The Technical Career Field (TCF) is a national workforce development program within VHA that was designed to replenish technical staff in critically identified positions. Environmental protection programs deal with the environmental impacts of human activities on air, land, water, and other media. Environmental protection specialists support VA's Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) implementation.

Duties

The TCF career fields represent those technical fields where VA-specific knowledge and experience is desirable for success in the field. Individuals selected follow a formal training plan for two years during which they are trained, coached, and supervised by a preceptor. Preceptors are selected annually, through an extensive application process, for their technical expertise, their commitment to training and the suitability of their facility as a training location. *Selectees will be required to sign Mobility, Training, and Continued Service Agreements. This is a developmental position leading to a GS-11, performing assignments intended to broaden skills and provide practical experience leading to progressively more complex assignments performed under progressively less supervision. 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. Major Job Duties: The environmental protection specialist is responsible for specific regulatory compliance programs, including maintenance of plans and permits, regulatory reporting, and issue tracking. Generally, work is auxiliary to higher grade environmental personnel. The industrial hygienist assists with certain GEMS program management activities. The employee obtains and evaluates environmental data and supports GEMS program planning and implementation activities. Assignments are typically screened to eliminate difficult or unusual problems. The employee applies working knowledge and a general understanding of environmental laws and regulation to assure compliance with applicable laws and regulation (e.g., for air emissions, wastewater discharge, solid and hazardous waste, fuel and oil storage, and spill prevention, among other areas). The employee collects and evaluates environmental data using appropriate analytical methods and techniques. The employee assists with hazardous waste and residual shipping. The employee supports GEMS program administration, management, and internal reporting activities. The employee supports environmental sustainability initiatives. 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. The employee prepares portions of environmental plans, permits, and reports (e.g., for air emissions, wastewater discharge, solid and hazardous waste, fuel and oil storage, and spill prevention, among other areas) and maintains proper recordkeeping. The employee manages with hazardous waste and residual shipping activities. The employee supports GEMS program administration, management, and internal reporting activities. The employee participates in environmental audits and incident investigations; provides assistance with root cause analysis, development of corrective actions, and tracking incidents to closure. The employee assists with training employees and lower-grade safety staff in specific program requirements. The employee provides support for the facility GEMS committee. The employee supports environmental sustainability initiatives. Work schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Not Authorized Remote: Not Authorized Promotion Potential: GS 11 Position Description Title/PD#: Environmental Protect Specialist (Technical Career Field) Trainee/PD01842A

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/24/2024. GS-07 Qualifications 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. 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. 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. The employee is required to possess knowledge of the policies, work practices, and environmental parameters of regulated industries, agricultural establishments, Federal agencies, States, or other entities necessary to recommend changes. The employee must have practical knowledge of one or more environmental fields (e.g. biology, ecology, chemistry, hydrology, environmental law, or statistics) to assure the accuracy of environmental data. You may qualify based on education and/or experience as described below: 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 and understanding of recognized reference standards, regulatory, requirements, and pertinent statutes to assure environmental compliance. Knowledge of the policies, work practices, and environmental parameters of regulated industries, agricultural establishments, Federal agencies, States, or other entities necessary to recommend changes. Knowledge of one or more environmental fields (e.g. biology, ecology, chemistry, hydrology, environmental law, or statistics) to assure the accuracy of environmental data. Collect environmental data, verify results, and discuss technical aspects of the work with scientists, engineers, and other environmental experts. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 1 full year of graduate level education or A Bachelor's Degree with Superior Academic Achievement (SAA). SAA is a designation which indicates a student has done one of three things: graduated with a specified class standing, met an overall grade point average requirement, or have been a member of an accepted honor society. In order to be creditable under this provision, superior academic achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled. For more information on meeting SAA, please see more information included under "Education" below. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education Master's or equivalent graduate degree. GS-9 Qualification: 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 9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS 7. 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. 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 education and/or experience as described below: 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: Specialized knowledge and a deep understanding of environmental laws and regulation for one or more programs areas to assist the facility in meeting its compliance requirements. Manages with hazardous waste and residual shipping activities. Participates in environmental audits and incident investigation; provides assistance with root cause analysis, development of corrective actions, and tracking incidents to closure. Assist with training employees and lower-grade safety staff in specific program requirements. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and graduate education or equivalent graduate degree. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: ComplianceEducation and TrainingHazardous MaterialsStakeholder ManagementTechnical Credibility 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. 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/. Physical Requirements: The work may require some physical effort (e.g. walking, standing, carrying light items such as manuals or briefcases, or driving or traveling by motor vehicle).

Education

Superior Academic Achievement (SAA):

Link: Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) | U.S. Geological Survey (usgs.gov)

S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership.

1. Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses.
2. Grade-point average (G.P.A.)-- Applicants must have a grade-point average of:

   Grade-point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9.

   The G.P.A should be credited in a manner that is most beneficial to the applicant. For example, applicants may list their G.P.A. as recorded on their final transcript, or they may choose to compute their G.P.A. The specific provisions are detailed below:

   1. 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or
   2. 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.
   • G.P.A. as recorded on the final transcript. The final transcript must cover the period being used to determine G.P.A., i.e., all 4 years or last 2 years.
   • G.P.A. including course work after bachelor's degree. Undergraduate course work obtained after an applicant has received a bachelor's degree can be credited in computing the G.P.A. of applicants who need those courses to meet minimum qualification requirements, i.e., the courses are required by the standard or by the individual occupational requirement. They are treated as described in the following example:
     • An applicant for a Biologist position has a bachelor's degree that included no biology course work, but has taken 24 semester hours in undergraduate biology courses after obtaining the bachelor's degree. The grades earned in the biology courses should be included in the computation to determine this applicant's eligibility for GS-7 under the Superior Academic Achievement provision. These courses should be counted in determining (1) the overall grade-point average, (2) the average obtained during the final 2 years of the undergraduate curriculum, and/or (3) the average in the major field of study. For purposes of this example, biology would be considered the major field of study.
   • G.P.A. excluding pass/fail courses. Applicants usually cannot claim credit based on their overall G.P.A. if more than 10 percent of their total credit was based on pass/fail or similar systems rather than on traditional grading systems. However, if they can document that only their freshman-year courses (25 percent or less of their total credit) were credited on a pass/fail or similar system, they can use their overall G.P.A. to claim Superior Academic Achievement. If 10 percent or fewer credits or only freshman-year courses were based on pass/fail or similar systems, such credits can be ignored and the G.P.A. computed on the graded courses. Applicants can, however, still claim credit based on their last 2 years if 10 percent or fewer credits were based on pass/fail or similar systems. Applicants who cannot claim credit under the G.P.A. requirements may claim credit for superior academic achievement only on the basis of class standing or honor society membership.
3. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society -- Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies listed below. These honor societies are listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (external link). Agencies considering eligibility based on any society not included in the following list must ensure that the honor society meets the minimum requirements of the Association of College Honor Societies. Membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address VISN 21 SIERRA PACIFIC NETWORK 391 Taylor Blvd Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 US
• Name: Odarius Pouncil
• Phone: 559-231-3372
• Email: [email protected]