This position is located in the Occupational Safety and Health, Environmental, and Emergency Management Service, VA Medical Center, Department of Veterans Affairs, Birmingham, Alabama. The environmental protection specialist reports directly to the Service Chief.

Duties

The environmental protection specialist is responsible for specific regulatory compliance programs ,including maintenance of plans and permits, regulatory reporting, and issue tracking. Protection Specialist assists with certain GEMS program management activities. The employee applies specialized knowledge and a deep understanding of environmental laws and regulation for one or more program areas to assist the facility in meeting its compliance requirements; develops and maintains facility-specific Mercury Control and Reduction Plan, reviews plan annually; develops and maintains an inventory of number and types of mercury containing devices (medical and non-medical); manages the master chemical inventory for the facility; prepares portions of environmental plans,permits,and reports(e.g. for air emissions, waste water discharge, solid and hazardous waste, fuel and oil storage, and spill prevention, among other areas) and maintains proper recordkeeping. Employee supports water treatment activities to ensure compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. The employee manages with hazardous waste and residual shipping activities; supports GEMS program administration, management, and internal reporting activities; participates in environmental audits and incident investigations; provides assistance with root cause analysis, development of corrective actions, and tracking incidents to closure; provides support for the facility GEMS committee; supports environmental sustainability initiatives;conducts other duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: 7:30 am to 4:30 pm (subject to change based on agency needs) Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Environmental Protection Specialist/PD093120 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/01/2023. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: To qualify for this position at the GS-7 level, you meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level in federal service that demonstrates Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: an understanding of environment laws and regulations, practical knowledge of enviromental science and related disciplines. Such experience may be gained in administrative, professional, technical or other responsible work positions in the public (i.e., Government or military) or private sector. OR Education: Successful completion of one full year of graduate level education or Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.). The S.A.A. provision is an educational achievement based on class standing, grade-point average or honor society membership. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.~OR~ Combination: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond a bachelors degree) and specialized experience, as described above, to meet the total requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position. To qualify for this position at the GS-9 level, you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level in federal service that demonstrates HR management knowledge, concepts and principles and the performance of work in one or more of the specialty areas. Such experience may be gained in administrative, professional, technical or other responsible work positions in the public (i.e., Government or military) or private sector. Qualifying specialized experience includes: knowledge of how to plan, organize, implement, and evaluate environmental programs, specialized knowledge and a deep understanding of environmental laws, and/or regulations for one or more program areas to assist the facility in meeting compliance requirements ;.~OR~ Education: Successful completion of a Master's or equivalent graduate degree, two full years of progressively higher- level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. ~OR~ Combination: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first year) and specialized experience, as described above, to meet the total requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analytical ReasoningComplianceEducational Experience (ACWA)Mathematical Skills (ACWA)Planning and EvaluatingProblem SolvingRating (ACWA)Social Organizations (ACWA)Technical CompetenceWork Experience (ACWA) Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work may require some physical effort (e.g. walking, standing, carrying items such as manuals or briefcases, or driving or traveling by motor vehicle). For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Birmingham VA Medical Center 700 South 19th Street Birmingham, AL 35233 US
• Name: Latosha Walker
• Phone: 678-924-5712
• Email: [email protected]