generate margin in the schedules.
— Issue a CNS strategic plan. “Clarify and communicate our strategic direction, which is guided by a strategic plan focused on increasing CNS productivity for the nation.”
— Deliver six 40-hour leadership development courses for supervisors and managers.
— Revitalize the Pantex and Y-12 infrastructure to help ensure product delivery, “especially as work scope increases.” Build for the future, while stabilizing and improving existing facilities and reducing legacy risks.
