The position serves as the Environmental Protection Specialist GS-0028-12 located within the Occupational Safety, Health & Environment (OSHE) in the Environmental Health & Safety Service, Office of the Chief Section at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System (SFVAHCS).

Duties

The primary purpose of this position plays a central role in planning and administering environmental programs. Environmental protection programs deal with the environmental impacts of human activities on air, land, water, and other media. Environmental protection programs are designed to ensure compliance with Federal, state, and local regulations governing air emissions, hazardous materials, non-hazardous and hazardous waste, oil spills, water quality, and the storage of regulated substances (e.g. petroleum products, chemicals, and wastes), among other areas, and to alleviate the adverse impacts of human activities on the environment. Environmental protection specialists support VA's Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) implementation. . Major duties include but are not limited to: Administers the GEMS program with responsibility for management of GEMS activities and internal reporting activities. Advises senior level management officials within the facility on the status of environmental programs and recommends changes in the design of facility work programs to meet new environmental requirements. Interacts with Federal, state, and local environmental agencies with respect to facility environmental issues. Schedules and leads environmental audits to identify and evaluate program implementation and compliance activities. Trains other employees and environmental staff, providing instruction on a variety of subjects related to specific and specialized environmental topics. Adapts various available media to fit special and unique training requirements and participates in the development of novel or innovative environmental training and promotion activities. Participates on the facility's GEMS committee. Performs other duties as necessary Other duties of position will include but not be limited to: Compliance Inspection Manages computer programs and databases to enhance management of environmental programs. Conducts the planning and analyses of GEMS Provides reports on health hazards posed by existence of toxic or hazardous materials found and oversees disposal of these substances. This includes coordinating of Inpatient Pharmacy USP 797 Testing Coordinates response to VA and external environmental agencies Advises management on how environmental policies, procedures and systems will affect the operation and personnel of the hospital. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 08:00am - 04:30pm 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#: Environmental Protection Specialist/PD662-02746-O Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/20/2024. 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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS 12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS 11. 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. 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 as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS 11 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 the established principles, concepts, and methods of environmental protection program work, and skill in applying this knowledge in performing a variety of duties involving the management, coordination, monitoring, oversight, or evaluation of routine programs, projects, or activities. Knowledge and understanding of recognized reference standards, regulatory requirements, and pertinent statutes sufficient to assure environmental compliance and provide routine technical assistance to operating personnel and managers. Knowledge of the policies, organization, operations, work practices, and environmental parameters of VA facilities sufficient to obtain information, evaluate compliance, and recommend necessary changes, control measures, best management practices, etc. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationsComplianceCompliance InspectionInterpersonal SkillsPlanning and Evaluating 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. Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion such as prolonged standing, bending, and stooping to observe work operations and identify leaking containers in a treatment, storage, or disposal area, including lifting and carrying of items such as stocking of supplies and moving waste containers. The work involves regular and recurring exposure to moderate risks or discomforts that require special safety precautions (e.g., working at a storage, disposal, or spill site where there is risk of exposure to pesticides, hazardous chemicals, radioactive materials, or other pollutants). The environmental protection specialist must use protective clothing and/or gear. 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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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 San Francisco VA Medical Center 4150 Clement Street San Francisco, CA 94121 US
• Name: Molly Hwe
• Phone: 4152214810
• Email: [email protected]