Environmental Protection Specialist

Full Job Description

This position is assigned to the Coatesville VA Medical Center (CVAMC) Safety Department and acts under the authority of the Safety Manager.

Environmental Protection Specialists support VA's Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) implementation and applies specialized knowledge of one or more programs or functional areas of environmental protection work.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/23/2026.

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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. 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 and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-9) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Assist with green environmental programs to ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations; complete permits and aids with facility self assessments, inspections and other environmental investigations; researches issues related to environmental statutes including Resource Conservation and Recover Act, Clean Water Act, Superfund, National Environmental Policy Act, Toxic Substances Control Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, etc.; collaborates with Senior Leadership on the status of environmental problems and recommends changes in the design of facility work programs to meet requirements; interacts with federal, state and local environmental agencies with respect to facility issues; adapts various media to fit special and unique training requirements and participate in the development of novel or innovative environmental training and activities; assists with environmental impacts of human activities on air, land, water and other media.

OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience.

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree or three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree.

NOTE: If you select this option, a copy of your transcripts is required and must clearly show date and degree conferred to receive credit.

OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond a master's degree.

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/.

Major Duties:

Major duties include, but not limited to the following: Responsible for Green Environmental Management System planning and implementation.

Assumes a lead role in the development of facility environmental policy and procedural documentation.

Coordinates safety activities with regional representatives and supports the development of integrated planning for all facilities within the region.

Supports the development of facility environmental policies, programs, and procedural documentation.

Ensures compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulation for air emissions, wastewater discharge, safe drinking water supply, solid and hazardous waste, fuel and oil storage, and spill prevention, among other areas.

Evaluates, modifies, and implements pollution prevention alternatives to reduce the generation of waste. Manages the regulated medical waste and hazardous waste program at the medical center.

Interacts with federal, state, and local environmental agencies with respect to facility environmental issues.

Responsible for the facility water safety program which coordinates and monitors the water and associated systems for legionella bacteria.

Executes administrative responsibility for the CVAMC GEMS Committee and participates in national-level GEMS committees within VA. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Environmental Protection Specialist/PD001050 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.