Environmental Protection Specialist

Full Job Description

This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Mid Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Salisbury VA Medical Center (SVAMC), in Engineering Service.

The incumbent's major efforts include serving as the Medical Center's Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) Coordinator.

The incumbent is responsible for coordinating the efforts of the VAMC staff to ensure the GEMS program is developed and implemented.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 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-09. 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-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Ensuring that hazardous property is received, handled, stored, inspected, documented, and manifested/disposed of in compliance with applicable environmental regulations and safety requirements.

Inspects storage areas; provides technical guidance to personnel involved in the handling and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes (e.g., paints, varnishes, lacquers, solvents, fuels, and pesticides); and prepares required reports.

Performs site inspections at hazardous waste disposal, transport, or storage facilities where the problems typically are easy to identify and conventional in nature.

He/she evaluates work practices, determines compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and recommends changes to control or eliminate potential or existing hazards or violations.

Evaluates the feasibility and probable effects of proposed regulations; develops position papers, issue papers, workgroup materials, and briefing papers for higher-level managers; develops preamble language for proposed and final rules; and assists in developing policy guidance to implement the various provisions of environmental standards.

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 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related to the work of the position.

(Transcripts must be submitted). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.

You must have a combination of specialized experience and education as stated above.

This can be determined by adding total qualifying experience as a percentage of the required experience and education as a percentage of the total required. The total percentage must equal 100 percent.

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

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: 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.

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/.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communications Hazardous Materials Problem Solving Safety Engineering Major Duties:

Responsible for ensuring that the GEMS program results, findings, and conclusions lead to continual improvements of environmental programs; applying environmental science and technology to demonstrate relationships between the operation of the VAMC and human health, ecosystems, environmental media, and natural resources; and providing leadership and direction to management, professional, and technical personnel regarding the development and implementation of the GEMS program.

The incumbent holds certifications to signs manifest for the destructive /disposal or Pharmaceutical, Biological, Hazardous and Asbestos Waste.

As the Environmental Protection Specialist, responsibilities include the following: Developing and implementing a GEMS program at the VA Hospital and coordinating the efforts of staff involved with GEMS to ensure that the GEMS is developed and implemented in accordance with VHA policy and guidance.

Conducting internal gap analyses of GEMS. Issuing reports of gap analyses and tracks status of corrective and preventive actions.

Review's implementation of GEMS policy and procedures and reports the status to the Safety & Occupational Health Manager.

Discusses deficiencies and necessary remedial action with appropriate VAMC staff, including top management.

Planning, organizing, implementing, overseeing and providing technical assistance for projects to resolve environmental problems.

The GEMS Coordinator provides technical expertise for the design, modification, operation and maintenance of VA Medical Center facilities and infrastructure to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.

Manages environmental programs and coordinates responses to VA and external environmental audits, surveys, inspections, etc.

Serves as an expert on issues related to environmental statutes including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Superfund, National Environmental Policy Act, Toxic Substances Control Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, etc.

Participates in planning, organizing, implementing, and providing technical assistance for projects to resolve environmental problems.

Assignments include, but are not limited to, industrial wastewater treatment and disposal; safe drinking water; treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous waste; release of hazardous material/spill response; air pollution control; environmental media permitting; toxic substances; and regulatory oversight.

Provides technical expertise for the design, modification, operation and maintenance of facilities and infrastructure to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.

Develops, implements, and maintains effective programs for the identification, collection and disposal of hazardous wastes.

Ensures that handling of all waste streams are in compliance with federal, state, and local governmental laws and regulations.

Advises management on how environmental policies, procedures and systems will affect the operation of the hospital.

Evaluates and implements pollution prevention alternatives to reduce the generation of waste. Manages response to environmental emergencies including releases/spills of hazardous materials.

Facilitates the exchange of environmental information to staff, including the development and implementation of training and educational programs related to environmental programs.

Manages computer programs and databases to enhance management of environmental programs.

Reviews how expansion, modification, closures of existing facilities and infrastructure, and new construction of structures and infrastructure will affect the environment and provides information that will minimize adverse impacts to human health and the environment and reduce facility vulnerability.

Measures the effectiveness of existing environmental programs and recommends to the Safety & Occupational Health Manager modifications to existing programs as needed to meet changing environmental requirements.

Develops promotional and educational activities to promote stakeholder awareness of the Medical Center's environmental issues.

Required to obtain COR certification so to manage all aspects of the Asbestos Abatement, Underground Storage Tank, and other environmental related programs.

Additional Duties: Incumbent has back-up responsibility to various extents for all positions within Safety Management.

This may include Safety Management, Fire Protection, Industrial Hygiene, and Emergency Preparedness functions.

Promotion Potential: "Position is at the Full-Performance Level" Work Schedule: M-F 08:00am-4:30pm Telework: Ad-hoc Position Description/PD#: Environmental Protection Specialist/PD020360