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TCF is a national workforce development program within VHA designed to replenish technical staff in critically identified positions. The TCF career fields represent those technical areas where VA-specific knowledge and experience are essential for success. Selectees will follow a structured two-year individual development plan and will receive training and mentorship from a subject matter expert (preceptor). Trainees must remain at the hiring grade for a minimum of one year. Selectees will also be required to sign a 3-year Mobility, Training, and Continued Service Agreement.

This is a developmental position leading to a GS-11, performing assignments intended to broaden skills and provide practical experience leading to progressively more complex assignments performed under progressively less supervision. Applicants will be eligible to be non-competitively promoted to the GS-11 level after successfully completing 1-year in the TCF Program where you will ultimately acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of WG-11. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher-level work, and availability of funds.

Employee will serve as a Hospital Housekeeping Program Specialist TCF Trainee. This announcement supports vacancies in several duty locations. The salary listed in the announcement represents the base salary range for the WG-9 grade level. Actual locality pay will be determined at the time of selection based on the duty location of the position. Applicants may choose up to three locations for consideration and includes: Ann Arbor, MI; Cincinnati, OH; Iron Mountain, MI; Jackson, MS; Little Rock, AR; Madison, WI: Miami, FL; and Memphis, TN. Recruitment/Relocation Incentives are not authorized.

The primary purpose of this position is to assist the Manager of Environmental Management Service (EMS) with the following duties:

• Performs technical and administrative work involving managing, administering, operating and/or supporting services and programs related to the operation and safety.
• Plans, develops, organizes, staffs, controls, directs, and evaluates a complex EMS program.
• Develops and implements organizational structures and operating plans and procedures to achieve program goals, monitoring the effectiveness and efficiency of operations within the established framework.
• Develops and implements procedures, policies, and practices that meet requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Joint Commission (JC), American Hospital Association (AHA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and any other applicable accrediting bodies.
• Ensures that effective procedures are implemented for minimizing patient, employee or visitor exposure to infectious disease in accordance with medical center policy.
• Develops and implements standards for cleanliness and sanitation, including frequency of cleaning; methods, procedures and safety precautions to be followed selection, measurement and proper use of housekeeping and cleaning supplies; and use and maintenance of housekeeping equipment.
• Inspects the medical center to monitor housekeeping techniques, procedures, products, and adherence to infection control standards.
• Assigns work to subordinates based on priorities, selective consideration of the difficulty and requirements of assignments and the capabilities of employees.
• Provides guidance and support in possible problem areas and defines objectives.
• Provides advisory services to all levels of management and hospital departments regarding the requirements and resolution of substantive housekeeping problems and services.
• Consults with the pest controller to learn all aspects of the medical center integrated pest management plan.
• Learns and implements a waste management plan to ensure compliance with hazardous/medical waste disposal and storage regulations.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Work schedule: Full-Time, Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm; may vary depending on placement.

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized

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.
• Training-Service Agreement and Mobility Agreement required
• 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

To qualify for this Hospital Housekeeping Program Specialist -Technical Career Field (TCF) Trainee at the GS-9 grade, applicant(s) must meet at least one of the following minimum qualifications.

EXPERIENCE: Requires one full year of specialized experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience must be in two or more of the following areas, or other work related to the position to be filled:

• 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.
• Experience in laundry and linen management.
• Experience in interior design management.
• Experience that demonstrated a knowledge of waste management, including the requirements relating to hazardous, toxic, and infectious wastes and provisions for their final disposition.
• Experience that demonstrated a knowledge of pest management, including alternative methods of control and the selection and application of chemicals.

OR
EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Successfully completed Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Qualifying Education is amajor study in public health or business administration with emphasis in hospital administration.

OR
COMBINATION (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Equivalent combinations of successfully completed Graduate-level education (in excess of one year) and specialized experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. To meet this requirement, education and experience must be related to the position, as described above.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Employee walks through the medical center, will be trained in all aspects of EMS which requires stooping, bending, walking, lifting, twisting. Occasional travel will be required.

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

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Reading Comprehension
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

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.

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;
• Very Highly Qualified - Applicants possessing the type and quality of experience that exceeds, to a very considerable extent, the minimum qualifications
• 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.