This position serves as the Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) Coordinator for the VA Medical Center in Chicago, IL. *Relocation/recruitment incentive may be authorized for a highly qualified candidate.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Develops and implements a GEMS program and coordinating the efforts of staff to ensure that the GEMS is developed and implemented in accordance with Veterans Health Administration (VHA) policy and guidance; Develops, implements, and maintains effective programs for the identification, collection, and disposal of hazardous waste; Ensures that handling of all waste streams comply with federal, state, and local governmental laws and regulations; Develops promotional and educational activities to promote stakeholder awareness of the Medical Center's environmental issues; Serves as a subject matter expert on issues related to environmental laws, statues and regulations; Conducts field surveys, analyzes environmental reports, reviews technical publications, and assesses problems to develop new or revised technical or management guidance material; Reviews and comments on publications (proposed by others) that relate to or impact on the operation and maintenance of the department's facilities; Participates in planning, organizing, implementing, and providing technical expertise for all construction projects by evaluating environmental regulatory compliance and providing corrective actions, as needed, to resolve complex environmental concerns; Provides technical expertise for the design, modification, operation, and maintenance of facilities and infrastructure to ensure compliance with environmental compliance regulations; Advises senior leadership on how environmental policies, procedures, and systems will affect hospital operations; Advises on furthering support of environmental sustainability initiatives; Works with facility leadership to integrate environmental considerations into planning and operational activities; Facilitates the exchange of environmental information to staff to include the development and implementation of training and educational programs related to environmental programs; Manages computer programs and databases to enhance management of environmental program; Tracks all corrective action plans and processes via the national environmental database; Maintains a waste determination SharePoint site as a VISN and national resource; Serves at the facility's subject matter expert in potential litigation involving environmental fines and consent agreements taken against the agency; Keeps abreast of latest development in the field of environmental management systems and healthcare decontamination systems by reviewing technical publications, attending technical conferences or professional society meetings, and discussing with industry representatives; Evaluates new products, processes, or techniques and recommending those that would provide efficiency or economy; Leads environmental audits and incident investigations, conducts root cause analysis, develops corrective actions, and tracks incidents to closure; Completes permits and leads facility self-assessment, inspections, and other environmental investigations; Evaluates and implements pollution prevention alternatives to reduce solid waste generation; Measures the effectiveness of existing environmental programs and recommends modifications to existing programs as needed to meet changing environmental requirements; Implements and monitors corrective actions for noncompliance/nonconformance deficiencies identified during audits; Acts as the Hazardous Materials Branch Director during emergency responses caused by natural or man-made significant environmental releases/spills of hazardous materials; Performs related duties as required. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Requirements

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS GS-11: One year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in Federal service. Specialized experience includes: knowledge of environmental safety, occupational safety and health, or industrial hygiene principles, practices, procedures, and regulations in a hospital/healthcare environment; and mitigating, identifying, assessing, addressing, and correcting deficiencies in a comprehensive facility safety program. This experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit. ~OR~ A Ph.D., equivalent doctoral degree, 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M., if related. This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. One year of full-time graduate education is the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. Transcripts required. ~OR~ An equivalent combination of specialized experience and post high school education as described that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. Your experience must be detailed, and transcripts required. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: CommunicationsCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)Decision MakingPublic Safety and SecurityTechnical Competence IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion such as prolonged standing, bending, and stooping to observe work operations and identifying leaking containers in a treatment, storage, or disposal area. Personal protective equipment may be required to be worn. Occasional travel is required. The Environmental Protection Specialist is exposed to a variety of potential health hazards and uncomfortable work situations which may be physically taxing. The work involves regular and recurring exposure to moderate risks or discomforts that require special safety precautions (e.g., working at storage, disposal, or spill site where there is a risk of exposure to pesticides, hazardous chemicals, radioactive materials, and other pollutants). 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

IMPORTANT: 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 Jesse Brown Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 820 South Damen Avenue Chicago, IL 60612 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]