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***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

The Hospital Housekeeping Officer is responsible for exercising broad managerial knowledge, maintaining technical skills and expertise within the various disciplines of the EMS, and performing a wide range of supervisory and leadership duties. The Hospital Housekeeping Officer plans, directs, and monitors all aspects of the hospital housekeeping program. This includes responsibility for performing the full range of the following duties and responsibilities:

• Directing environmental sanitation and infection-control standards by developing procedures, training, and oversight to ensure a safe healthcare environment and regulatory compliance
• Developing and enforcing standards for handling biohazardous, radioactive, toxic waste, linen, and EMS equipment to prevent cross-contamination
• Managing a multi-site linen, textile, uniform, and PPE program by overseeing inventory, budgets, contracts, repairs, replacements, and loss control
• Establishing policies and controls to monitor uniform issuance, allowances, and system-wide compliance
• Administering the Waste Management Program by ensuring compliant disposal, recycling, reporting, and cost reduction across all waste streams
• Promoting environmental stewardship through recycling initiatives, green purchasing, and participation in GEMS programs
• Planning and overseeing integrated pest management and grounds maintenance programs to ensure safety, cleanliness, and regulatory compliance
• Ensuring proactive monitoring and response to pest activity and weather-related grounds hazards
• Coordinating the Comprehensive Environment of Care program through inspections, internal reviews, corrective actions, and EMS participation in care rounds
• Managing complex, multi-site EMS operations supporting specialized clinical, research, and residential programs
• Directing transportation services and fleet operations by managing diverse vehicles, budgets, policies, and performance outcomes
• Advising leadership and coordinating with partners to improve efficiency, compliance, and customer satisfaction
• Planning and managing interior design, wayfinding signage, and facility move coordination to ensure consistent aesthetics and operational readiness
• Supporting construction and renovation projects by coordinating EMS activities to minimize disruption
• Administering patient assistance programs including clothing distribution, donations, personal property storage, valuables safekeeping, and lost-and-found services
• Maintaining inventories, budgets, and controls to support Veterans in need
• Serving as VISN EMS Lead or national committee member by providing training, compliance oversight, reporting, and subject-matter expertise
• Advising senior leadership and disseminating national EMS guidance and best practices

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday; 07:30 a.m. to 04:00 p.m.
Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates.
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirement: The following are minimum requirements for appointment as a Hospital Housekeeping Officer in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which all applicants must met.

• Specialized Experience (GS-13): You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-12) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as an experience in two or more of the following areas, or other work related to the position to be filled: (a) Experience that demonstrated a practical working knowledge of the basic principles of chemistry, biology, and bacteriology as applied to environmental sanitation, infection control, and to the choice and use of antimicrobial agents in the disinfection, sanitization, and/or sterilization of surfaces and equipment; (b) Experience in laundry and linen management; (c) Experience in interior design management; (d) Experience that demonstrated a knowledge of waste management, including the requirements relating to hazardous, toxic, and infectious wastes and provisions for their final disposition; and/or (e) Experience that demonstrated a knowledge of pest management, including alternative methods of control and the selection and application of chemicals. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.)

You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

• Administration and Management
• Human Capital Management
• Performance Management

IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

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.

Physical Requirements: No special physical demands are required to perform 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/.

How you will be evaluated

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

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Your responses to the assessment questionnaire will be reviewed along with the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation to determine if you are qualified for the position. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered and/or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

Candidates who apply under All U.S. Citizens announcements will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

Application of Veterans' Preference: Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants that meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category (except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher).

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.