The VA Medical Center Green Environmental Management Systems (GEMS) Coordinator is the key member of the VAMC GEMS Committee responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of the VA GEMS across VAMC organizational elements.

Duties

Major duties include: Manages all facets of environmental compliance, concerns and issues. Provide direction and control of the Green Environmental Management System for the prevention, control, and abatement of air, water, solid waste, conservation, hazardous and toxic materials management and hazardous/universal waste management. Works with service chiefs, supervisors and operating unit personnel to ensure awareness of and compliance with environmental regulations, policies and procedures. Ensures that Green Environmental Management System is implemented in accordance with medical center policy and guidance. Applies environmental science and technology to demonstrate relationships between the operation of the VA Medical Center with human health, ecosystems, environmental media and natural resources. Provides leadership and direction to management, professional and technical personnel. Plans, organizes, oversees and provides technical assistance for projects to resolve environmental problems. Provides technical expertise for the design, modification, operation and maintenance of facilities and infrastructure to ensure compliance with environmental regulations. Advise management how environmental policies, procedures, and systems will affect operations. Evaluate, modify and implement pollution prevention alternatives to reduce generation of waste. Manage and provide technical advice regarding response to environmental emergencies including releases of hazardous material. Develop and present budgetary information related to environmental programs to medical center upper management. Manage computer programs and databases. Identifies and proposes recommended environmental compliance processes and activities to minimize environmental hazards and/or issues. Monitors operations to assure compliance with federal, state and local regulations. Investigates environmental issues and incidents and recommends steps to reduce the frequency of events. Reviews policies and regulations from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to remain current on applicable environmental laws and regulations affecting operations. Evaluates permit requirements. Develops courses of instruction for personnel and ensures implementation and compliance with regulatory requirements. Stays abreast of developments in the field of environmental management systems by review of technical publications, conferences, and discussion with industry representatives. Work Schedule: Tour of duty may vary based on the needs of the service. Position Description Title/PD#: Industrial Hygienist (GEMS Coordinator)/PD003552 Physical Requirements: The performance of duties frequently requires inspections in all areas of the medical center complex, including patient wards, laboratories, service rooms, and construction sites. The work involves walking, standing, bending, climbing or crawling during audits to obtain information concerning evaluation of work processes. During audits the employee is subjected to all the risks and discomforts associated with industrial and healthcare activities of the agency. This exposure requires the use of protective clothing and equipment, including respirators, hardhats and ear protectors. May encounter exposure to hazardous materials including biological, chemical and radioactive agents.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• May serve a probationary period
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Individual Occupational Requirements Basic Requirements The education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education(external link) at the time the degree was obtained. Applicants must meet one of the following requirements: A bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in industrial hygiene, occupational health sciences, occupational and environmental health, toxicology, safety sciences, or related science; or A bachelor's degree in a branch of engineering, physical science, or life science that included 12 semester hours in chemistry, including organic chemistry, and 18 additional semester hours of courses in any combination of chemistry, physics, engineering, health physics, environmental health, biostatistics, biology, physiology, toxicology, epidemiology, or industrial hygiene; or Certification from the American Board of Industrial Hygiene(external link) (ABIH). Courses in the history or teaching of chemistry are not acceptable. Evaluation of Education All science or engineering courses offered in fulfillment of the above requirements must be acceptable for credit toward the completion of a standard 4-year professional curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in science or engineering at an accredited college or university. For engineering degrees to be acceptable, the curriculum must be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) as a professional engineering curriculum. In addition to the Individual Occupational Requirement, applicants must also meet the Specialized Experience: Specialized Experience at the GS-12 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: the recognition, evaluation, corrective actions, and elimination of environmental conditions in the workplace that causes sickness, impaired health, or illness. This experience must demonstrate a professional knowledge of the theory and application of the principles of industrial hygiene and closely related sciences such as physics and engineering controls. Such work must have involved experience in all of the following areas: the acquisition of quantitative and qualitative data, and the measurement of exposures for a variety of chemical, physical, and biological stresses; the analysis of the data acquired and the prediction of probable effects of exposures on the health and well-being of workers; and the selection and recommendation of appropriate controls, including management, medical, engineering, education or training, and personal protective equipment. There is no educational substitution for the GS-12 level. 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.

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.

Contacts

• Address Memphis VA Medical Center 1030 Jefferson Avenue Memphis, TN 38104 US
• Name: Kimberly Connell
• Phone: 727-776-7797
• Email: [email protected]