Environmental Protection Specialist

Full Job Description

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

The incumbent is responsible for planning and implementing the GEMS program to ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations.

The incumbent completes permits and leads facility self-assessments, inspections, and other environmental investigations.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/27/2026.

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-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 that 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: planning, implementing, and evaluating environmental protection programs; administering a green environmental management program; leading environmental facility inspections to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations; advising management on environmental program status; preparing reports; and training others on specific environmental topics.

OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level, you must have successfully completed a Ph.D.

or equivalent doctoral degree, or three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M. in the related field of the position to be filled.

The education portion must include courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.

Education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. 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 the master's degree, or (2) two years of graduate education is creditable and is in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level.

The education portion must include graduate courses directly related to the work of this position.

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 Demands & Work Environment: The work includes frequent audits of waste storage areas and involves a good deal of walking, standing, bending, and climbing.

During audits and inspections, there is regular exposure to all the hazards and discomforts to which the workers are subjected. This may include toxic chemicals, physical stresses, and safety hazards.

The incumbent must use a variety of protective equipment and clothing. Major Duties:

Environmental Protection Specialists play 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.

Major Duties and Responsibilities: The incumbent administers the GEMS program and is responsible for the management of GEMS activities and internal reporting activities.

The incumbent 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.

The incumbent interacts with federal, state, and local environmental agencies with respect to facility environmental issues.

The incumbent independently schedules and leads environmental audits to identify and evaluate program implementation and compliance activities.

The incumbent conducts site inspections, collects data, reviews documents, analyzes evidence, evaluates results, writes reports, recommends corrective action or procedures for compliance, and coordinates with VA officials.

The incumbent trains other employees and lower-grade environmental staff, providing instruction on a variety of subjects related to specific and specialized environmental topics.

The incumbent 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.

The incumbent participates in the facility GEMS committee. Work Schedule: 7:00 am - 3:30 am, Monday-Friday Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Environmental Protection Specialist/PD250020 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized