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Sanitarian

Department of Health and Human Services
Indian Health Service
Office of Environmental Health & Engineering - Division of Environmental Health Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The incumbent is responsible for providing direct environmental health services (EH) in Water Quality, Waste Management, Food Protection, Safety Management, Institutional Environmental Health, Vector Control, and Community Injury Prevention; as well as being responsible for administering comprehensive Occupational Safety & Health and Hospital Emergency Management programs for the health care facilities and tribes within the Southern District for the Division of Environmental Health Services.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/15/2023 to 09/30/2023
Salary
$57,118 to - $89,835 per year

Salary based on Rest of US pay scale. Actual salary to be determined upon selection.

Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 11
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Albuquerque, NM
Santa Fe, NM
Taos, NM
Zuni, NM
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel 3-5 days per month for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
IHS-23-AQ-12091555-DE
Control number
743447900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

The IHS is required by law to give absolute preference to qualified applicants who meet the Secretary of the Interior's definition of Indian for appointment to vacancies within the IHS in accordance with established IHS policy as outlined in the Indian Health Manual Part 7, Chapter 3. The IHS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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Duties

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  • Responsible for ongoing review and evaluation of a limited scope of the environmental health services and safety management for the assigned Service Unit.
  • Compiles, analyzes data, and organizes information into report form for special studies and for each designated community environmental health profile.
  • Conducts professional Environmental Health (EH) training and presentations on general EH, occupational safety and health, and injury prevention for tribal and IHS audiences.
  • Develops and implements policies and procedures, performs facility surveys, and performs surveys to identify potential work related hazards for patients, employees and visitors resulting from environmental conditions.
  • Conducts risk analysis surveys and incident investigations to identify and make recommendations for the correction of unsafe conditions.
  • Conducts professional EH training and presentations on general occupational safety and health and injury prevention for tribal and IHS audiences.
This position is being announced concurrently under Excepted Service Examining Plan / Merit Promotion (ESEP/MP) procedures. Please review vacancy announcement number IHS-23-AQ-12091554-ESEP/MP, for eligibility requirements.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Selectee may be subject to a probationary period
U.S. Citizenship is required
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959

This is a designated position covered by Public Law 101-630, requiring contact or control over Indian children. Due to this requirement, the agency must ensure that persons hired for these positions have not been found guilty of or pleaded nolo contendere or guilty to certain crimes.

Measles and Rubella immunization required for selectees born after 1957 and seasonal influenza immunization is required for all staff working in Indian Health Service health care facilities.

COVID-19 vaccination is required for all selectees prior to entrance on duty.

Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/

You will be required to have all federal salary payments electronically deposited into a bank account with a financial institution of your choice.

A valid unrestricted state driver's license is required for the position.

Background Investigation: If you are selected for this vacancy, you must undergo a pre-employment fingerprint check and background investigation. Fingerprint results and background investigation documentation must be cleared prior to hire. After you begin your employment, your continued employment is contingent upon the outcome of a complete background investigation as determined by the sensitivity level of your position. The investigation must find that you are suitable for Federal employment in your position. If you are found not suitable, you will be terminated after you begin work. If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be fired after you begin work; or subject to possible criminal charges. You may be subject to a credit check as a part of the background investigation process.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying.

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; religious; spiritual; community; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

BASIC REQUIREMENT(S):
Education: A full 4-year course of study that meets all the requirements for a bachelor's degree, and that included or was supplemented by at least 30 semester hours in a science or any combination of sciences directly related to environmental health (such as sanitary science, public health, chemistry, microbiology, or any appropriate agricultural, biological, or physical science).
or
Experience: Four years of experience in inspectional, investigational, technical support, or other responsible work that provided a knowledge and a fundamental understanding of, and the ability to use, environmental health principles, methods, and techniques equivalent to that which would have been gained through a 4-year college curriculum.
or
A combination of education and experience as described above.

