This position serves as the Assistant Area Director for the OSHA Region 6 Houston North Area Office. Selectee will be expected to report to the Houston North Area office; this is not a virtual position. This position is outside the bargaining unit. Additional selections may be made from this vacancy, if funding is available.

Duties

Incumbent oversees the operations and operating efficiency of a multi-disciplinary group of Industrial Hygienists, Safety and Occupational Health Specialists and/or Safety Engineers, providing technical and administrative guidance and oversight. Interviews candidates for vacant positions and makes recommendations for selection; recommends promotions, reassignments, awards, training and other career development opportunities; hears and resolves employee complaints to the extent possible; effects disciplinary actions, such as warnings and reprimands, recommending action to the Area Director in more serious cases; approves leave requests from employees supervised. Develops performance standards for subordinates; prepares and signs performance appraisals on employees supervised. Distributes and balances the workload, makes adjustments when appropriate and directs the group in the accomplishment of work. Reviews case files of employees to ensure proper application of standards and proposed penalties as well as reasonable abatement dates for correction of hazards and documentation that is legally sufficient and consistent with OSHA policies and directives. Conducts informal conferences and negotiates settlement agreements relative to safety and health inspections. Leads investigations involving the most difficult and complex cases involving workplace fatalities and catastrophes, high risk operations, imminent danger, non-existent or inadequate standards where use of the 5(a) (1) general duty clause would be required. Works with the Regional Solicitor in developing cases under contest and coordinates appearances at hearings and other venues for employees supervised; as required, serves as a witness before judicial hearings and trials, including criminal investigations, providing technical expertise in occupational safety and health. Negotiates with appropriate employer and/or employee representatives to minimize labor management conflict or to obtain immediate cooperation in imminent danger situations. Represents OSHA at meetings of employer or labor organizations, trade associations and other groups interested in safety and health; informs employers and employees of their rights and responsibilities under the OSH Act; promotes voluntary compliance and informs the public of any changes and developments in the field. Serves as Acting Area Director when required.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Subject to pre-employment and random drug tests.
• Requires medical exam and must maintain physical requirements.
• Requires a supervisory probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Subject to financial disclosure requirements.
• Requires a valid driver's license.

Qualifications

THIS POSITION HAS A INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT. ALL APPLICANTS MUST MEET THIS REQUIREMENT IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED. Education: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or degree in other related fields that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours of study from among the following (or closely related) disciplines: safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, toxicology, public health, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological sciences, engineering, and industrial psychology. OR Experience: (for positions above GS-5): Experience in or related to safety and occupational health that provided the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Managing safety or occupational health program elements. Developing and recommending safety and occupational health policy to higher levels of management. Applying safety and occupational health laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices, and procedures to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing with occupational safety and health requirements. Developing safety and occupational health standards, regulations, practices, and procedures to eliminate or control potential hazards. Developing or implementing programs to reduce the frequency, severity, and cost of accidents and occupational illnesses. Analyzing or evaluating new and existing jobs, processes, products, or other systems to determine the existence, severity, probability, and outcome of hazards. Designing or modifying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems to control or eliminate hazards. Inspecting or surveying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems for compliance with established safety and occupational health policies or standards and to identify potential new hazards. Training of workers, supervisors, managers, or other safety and occupational health personnel in safety or occupational health subjects. Work in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, and occupational health nurse. OR Certificates Certification as a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), or Certified Health Physicist (CHP), or similar certification that included successful completion of a written examination meets the requirements for GS-5. Applicants may also qualify for higher grade levels based on their education and/or experience. --- AND -- Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-12, in the Federal Service. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience. Specialized Experience: Specialized Experience, is experience that has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. At the GS-13: Applicants must have at least 1 year of Specialized Experience equivalent to the GS-12 or higher, to qualify for this position. For this position, examples of qualifying experience include: Conducting complex occupational safety and health inspections. Conducting analyses of workplace safety and health programs to determine workflow processes and/or causal factors for unsafe and/or unhealthful working conditions and/or to determine unsafe and/or unhealthful work conditions and/or processes. Developing written and/or electronic inspection case files to substantiate identified hazards and/or citations. Providing technical advice and/or guidance and/or training to employers and/or employees and/or labor representatives and/or other interested parties regarding safe/healthful working conditions and/or the improvement of operations and/or facilities and/or voluntary compliance with OSHA's enforcement regulations. Serving as an acting Assistant Area Director in an OSHA area office. Leading teams of occupational safety and health professionals in the investigation and/or documentation of unsafe and/or unhealthful working conditions. Identifying and documenting unsafe and/or unhealthful working conditions, securing hazard abatement, and conducting opening/closing conferences and/or informal settlement conferences.

Education

There is no substitution of education for experience at this grade level.

Contacts

• Address Occupational Safety and Health Administration 200 Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC 20210 US
• Name: Susie Quinn
• Phone: 617-788-2814
• Email: [email protected]