Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

Full Job Description

The Robert J. Dole VA Medial Center is currently seeking two Safety and Occupational Health Specialists to support the facility's Safety and Occupational Health Program.

The position is responsible for planning, conducting, and evaluating safety and occupational health activities across clinical, administrative, research, construction, and support environments.

To qualify, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/24/2026.

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-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. 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.

This occupational series has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR).

An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for entry into this job series; this requirement cannot be waived.

The IOR for this position is: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study - safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or degree in other related fields that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours of study from among the following (or closely related) disciplines: safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, toxicology, public health, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological sciences, engineering, and industrial psychology.

OR Specialized Experience: Experience in or related to safety and occupational health that provided the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to perform successfully the duties of the position.

Examples of qualifying specialized experience can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0000/safety-and-occupational-health-management-series-0018/ To qualify for this position at the GS-7 level, you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-5) in the Federal Service that is directly related to the work of the position.

Qualifying experience includes experience applying safety and occupational health (S/OH) laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices and procedures to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing with S/OH requirements; inspecting/surveying workplaces, processes, products or other systems for compliance with S/OH policies and standards and to identify potential new hazards.

OR Education: To qualify based on education you must have successfully completed 1 year of graduate level education that demonstrates the KSAs necessary to do the work of this position.

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

OR Superior Academic Achievement: Applicants must have completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying (i.e.

safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene, or other related fields) for the position to be filled and I meet one of the following: Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university or major subdivision.

GPA of "B" (a GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study.

GPA of "B+" (a GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study.

Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.

For a list of recognized honor societies please visit http://www.achsnatl.org/quick_link.asp.

To qualify for this position at the GS-9 level, you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the Federal Service that is directly related to the work of the position.

Qualifying includes managing S/OH program elements, developing and recommending S/OH policy to higher levels of management; developing S/OH standard, regulations, practices and procedures to eliminate or control potential hazards; developing or implementing programs to reduce frequency, severity and cost of accidents and occupational illnesses; analyzing or evaluating new and existing jobs, processes, products or other systems to determine the existence, severity, probability and outcome of hazards; training of workers, supervisors, managers or other S/OH personnel in safety or occupational health subjects.

OR Education: To qualify based on education you must have successfully completed 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education or possess a masters or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B.

or J.D., in a related field of the position to be filled.

Education at the graduate level must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the KSAs necessary to do the work of this position.

OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify.

You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first year (18 semester hours) of graduate education.

To qualify for this position at the GS-11 level, you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal Service that is directly related to the work of the position.

Qualifying experience includes inspecting construction projects for compliance with established S/OH standards; coordinating with Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and contractor on review of S/OH practices as it relates to impact on facility; investigating incidents related to possible or confirmed occupational health problems and associated complaints as it pertains to environmental factors or stress; selecting and recommending appropriate controls based on exposure assessments; conducting required emergency evacuation drills in accordance with regulatory and accreditation standards.

OR Education: To qualify based on education you must have successfully completed a Ph.D.

or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M.

if related that demonstrates the KSAs necessary to do the work of this position. OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify.

You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond the master's or equivalent degree.

Transcripts must be submitted with application if you are using education (either alone, or in combination with experience) to qualify at any grade level.

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 are not limited to: Plans and conducts inspections of facilities, operations, construction sites, and work environments to identify safety and occupational health hazards.

Examines equipment, systems, work practices, and environmental conditions to determine compliance with applicable regulatory standards and internal policies.

Assesses hazard severity, probability of occurrence, and potential impact on personnel, patients, visitors, and operations.

Analyzes inspection findings, incident data, and operational conditions to determine root causes of hazards and unsafe practices.

Evaluates risks using established safety principles and analytical methods.

Advises supervisors and management on hazard mitigation strategies, engineering controls, administrative controls, and safe work practices.

Interprets and applies regulatory standards, consensus codes, and organizational policies to develop feasible and effective corrective action recommendations.

Determines appropriate hazard control measures, establishes abatement priorities, and coordinates implementation of corrective actions with management to ensure timely and effective resolution of identified hazards.

Independently manages and evaluates assigned components of the safety and occupational health program (e.g., fire safety, construction safety oversight, industrial hygiene coordination, general safety compliance).

Provides technical guidance and advice to supervisors, managers, and staff on hazard recognition, regulatory compliance, and safe work practices.

Note: Individuals selected a developmental grade levels (GS-7 and GS-9) will receive on-the-job training and/or formal training to develop proficiency to progress to the GS-11 full performance level position.

Incumbents at the developmental levels perform the duties described in the full performance level position, but with supervision and guidance provided.

As the incumbent progresses in the developmental position, work assignments are carried out more independently and require less review.

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; either 7:30am-4:00pm or 8:00am-4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Safety and Occupational Health Specialist/PD10456A, PD10455A, and PD10454A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized