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Environmental Protection Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Tennessee Valley Healthcare System

Summary

The Environmental Protection Specialist is a position located at the Nashville and Alvin C. York campuses in the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (TVHS) and supports all TVHS facilities including the outlying Community Based Outpatient Clinics. Environmental protection specialists play a central role in planning and administering environmental programs. Environmental protection programs deal with the environmental impacts of human activities on air, land, water, and other media.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/11/2026 to 02/17/2026
Salary
$74,678 to - $97,087 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Nashville, TN
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
CBTG-12884755-26-JB
Control number
857328900

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Duties

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Environmental protection programs are designed to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations governing air emissions, hazardous materials, non-hazardous and hazardous waste, oil spills, water quality, and the storage of regulated substances (e.g., petroleum products, chemicals, and wastes), among other areas, and to alleviate the adverse impacts of human activities on the environment. Environmental Protection Specialists support VA's Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) implementation and apply specialized knowledge of one or more programs or functional areas of environmental protection work but does not require full professional competence in environmental engineering or science. The incumbent's duties will include, but are not limited to:

  • Responsible for GEMS program planning and implementation to assure compliance with environmental laws and regulation.
  • Completes permits and leads facility self-assessments, inspections, and other environmental investigations.
  • Administers the GEMS program and is responsible for management of GEMS activities and internal reporting activities
  • Subject matter expert in all aspects of Environmental Management
  • Oversee all aspects of Environmental Management
  • Program and compliance oversight will include implementation, monitoring and enforcement of organization polices, and periodic inspections.
  • Advises senior level management officials within the facility on the status of environmental programs
  • Interacts with federal, state, and local environmental agencies with respect to facility environmental issues.
  • Participates in Environmental Rounds and conduct internal inspections
  • Analyze tasks, job duties, and waste outputs that have environmental impact.
  • Independently schedules and leads environmental audits to identify and evaluate program implementation and compliance activities.
  • Leads the environmental audits as the station environmental program manager and subject matter expert.
  • Trains other employees and lower grade environmental staff, providing instruction on a variety of subjects related to specific and specialized environmental topics.
  • Develop and/or provide Environmental training programs based on positions with environmental impact.
  • Serves as Co-Chair in the facility GEMS committee, which reports to the VA TVHS Environment of Care Committee (EOCC).


Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Environmental Protection Specialist/PD708670
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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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 or 2-year trial 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 or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/17/2026.

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-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.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:
  • Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would includes: planning and administering environmental programs; handling environmental impacts of human activities on air, land, water, and other media; ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local regulations to alleviate the adverse impacts of human activities on the environment; completing permits a facility self-assessments, inspections, and other environmental investigations.. OR,
  • Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. OR,
  • Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
  • Communications
  • Compliance
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Health Risk Analysis
  • Risk Management
  • Technical Competence


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; religions; 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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. 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.

Physical Requirements: The duties of this position may require physical exertion involving liftin, pushing, pulling, or carrying objects of varying weights, sizes and shapes. Physical effort is exerted in walking, running, climbing, crawling, and bending. Strain related to lack of movement such as standing in place, crouching, or stooping for extended periods of time.

Working Conditions - Incumbent is exposed to heat, restricted ventilation, and poor illumination in areas such as equipment rooms. Incumbent is exposed to all weather conditions when working outside (parking areas, roof, etc.). Incumbent is exposed to varying climatic conditions from an office, to environmentally controlled space, to excessive heat in the boiler plant. The equipment rooms are above the normal decibel rating and hearing protection is provided. Hazardous gases/fumes are in the work environment during various tasks. Respiratory protection is provided as needed for the incumbent. Incumbent is at risk of injury from falls, burns, bruises, and cuts. Incumbent may be required to work on tall ladders and scaffolds and occasionally is exposed to communicable disease while working in certain words.

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/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

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.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

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.

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