Safety & Occupational Health Specialist (GEMS Coordinator)

Full Job Description

The Safety and Occupational Health Manager (Environmental Compliance Officer/ Green Environmental Management Systems Coordinator) position is located under the Office of the Associate Director and is aligned to the Safety Office at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center (TVAMC).

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/29/2026.

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-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: Managing safety or occupational health program elements.

Developing and recommending safety and occupational health policy to higher levels of management.

Applying safety and occupational health laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices, and procedures to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing with occupational safety and health requirements.

Developing safety and occupational health standards, regulations, practices, and procedures to eliminate or control potential hazards.

Developing or implementing programs to reduce the 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.

Designing or modifying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems to control or eliminate hazards.

Inspecting or surveying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems for compliance with established safety and occupational health policies or standards and to identify potential new hazards.

Training of workers, supervisors, managers, or other safety and occupational health personnel in safety or occupational health subjects.

Work in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, and occupational health nurse.

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:

The GEMS Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the efforts of VA Medical Center staff involved with the GEMS to ensure that the GEMS is developed and implemented in accordance with Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and Veteran Affairs (VA) Medical Center policy and guidance.

As GEMS Coordinator, the incumbent plans, organizes, implements, oversees and provides technical assistance for projects to resolve environmental problems.

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

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.

The GEMS Coordinator is also responsible for managing VAMC environmental program(s) and coordinating the efforts of VAMC organizations that relate to environmental matters.

Additional responsibilities of the GEMS Coordinator related to management of the VAMC environmental program(s) are: Develop and implement environmental policies, procedures, and systems.

Advise management on how environmental policies, procedures and systems will affect the operation of the VA Medical Center.

Evaluate, modify and implement pollution prevention alternatives at the VA Medical Center to reduce the generation of waste.

Manage and/or provide technical advice regarding response to environmental emergencies including releases/spills of hazardous material.

Facilitate the exchange of environmental information to VA Medical Center staff: including the development and implementation of training and educational programs related to environmental programs.

Develop and present to upper-level VA Medical Center management budgetary information related to environmental programs.

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

Review how expansion, modifications, closures of existing facilities and infrastructure and new construction of structures and infrastructure will affect the environment, provide information that will minimize adverse impacts to human health and the environment and reduce the VA Medical Center's vulnerability.

Measure the effectiveness of existing environmental programs and recommend additions to environmental program as needed to meet changing environmental requirements.

Develop promotional and educational activities to promote stakeholder awareness of VA Medical Center environmental issues.

Serves as an expert on issues related to environmental statutes and Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements, as well as for new or enhanced information system software related to occupational safety and health and environmental programs.

Participates in developing courses of instruction for VAMC personnel, preparing course agenda, making arrangements for demonstrations, drills and giving technical instruction on environmental safety and occupational health subjects.

Responds to inquiries and provides technical assistance to VAMC personnel.

Serves as a technical authority for VAMC with responsibility for assuring adequacy of facility Green Environmental Management System (GEMS). Performs other related duties as assigned.

Preferred Experience: Candidate preferred to have 2-3 years experience as GEMS Coordinator. Physical Demands: The work requires regular reoccurring environmental assessments.

Extended walking, standing, climbing, bending, crouching, crawling in cramped spaces, and carrying a good deal of equipment is often required.

Some degree of agility and exertion when inspecting construction areas is required. In addition, good eyesight and hand dexterity is necessary to allow for reading and using computer programs.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM Telework: Not eligible for Telework Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Specialist (GEMS Coordinator)/PD110880 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required