The employee's primary responsibility is the safety program for FLWO operations on Mt. Hopkins. The secondary responsibility is local oversight of maintenance and repair of the FLWO infrastructure and buildings.
Summary
The employee's primary responsibility is the safety program for FLWO operations on Mt. Hopkins. The secondary responsibility is local oversight of maintenance and repair of the FLWO infrastructure and buildings.
This Merit Promotion position is open to Current Federal Employees and Former Federal Employees with permanent status or reinstatement eligibility. Individuals who are eligible for a special appointing authority may also apply such as Individuals with Disabilities (Schedule A), former Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and Vista volunteers; certain Military Spouses, or individuals eligible under various programs for Veterans (VRA, VEOA, 30% disabled).
Investigates accidents involving personnel, visitors, and volunteers; prepares and/or obtains reports and necessary documentation, and recommends appropriate remedial measures. Maintains records of accidents/injuries, employee complaints, etc., providing information to determine various ways for in-depth understanding of the data. Identifies trends and patterns of accident/injuries and assists the Cambridge Safety and Occupational Health Manager in evaluating the health and safety programs.
Consistently articulates best safety and health practices to advance the accident prevention program. Spot checks work areas for compliance with safety standards. Advises supervisors on the proper preparation, documentation, and annual review of written Job Hazard Analysis (JHAs) and annual employee Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requirements.
Lead the safety program for FLWO operations on Mt. Hopkins. Design and implement an overall safety program—including relevant training programs—for FLWO staff, affiliates, contractors, and visitors. Evaluate safety and environmental health at FLWO facilities through periodic inspections.
Monitor compliance with SI safety policies and applicable standards. Act as liaison to the Office of Safety, Health, and Environmental Management (OSHEM) , coordinating the annual Management Evaluation and Technical Review (METR) and implementing any recommendations. Provide technical advice to FLWO management and staff on safety issues related to FLWO operations. Support the FLWO and SAO management in preparing and maintaining a Disaster Preparedness Plan for FLWO.
Oversee the maintenance and repair of FLWO facilities, including electrical, mechanical, structural, plumbing, and HVAC systems to determine compliance with applicable Institution and occupational safety standards. Plan regular inspections, testing, and preventative maintenance of facility systems. Support FLWO management in preparing the annual budget for maintenance work and serve as COTR for maintenance, repair, and construction contracts. Monitor work of external contractors, checking compliance with specifications and documenting any irregularities.
Serve as certified water system operator for the Observatory water distribution system consisting of a number of water catchment area/spring, pumping stations, water storage tanks, and fluid level and flow controllers.
May be required to serve an 18-month
probationary period for managers.
May be required to serve a one-year probationary
period.
Pre- and post-appointment background
investigation
U.S. citizenship
Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.
Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
Other Requirements:
Occasional travel may be required to attend scientific, technical, or administrative meetings or other functions at SAO or other institutions.
Possession of a valid driver's license is required along with the ability to responsibly drive FLWO vehicles.
Qualifications
Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To qualify at the GS-11 level, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military or private sector. Applicants must meet eligibility requirements including time-in-grade (General Schedule (GS) positions only), time-after- competitive appointment, minimum qualifications, and any other regulatory requirements by the cut-off/closing date of the announcement.
For this position specialized experience is defined as implementing and executing the requirements of a safety and occupational health program to include policy development, training and education, compliance with and execution of safety and occupational health regulations.
OR
Education: Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M. with a major study in safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or Ph.D or equivalent doctoral 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
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%.
Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.
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, 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.
Additional information
Important Note: Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.
Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): If you are applying for a VEOA appointment, you must be a veteran and must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed 3 or more years of active service. ("Active Service" under this law means active duty in a uniformed service and includes full-time training duty, annual training duty, full-time National Guard duty, and attendance, while in the active service, at a school designated as a service school by law or by the Secretary concerned.) A veteran who is released under honorable conditions shortly before completing a 3-year tour is also eligible.
Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities: The following links contain information on the eligibility requirements to be considered under a noncompetitive appointing authority:
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application will be evaluated first for the basic qualifications described above. The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria:
Safety and Health -- Knowledge and skill sufficient to modify or significantly depart from standard techniques in devising specialized operating practices concerned with accomplishing project safety and occupational health objectives
Safety Program Management-- Sound, technical knowledge sufficient to analyze safety design features and specifications and develop new methods and procedures to identify or control hazardous construction processes and equipment usage
Risk Management -- Knowledge of the principles, methods, and tools used for risk assessment and mitigation, including assessment of failures and their consequences.
Written Communication --Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.
Oral Communication -- Expresses information effectively, taking into account both the nature of the audience and nature of the information; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
Interpersonal Skills – Develops and maintains effective relationships with people from a broad range of diverse backgrounds, including in situations in which individuals may be difficult, hostile, or distressed.
BASIS OF RATING: Once the announcement closes, your application will be automatically evaluated and rated by the system and a Human Resources Specialist. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your application and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. The numeric rating you receive is based on your responses to the questionnaire. The score is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of this position. If, after the Human Resources Specialist reviews your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that the score you have received is not a true reflection of your qualifications and/or experience, your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect the information you provided that support your abilities. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Your resume should provide detailed information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Your application package should include the following documents:
Resume - Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder. Ensure your resume contains the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), job-related qualifications, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours worked per week, and salary for each employment period.
Current and former employees MUST submit a copy of their Standard Form (SF)-50, “Notice of Personnel Action,” that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position title, series, grade, step, salary, type of service (competitive or excepted in block 34), and tenure (1 or 2 in block 24).
A recent performance evaluation
Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD214 (Member 4 Copy) if you are requesting a special appointment authority, such as VRA or VEOA
Proof of severe disability if you are requesting special placement consideration.
Proof of eligibility for a military spouse appointment, such as a permanent change station military order.
Proof of eligibility for any other special appointing authority not specifically mentioned here.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page. Please Note:
You must apply for this position online through the 'Apply Online' button and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you).
You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process; OR You may manually fax required documents. Faxes are received by an automated system, not a physical fax machine. Documents that are faxed as part of the application process must be sent with the system generated cover sheet by the closing date. Documents faxed without the system generated coversheet are not retrievable and cannot be considered as part of the application package.
The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
If you are unable to apply online, paper applications may be accepted with prior approval of the Contact Person listed below.
SMITHSONIAN
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
60 Garden Street, MS 17
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
United States
Next steps
At the end of the application process you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as initial receipt of your application. After the job announcement closes, you will receive an email from the Smithsonian with confirmation of receipt. The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab "My USAJOBS;" e-mailing vacancy.info@si.edu; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Your application package should include the following documents:
Resume - Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder. Ensure your resume contains the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), job-related qualifications, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours worked per week, and salary for each employment period.
Current and former employees MUST submit a copy of their Standard Form (SF)-50, “Notice of Personnel Action,” that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position title, series, grade, step, salary, type of service (competitive or excepted in block 34), and tenure (1 or 2 in block 24).
A recent performance evaluation
Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD214 (Member 4 Copy) if you are requesting a special appointment authority, such as VRA or VEOA
Proof of severe disability if you are requesting special placement consideration.
Proof of eligibility for a military spouse appointment, such as a permanent change station military order.
Proof of eligibility for any other special appointing authority not specifically mentioned here.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page. Please Note:
You must apply for this position online through the 'Apply Online' button and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you).
You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process; OR You may manually fax required documents. Faxes are received by an automated system, not a physical fax machine. Documents that are faxed as part of the application process must be sent with the system generated cover sheet by the closing date. Documents faxed without the system generated coversheet are not retrievable and cannot be considered as part of the application package.
The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
If you are unable to apply online, paper applications may be accepted with prior approval of the Contact Person listed below.
SMITHSONIAN
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
60 Garden Street, MS 17
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
United States
Next steps
At the end of the application process you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as initial receipt of your application. After the job announcement closes, you will receive an email from the Smithsonian with confirmation of receipt. The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab "My USAJOBS;" e-mailing vacancy.info@si.edu; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
