This position is located in Palo Alto and they are linked to the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. The incumbent of this position is a Staff Officer assigned to the Office of the Chief within the Environmental Management Service (EMS), reporting directly to the Chief of the Service. Although organizationally responsible to the Chief, he/she is given a very wide range of latitude in which to function independently with minimal supervision.

Duties

Major duties of this position will include, but are not limited to: Accept and support the guiding principles of the VAPAHCS and performs assigned duties in a manner that promotes quality achievement, outstanding customer service and the maintenance of an environment committed to serving the veteran. Actively supports the team concept and functions as a team player. He/she contributes to EMS initiatives and continuously strives to improve the effectiveness of EMS efforts. As the Staff Officer in charge of all aspects of the QA Program, the incumbent must meet all policy and legal requirements, including JCAHO, OSHA, EPA and all quality standards developed, or to be developed, by VACO Environmental Management. Responsible for monitoring all QA aspects of Sanitation Operations. Monitor all aspects of the Service level orientation, recommend and follow up with corrective actions based on data analysis results, and provide continuous education of staff to ensure that QA Standards are continuously met. Ensure that Quality Assurance methodologies will be updated and implemented as needed as hospital sanitation technologies change. Interact with vendors to evaluate and implement new sanitation products, equipment, and technologies approved by VA leadership. Responsible for multiple levels of data, analyzing the results, and generating statistics for the completion of required reports of QA support activities of all VAPAHCS facilities. Incumbent is responsible for VACO recurring and non-recurring reports. Design and conduct special studies of QA data, including comparative costs studies as necessary. Recommend to the Chief and Assistant Chief funding and staffing adjustments as may be indicated by cost comparison studies and budget reviews. 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: Mon-Fri 0700 - 1530 Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD01709A

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/08/2023.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. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. 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: For the GS-7 grade level of this position: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: knowledge of SharePoint and VistA, Gathering, entering, and tracking information in local and/or national databases, extracting data and developing graphs and/or reports for analysis, a general knowledge of eligibility for benefits, enrollment, admissions/discharges, and transfers; and strong professional communication skills. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed one full year of Graduate level education. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work of this position (Transcripts required). One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be 18 semesters hours. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the graduate level. For the GS-9 grade level of this position: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Develop, interpret, and implement policies and procedures and serves as the contact person concerning administrative issues; Strong knowledge of overall facility operations and procedures, preferably in a medical setting; a strong knowledge of business office activities; the ability to maintain continuity of office functions; a broad knowledge of eligibility for benefits, enrollment, admissions/discharges, and transfers; and strong professional communication skills. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must possess a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work of this position (Transcripts required). One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be 18 semesters hours. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the graduate level You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:ClericalDatabase Management SystemsEmployee DevelopmentFinancial ManagementExperience 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 is primarily sedentary but will involve walking and minor lifting of office equipment and supplies.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 Palo Alto VA Medical Center 3801 Miranda Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94304 US
• Name: Vickie Erickson
• Phone: 925-356-4008
• Email: [email protected]