Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to STATUS candidates ONLY.

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Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Studies Federal, State or local requirements which contain permissible exposure limits, and collects/maintains appropriate documentation for reference materials and back up. Develops policies to comply with specific laws and regulations, which often contain conflicting requirements, while minimizing adverse impact to patient care.
• Keeps current and updated on new industry standards developed by other organizations; studies health and safety reports, journals and related periodicals in work processes that create health hazards.
• Develops policies to comply with specific laws and regulations, which often contain conflicting requirements, while minimizing adverse impact to patient care.
• Carries out inspections of workplaces and investigations of accidents, recording of injuries, occupational illnesses, property loss and fires; and analyzing of lost time injuries and illnesses and reporting, as required.
• Effects compliance with safety-related legislative and accrediting requirements at the Medical Center. These include those mandated by Federal, state and local authorities having specific jurisdiction concerning protection and quality of life and environment, as well as those of accrediting bodies. Specifically, incumbent shares primary responsibility for compliance with The Joint Commission Environment of Care and CARF Environment of Care standards.
• The incumbent operates an effective fire, safety, emergency management and occupational health program that meets VA, Joint Commission, and OSHA standards. The incumbent provides leadership and information to services toward fulfilling VASDHS occupational safety and health goals.
• The incumbent conducts proactive risk assessments that evaluate the potential adverse impact of buildings, grounds, equipment, occupants, and internal physical systems of the safety and health of patients, staff, and other people coming to the hospital's facilities.
• Coordinates hazard surveillance activities (e.g., Environment of Care Rounds and Safety Inspections), aggregate outcome data, and analyzes information to identify trends. The incumbent conducts periodic environmental tours to identify environmental deficiencies hazards, and unsafe practices.
• Explains performance expectations to employees and provides regular feedback on strengths and weaknesses. Hold employees responsible for satisfactory completion of work assignments. Rate workers' performance, ensuring consistency and equity in rating techniques: Recommend awards when appropriate. Hears and resolves employee complaints and refers serious unresolved complaints to higher level management. Initiates action to correct performance or conduct problems.
• Identifies employee developmental needs and provides or arranges for training (formal and on-the-job) to maintain and improve job performance. Encourages self-development.
• Promotes an environment in which employees are empowered to participate in and contribute to effective mission accomplishment. Discharges security responsibilities by ensuring education and compliance with security directives for employees with access to classified or sensitive material. Recognizes and takes action to correct situations posing a threat to the health or safety of subordinates.
• Green Environmental Management Systems (GEMS): Familiarizes self with how their activities impact VA's goal to implement sound stewardship practices that are protective of the air, water, land, and other natural and cultural resources.

Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday; 08:00am - 04:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Manager/PD10069O
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized
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, 05/29/2026.

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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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 REQUIREMENTS: Must meet one of the following Education or Experience:

EDUCATION: 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

EXPERIENCE: 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, you must meet the grade requirements listed below.
GS-12 Grade Requirements
You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-11) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: A broad knowledge of safety and occupational health concepts, principles, techniques, practices, laws, and regulations sufficient to plan, organize, administer, coordinate, and evaluate occupational safety and health programs. Knowledge to provide technical advice and guidance to the Health Care Center organizations and managers concerning difficult or unusual safety and occupational health issues. Investigating and analyzing a wide variety of problems and making recommendations. Planning, developing, and executing a variety of new safety projects and assessing their effectiveness. Interpreting regulations or policy and properly implementing their provisions. Experienced managerial skills in order to inspect, coordinate, and oversee the work of subordinates; and provide training, advice, and guidance. Ability to communicate both orally and in writing.

Preferred Certifications: Certified Safety Professional(CSP), Certified Industrial Hygienist(CIH), Certified Health Physicist(CHP), OSHA Certifications, Healthcare Safety Certification(CHSP).

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

• Communication
• Planning and Evaluating
• Risk Management
• Strategic Thinking
• 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: This position requires regular and recurring physical exertion related to frequent inspections and
surveys of patient career areas, laboratories, warehouses, vehicles, industrial shops, grounds, construction sites, community based clinics, and nurslng homes requiring that the incumbent perform considerable walking, standing, reaching, bending or other similar movements. This may requ[re exposure to the elements as well as to extremes of heat and cold. Incumbent must be capable of negotiating narrow passages, rooftops, and crawlspaces and require some degree of agility when inspecting construction sites. Climbing, running, jumping, crawling in confined spaces, and exposure to fire situations may be required. Use of an air-purifying respirator or other personal protective equipment while performing these tasks may also be necessary.

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.

Areas of Consideration: Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order.

1. Current permanent employees of the Northern Arizona VA Healthcare System (NAVAHCS)
2. Current permanent Veterans Health Administration employees
3. Current permanent employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs
4. Current permanent Federal Employees
5. Status Candidates

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.