Looking for a good-paying job? Hanford site plans a fair with 1,700 positions
A virtual job fair for some of the best-paying jobs in the Tri-Cities area is set for Wednesday, March 2.
The Hanford nuclear reservation has up to 1,700 openings at all skill levels. They include internships, entry level jobs, union trade jobs and engineering positions, according to the Benton Franklin Workforce Development Council.
Department of Energy projects, which include both Hanford and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, account for about 11.3% of jobs in Benton and Franklin counties. But they pay about 23.4% of all wages in the two counties, according to the Tri-City Development Council.
DOE and its contractor leaders met in April 2019 to make job projections for the next five to 10 years.
They determined that about 1,500 to 1,700 people would need to be hired over the next five years due to retirements, normal attrition, and new operations and programs.
Some of the hiring being done now and in the near future is due to the start of operations around the clock at the vitrification plant, which is preparing to start treating low activity radioactive waste by the end of 2023.
Hanford was used from World War II through the Cold War to produce about two-thirds of the plutonium for the nation’s nuclear weapons program. Now about $2.5 billion a year is spent on cleanup of radioactive and chemical waste and contamination at the site in Eastern Washington adjacent to Richland.
The career fair will be 10 to 2 p.m. March 2 on the Brazen internet platform. Register at bit.ly/HanfordJobsRegistration.
DOE says it is the first time a virtual career fair has been held for Hanford jobs with recruiters for all Hanford contractors and the Department of Energy participating. Hanford employs about 11,000.
“We continue to look for those ready for the challenges and satisfaction that delivering cleanup progress and risk reduction for our workforce, community, and Pacific Northwest delivers,” said DOE Hanford spokesman Geoff Tyree.
Those seeking opportunities for jobs can check websites for DOE and Hanford contractors, including Amentum and Bechtel, Central Plateau Cleanup Co., Hanford Laboratory and Management Integration, Hanford Mission Integration Solutions, Washington River Protection Solutions and HPM Corp.