As deputy general manager at the DOE/NNSA Y-12 facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn., which plays a vital role in DOE’s Nuclear Weapons Complex, he implemented Six Sigma process improvement tools at both Y-12 and the Oak Ridge cleanup contract, which realized savings of $101 million in 2005–06. Liedle has 21 years of experience in safely managing facilities containing high-hazard radioactive and chemical materials, such as uranium, plutonium and fission products. He has worked closely with Y-12, Nevada Test Site (NTS), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), and Los Alamos National Laboratory in the weapons’ complex, which has given him the opportunity to solve problems related to subcritical experiments and design of the Reliable Replacement Warhead. Liedle was responsible for design and construction of facilities for weapons-related research at NTS. He has broad experience and background in planning, managing and executing nuclear facility restoration at both Y-12 and NTS. He also developed and oversaw Authorization Bases approved by DOE that define the safety envelope and limits for safe operation. Liedle successfully implemented plans and policies for recruiting; during the last five years, he has hired 256 recent college graduates. Steve has had increasing responsibility in managing large NNSA complexes, multidisciplinary projects and programs, and thousands of personnel throughout the Nuclear Weapons Complex.

From 2004-2007, Liedle was deputy general manager of Y-12, where he managed all defense and work for others (WFO) programs for the $8 billion contract with NNSA. He oversaw all campaign programs to implement new technologies in support of stockpile stewardship. He oversaw capital construction projects with a value of $497 million in 2005 and $596 million in 2006. He led Y-12’s Directed Stockpile Work Program, successfully completing the W87 Life Extension Program (LEP), initiating the B61 LEP, and initiating the W76 LEP. Liedle continuously has improved weapon dismantlement work processes, contributing to a fivefold increase in dismantlement from 2004. In anticipation of NNSA’s plan to streamline the weapon’s complex, Liedle initiated work to consolidate nuclear materials and equipment, construct a uranium storage facility, and complete conceptual design of a new, consolidated uranium-processing facility.

From 2001 to 2004, Liedle was president and general manager of Bechtel Jacobs Co., the DOE contractor responsible for the $2.5 billion environmental management contract at DOE facilities at five major sites. He set up a Six Sigma continuous improvement system that generated savings of $6.5 million in 2002, $15.4 million in 2003 and $23.9 million in 2004. During this period of increasing construction work, there was a 10 percent decrease in injury rates.

As president and general manager of the $2.9 billion NTS contract from 2000 to 2001 and in close coordination with LANL and LLNL, Liedle had responsibility for supporting stockpile stewardship through subcritical and weapons physics experiments, nuclear test readiness and emergency management. He enhanced the behavior-based safety program at the site, brought a zero accident philosophy, and cut lost-time injuries by 11 percent. He led a sitewide effort to improve work processes and reduce indirect costs by 10 percent, which allowed NTS to execute more subcritical experiments for the national laboratories. Liedle brought $9 million of Work for Others to the site, including terrorist response training for federal and state agencies and sensor testing for detection of chemical and biological agents.