SRS Employee is First FPD to Receive Level IV Certification in Three Years

AIKEN, S.C. – DOE recently presented a Level IV federal project director (FPD) certification to an employee for the first time in three years.

Shayne Farrell is the DOE-Savannah River (DOE-SR) deputy FPD for the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) project, and FPD for the construction of saltstone disposal units (SDUs) 7-12. Farrell completed the requirements of the Project Management Career Development Program (PMCDP) and was designated a Level IV FPD by the DOE Certification Review Board Dec 4.

Prior to Farrell’s achievement, it had been three years since the last Level IV was awarded by the Department and eight years since the last EM Level IV certification.

“Obtaining my FPD Level IV is a very important milestone in my DOE career. This achievement is the culmination of over 25 years of project management experience and work at DOE-SR and the DOE complex and provides me the opportunity to take on larger projects in the future,” said Farrell. “I join an extremely qualified group of colleagues who I have looked up to and learned much from over the years.”

The PMCDP establishes requirements for four certification levels that correspond to progressively more project responsibility and experience. The PMCDP is critical to the success of DOE's capital asset project goals. FPD certification is mandatory for those persons formally appointed to manage, direct, and execute projects.

With over 31 years of experience with DOE and the U.S. Department of Defense, Farrell has worked in a variety of program areas. He has been with DOE-SR since November 1990 and served in a number of positions, including special assistant to the EM Assistant Secretary for more than a year.

The PMCDP, in the DOE Office of Project Management Oversight and Assessments, was established in 2001 by a congressional mandate to ensure DOE has well qualified and experienced FPDs to oversee the agency’s diverse portfolio of highly-technical construction, experimental equipment, and environmental cleanup projects.

The primary goal of the program is to provide FPDs with the tools and training necessary to deliver projects that meet pre-defined scope, schedule, and budgetary requirements, while maintaining the safety and security of these capital assets.

SWPF will be key to accelerating the disposition of low-level salt waste, which accounts for 90 percent of tank waste volume at the Savannah River Site. The SDUs are being constructed to safely and permanently store the large volume of decontaminated salt solution to be generated at SWPF.