The Technical Career Field (TCF) is a national workforce development program within VHA thatwas designed to replenish technical staff in critically identified positions.

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.Duties include but not limited to: Performs various duties to access work practices and environmental conditions for hazards to the health and safety of workers. Conducts studies, analyzing findings, and preparing various reports. Conducts surveys to identify and evaluate health hazards and potential health hazards. Performs analysis using standard methods to determine nature and degree of toxic material present in a variety of materials, such as environmental samples, body fluids, and industrial products. Determines measurements to be made and methods to be used, calibrate and adapt various equipment such as standard spectrophotometers, pH meters, and gas chromatographic apparatus. Coordinates the work with others such as the occupational health clinic, physician, and employee's work schedules. 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: Monday-Friday; 7:00 am - 3:30 pm Compressed/Flexible: Authorized Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Industrial Hygienist (TCF)/PD00986A and PD00985A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Physical Requirements: Industrial hygiene surveys are frequent and required the employee to carry moderately heavy equipment. Investigations also involve a good deal of standing, walking and bending. Work Environment: The employee is exposed to a wide range of hazardous and unpleasant conditions during investigations, including toxic materials, high noise levels, and temperature extremes. Use of protective clothing and equipment is required.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/28/2024. 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 within 30 days of 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. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the 0690 occupational series. All applicants, regardless of grade level must meet minimum education requirements. For this occupation, the education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. Applicants must meet one of the following requirements: A bachelors or graduate/higher level degree in industrial hygiene, occupational health sciences, occupational and environmental health, toxicology, safety sciences, or related science. OR, A bachelors 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, A Certification from the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH). NOTE: 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. Evaluation of Experience Qualifying experience involves 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. In addition to meeting the basic entry qualification requirements, applicants must have specialized experience and/or directly related education. You may qualify based on education and/or experience as described below: GS-7 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience would typically include applying basic research techniques to identify and analyze health hazards to recommend corrective or preventative measures for the health and well-being of employees, coordinates the work with others such as the occupational health clinic, physician, and employee's work schedules. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. Please see Education section for requirements; OR, Applicants may qualify based on superior academic achievement: Applicants must be in the upper third of their graduating class; OR have a GPA of 3.0 or higher; OR be a member of an Association of College Honor Societies. Please see Education section for requirements; OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Please see Education section for requirements. GS-9 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience would typically include: conducting surveys and investigations to identify and evaluate conditions that are hazardous to the health of employees to assist in developing and recommending corrective measures, performing analysis using standard methods to determine nature of degree of toxic material present in a variety of materials, such environmental samples, calibrates and adapts various kinds of equipment, such as standard spectrophotometers, pH meters, and gas chromatographic apparatus, consults with and advises occupational health personnel on matters of epidemiology relative to health hazards in the work area. OR, Education (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. Please see Education section for requirements. OR, Combination (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Please see Education section for requirements. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analysis and Problem SolvingCompliance InspectionKnowledge Management 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/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

GS-7:

• Education: To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completion of one (1) year of graduate-level education that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the Industrial Hygienist position.
• Superior academic achievement (S.A.A.) -- This provision covers advanced trainee positions that provide opportunities for advancement upon attaining required job skills and knowledge, require no prior experience, and have work classified at two-grade intervals. It recognizes students who have achieved superior academic standing as evidenced by one of the three methods described below. 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.
  • S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership.
    • 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.
    • Grade-point average (G.P.A.)-- Applicants must have a grade-point average of:
      • 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.
      • 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
    • 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.
• Combination: You must have a combination of specialized experience as described above and graduate level education beyond a bachelor's degree that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the Industrial Hygienist position to meet the total experience requirements for this grade level.
• A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

GS-9:

• Education (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): Applicants may substitute education for the experience required. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed 2 academic years of graduate level education, or a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree in industrial hygiene, occupational health sciences, occupational and environmental health, toxicology, safety sciences, or related science. OR,
• Combination of Experience and Education (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond 1 academic year of graduate level education, or a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree in industrial hygiene, occupational health sciences, occupational and environmental health, toxicology, safety sciences, or related science.

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 Anchorage VA Medical Center 1201 North Muldoon Road Anchorage, AK 99504 US
• Name: Stephenie Merrill
• Phone: 509-525-5200 X26794
• Email: [email protected]