Jobs › Argonne National Laboratory
Nuclear, Waste, and Site Services Waste Specialist II or III
Posted Sep 21, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
Apply at Argonne National Laboratory
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Tell me about a time analytical results came back different from what the generator told you. What did you do?
What they are checking: Whether they trust data over assumptions and follow through on discrepancies.
How do you keep up with changes to DOE Orders, EPA rules and TSDF acceptance criteria?
What they are checking: Whether they actively track rule changes in a field where outdated knowledge leads to violations.
What would you do
A researcher wants to dispose of something quickly and pushes back on your segregation requirements. How do you handle it?
What they are checking: Whether they can hold compliance lines with generators while keeping a working relationship.
You find a container in a lab that isn't labeled and the generator has left the Lab. What steps do you take?
What they are checking: Handling unknown waste safely and within policy, a common problem at research sites.
About the work
A generator brings you a drum of mixed lab waste with incomplete paperwork. How do you work out its radiological, hazardous and DOT classification?
What they are checking: Whether they can characterize waste methodically instead of guessing, which affects legal shipment and acceptance.
How would you build a sampling plan for a waste stream you've never seen before?
What they are checking: Ability to design sampling that produces defensible data for characterization.
Explain how RCRA and TSCA requirements can both apply to the same waste. Give me an example.
What they are checking: Working knowledge of overlapping regulations, which is where costly mistakes happen.
How do you make sure a shipment meets the Waste Acceptance Criteria for a TSDF like EnergySolutions or NNSS?
What they are checking: Whether they understand that a rejected shipment costs money and credibility with the receiving site.
Walk me through how you'd write work instructions for field staff packaging a radioactive waste stream.
What they are checking: Ability to write clear, safe instructions that people in the field can follow without confusion.
What DOT hazmat or radioactive material training do you hold, and how does it shape the way you prepare a shipment?
What they are checking: Whether they have the credentials and practical habits for regulated transportation.
Practice this interview out loud.
Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at Argonne National Laboratory from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.
Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Argonne National Laboratory.