In addition, to the Basic Requirements, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications stated below-

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
GS-09 - Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level that equipped me with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples include: Demonstrate the basic professional knowledge of the concepts, principles, practices, regulations, and techniques used in developing, administering, monitoring, planning and evaluating environmental health services programs in order to perform routine and conventional environmental health assignments to provide routine environmental health activities to a large number of programs and operations in areas such as food safety, safe drinking water, children's environmental health, vector control, hazardous materials, solid waste, and other environmental health elements.
OR
Have 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education or master's or equivalent graduate degree related to environmental health (such as sanitary science, public health, chemistry, microbiology, or any appropriate agricultural, biological, or physical sciences appropriate to the position).
OR
Have a combination of graduate education and specialized experience as described above that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

GS-11 - Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level that equipped me with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples include: Demonstrate professional knowledge of the concepts, principles, practices, regulations, and techniques used in developing, administering, monitoring, planning and evaluating difficult and complex environmental health services and injury prevention program issues or plans to help develop strategies to resolve environmental health hazards such as injuries, water quality, solid and liquid waste issues, and vector control hazardous materials.
OR
Have completed of all requirements for a doctoral degree (Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent) or 3 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education related to environmental health (such as sanitary science, public health, chemistry, microbiology, or any appropriate agricultural, biological, or physical sciences appropriate to the position).
OR
Have a combination of graduate education and specialized experience as described above that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

Selective Placement Factor
In addition to the minimum qualification requirements, applicants must possess registration as a Registered Sanitarian (RS) or Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) from a nationally recognized credentialing body such as the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA). A copy of registration must be submitted.

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Education

This position has an education requirement. You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed, and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer.

Only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education may be credited. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: https://www.ed.gov/accreditation.

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

Per IHS policy (SGM 21-04) IHS selectees to positions located in Federally operated hospitals, health centers, and clinics must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 before entry on duty or have IHS approve a medical or religious exemption. If an exemption is approved then wearing a face mask and regular testing for COVID-19 will be required. Your Human Resources Specialist will provide a list of documents acceptable as vaccination proof and instructions on how to submit your vaccination documentation or how to request a medical or religious exemption, if needed.

Additional selection(s) of candidates may be possible within 240 days from the date the certificate of eligibles was issued for this announcement.

Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. IHS may offer newly-appointed Federal employees credit for their directly related previous non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave.

This position is covered by a Bargaining Unit.

Recruitment or relocation incentives may be authorized. At least a 12 month service agreement will be required.

This position has promotion potential to the GS-11 grade level. Promotion to the next grade level is at management's discretion and is based on your demonstrated ability to perform the higher level duties, the continuing need for the higher level duties, and "Regulatory/Administrative" approval. Promotion to the next higher grade level is not guaranteed and no promise of promotion is implied.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

If you meet the minimum qualifications requirements for this position, your application will be evaluated and rated under Category Rating selection procedures. Once the application process is complete, a review of your qualifications will be conducted to determine if you are qualified for this job. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The quality categories are: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within each of these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-preference eligibles.

Please note that if, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your category rating can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

To determine if you are qualified for this position, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against the qualifications as defined in the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement and your responses to the assessment questions. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume (your resume must state specific duties that relate to this position) and your responses to the assessment questions will be evaluated against the duties you provided in your resume, along with your submitted documentation to determine your ability to demonstrate the following.

  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Technical Competence
  • Writing

The following links below provide information on how you may be eligible for various hiring authorities. If you are a Veteran, qualified CTAP and ICTAP eligible, or an individual with a disability, please refer to the following links below for additional guidance. CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible for selection priority if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a "well qualified" rating of 85 out of 100. Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Workforce Restructuring Career Transition website at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. CTAP/ICTAP documentation requirements are listed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. Click here to view vacancy questions: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12091555. All documents above MUST be received by 11:59 pm (Eastern Standard Time) of the closing date of, 09/30/2023, to be considered.

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