Clarification from the agency

Status Candidates: Current and former competitive service Federal employees, and people eligible under special hiring authorities. This includes all Merit Promotion sources: Status (Transfers, Reinstatements), VEOA, Permanent Canteen (VCS) employees, CTAP, ICTAP, Non-Competitive Eligible and certain Excepted Service Employees (i.e., Interchange Agreements).

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Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Provides direct supervision to employees performing a variety of duties within the scope of Safety and Occupational Health Programs.
• Develop performance standards, writing position descriptions, assigning work to be accomplished, evaluating work performance, schedule work and leave, counseling employees, initiating disciplinary actions, and addressing employee complaints.
• Initiates recruitment actions, interviews and selects new employees.
• Determines staff training needs and obtains resources for continuing education.
• Responsible for program objectives and performance improvement strategies.
• Sets short and long-range goals, develops strategic plans, leads development and implementation of performance improvement indicators.
• Monitors regulatory environment to anticipate changing priorities, program objectives, staffing and financial resources.
• Directs administrative functions of multiple, complex programs; prepares statistical and investigative reports
• Prepares executive briefings and summary reports fort he Administrative Executive Board, Performance Improvement Board, and Executive Council of the Governing Body.
• Co-Chairs the Medical Center Environment of Care (EOC) Committee with the Associate Medical Center Director; identifies agenda issues and ensures proceedings comply with VHA and JACHO requirements, including performance improvement indicators and annual EOC management plan reviews; approves minutes for submission to the Associate Director and Director.
• Plans, organizes, and directs occupational safety and health programs to promote safety of staff, visitors and patients in a wide variety of settings to include: the Medical Center and Extended Care facility, community out-placement facilities (contracted nursing homes, residential care homes, adult day care centers, half-way homes, and community outreach centers), leased spaces and community-based outpatient clinics.
• Directs surveillance methods and schedules to identify a wide range of hazards, to evaluate facilities' compliance with VHA, JCAHO and NFPA standards, and to minimize risks to staff, visitors, patients, and facilities, lead staff in development of corrective actions and closure.
• Plans and directs programs for management of hazardous materials and waste; plans policy and procedure to achieve compliance with VHA - GEMS, OSHA, and EPA regulations.
• Establishes medical center policy and procedures through research, collaboration and publication for: occupational safety and health, incident management, hazard surveillance, life safety, industrial hygiene, hazardous materials and waste management, emergency management, construction safety, and environmental compliance (GEMS).
• Plans and directs programs for emergency preparedness; develops medical center policy and procedure to include facility-wide response protocols for a comprehensive range of disaster scenarios, both internal and external; directs disaster exercises in accordance with VHA, CARF, CAP and JCAHO requirements, medical center hazard vulnerability assessment and facility experience.
• Directs medical center-wide staff education and training in all required elements of occupational safety and health, ergonomics, fire safety, hazardous materials, industrial hygiene, emergency procedures, Green Environment Management Systems (GEMS), and other topics as required by standards and regulations.

Performs others duties assigned.

Supervisory Statement: A one (1) year supervisory probation period may be required for this position.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 4:00 pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Safety & Occupational Health Manager/PD083500
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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.
• 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, 05/04/2026.

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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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.

Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) Requirement: An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the Safety and Occupational Health Management Series 0018. To qualify for this occupational series, applicants must have one of the following listed below:

• Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or 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,
• Specialized experience: Experience in or related to safety and occupational health that provided the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:
  • Managing safety or occupational health program elements.
  • Developing and recommending safety and occupational health policy to higher levels of management.
  • Applying safety and occupational health laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices, and procedures to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing with occupational safety and health requirements.
  • Developing safety and occupational health standards, regulations, practices, and procedures to eliminate or control potential hazards.
  • Developing or implementing programs to reduce the frequency, severity, and cost of accidents and occupational illnesses.
  • Analyzing or evaluating new and existing jobs, processes, products, or other systems to determine the existence, severity, probability, and outcome of hazards.
  • Designing or modifying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems to control or eliminate hazards.
  • Inspecting or surveying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems for compliance with established safety and occupational health policies or standards and to identify potential new hazards.
  • Training of workers, supervisors, managers, or other safety and occupational health personnel in safety or occupational health subjects.
  • Work in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, and occupational health nurse.

In addition to the above IOR, applicants may qualify based on their specialized experience as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: expert knowledge of safety, fire protection, occupational and environmental health concepts, principles, practices and procedures, bodies of laws, and regulations (i.e., VHA, OSHA, NFPA, EPA, TJC, CARF, CAP, other Federal, state, and local governments); Practical knowledge in techniques and procedures applied by Safety managers, Fire Protection Engineers and Industrial Hygienists to coordinate hazard efforts; Provides expert consultation on the operation, implementation and expectations of the safety, fire protection, occupational and environmental health programs; Develops administrative documents such as performance standards, position descriptions, statistical reports, executive briefings; Develops policy and procedure for incident response, investigation, reporting and analysis; Uses guidelines, including standard instructions, technical literature, department policies and regulations, manufacturer catalogs, precedents and standard practices to manage a Safety and Occupational Health program.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Administration and Management
• Compliance
• Organizational Performance Analysis
• Technical Credibility

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.

***PREFERRED EXPERIENCE***

• The best qualified applicant will have previous Supervisory Safety & Occupational Health Manager experience in a federal agency.
• The highly qualified applicant will have previous Supervisory Safety & Occupational Health Manager experience in a federal agency and fully meet the specialized experience as stated above. Will have documented experience related to supervisory duties as well as development and management of comprehensive program operations to achieve compliance with VHA, OSHA, JCAHO, NFPA, EPA, DOT, CARP, CAP and state and local ordinances.

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 work is sedentary during non-emergency situations; however, on a regular and recurring basis, the incumbent participate in field exercises and operational support missions may require strenuous physical activity to include carrying persons and equipment, walking long distances, climbing, and working long hours, long periods of standing, bending, and stooping. May include various housing and living conditions to include non-climate controlled, limited privacy sleeping facilities (for example: cots, tents, "hot-bunking", gymnasiums, or similar), limited shower and laundry facilities, and limited feeding options (such as shelf-stable meals, meals-ready-to-eat (MREs), and field kitchens). Incumbent must have and maintain a valid motor vehicle operator's license. During emergency situations the incumbent may be required to remain available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week for multiple weeks. Incumbent is subject to work under emergency notification and contact procedures. EMS will be provided and must carry a government-provided mobile communication device.

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.

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.