Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to current permanent VA Nationwide employees, CTAP/ICTAP eligibles, and other Status Eligible Applicants-see Hiring Paths for more information.

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• Responsible for the planning, activation, organizing, directing, evaluating, and management process for the program that includes setting qualitative and quantitative standards.
• The Selectee is called upon to serve as chairperson/committee member for Boards of Survey, Direct Patient Care Reviews, Patient Equipment, and other Task Forces. He/she serves on various Medical Center committees such as: Emergency Preparedness Committee, Infection Control Committee, Space Committee and Safety Management Committee.
• The Selectee prepares yearly budget request. Allocates available funding to various functions within Environmental Section. Maintains control over allocated funds at all times to ensure effective utilization. Develops contingency plans to minimize the effect of any cuts to the service budget. Develops and implements cost savings and cost containment initiatives.
• Develops policies and procedures, including infection control protocols, for all housekeeping and sanitation functions. Develops specifications for performance standards as necessary.
• Ensures that the SLVHCS is in compliance with all Federal, State and Local Laws and regulations pertaining to service activities, particularly in the areas of pest control, waste management and infection control.
• He/she is expected to maintain and enhance his/her professionalism through active participation in professional associations, He/she must maintain a state of the art knowledge of highly diverse and complex technical data.
• Full responsibility for the sanitation and cleanliness of the entire facility. The concept of environmental sanitation as one of both visual cleanliness and microbiological surveillance and control is a major consideration of the Selectee.
• The Selectee has responsibility for a complete Environmental Care Section which includes Environmental Sanitation, Pest Management, Health Aid Program, Waste Management, and Recycling Program.
• The Environmental Manager has full responsibility for the program which is managed through contract Pest Controller who ensures that all local, state, and federal regulations are followed.
• Responsible for cleaning discharge and interward transfer units (which requires coordination with Nursing Service), and coordination of routine maintenance has been delegated to the incumbent.
• The Selectee establishes schedules and Standards for a window washing contract which sets forth guidelines that the contractor must meet during the course of the contract year for the Medical Center.
• He/she is responsible for the Patient Effects and Patient Assistance Program. Operation of the Patient Assistance Program includes receipt, care, storage, release and accountability for patient clothing, effects and valuables and indigent patient services to maintain a quality of life to promote normal recovery.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday (7:30am-4:00pm); subject to change based on the needs of the facility.
Telework: Yes, Adhoc is determined by the agency policy.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Hospital Housekeeping Officer/PD068530
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be 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 identification 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, 07/13/2026.

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.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:
Individual Occupational Requirements:
Applicants who meet the Individual Occupational Requirements described below are fully qualified for the specified entry grade and must also meet the specialized experience and/or education requirements.

Undergraduate Education: Major study -- chemistry or biological sciences, sanitary science or administration, institutional sanitation or administration, hospital administration, hotel administration, public administration, business administration, or other fields related to the position.

Graduate Education: Major study -- public health or business administration with emphasis in hospital administration.


OR


Specialized Experience: Experience 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.

One year of formalized hospital administrative residency or internship in hospital administration or hospital housekeeping management is equivalent to 1 year of GS-12 level specialized experience.

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 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:

• Managing a comprehensive hospital environmental services program that maintains visual and microbiological cleanliness (environmental sanitation) across inpatient and outpatient settings, aligned with national policy and evidence-based practices.
• Collaborating with Infection Prevention & Control on cleaning/disinfection standards (selection and use of EPA registered antimicrobial agents, aseptic techniques, terminal cleaning procedures) to minimize healthcare associated infections.
• Ensuring facility compliance with VHA Environmental Programs Service (EPS) policies for Health Care Environmental Sanitation Program, Pest Management, Textile Care, Interior Design, and Waste Management, including hazardous/infectious waste handling, documentation, and audits.
• Interpreting and implementing national directives and standards across multi-site operations and inpatient mental health units, including required EMS staff training updates.
• Planning, activating, organizing, directing, and evaluating EMS operations (e.g., environmental sanitation, pest management, waste management, recycling, patient effects, and patient assistance programs) for a tertiary care, highly complex medical center.
• Establishing and monitoring performance standards and quality assurance for housekeeping services, contracted services (e.g., window washing, pest control), and textiles (in house Textile Care Processing Facility or contracted linen service).
• Developing annual EMS budgets; allocating and controlling funds; preparing justifications; and executing cost savings/cost containment initiatives while sustaining service quality and compliance.
• Preparing executive level reports, action plans, and policy/procedure documents; tracking key indicators (e.g., cleanliness audits, Healthcare Associated related environmental metrics, work orders, contractor Key Performance Indicators) and closing suspense actions with thorough coordination.

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

• Strategic Thinking
• Knowledge Management
• Budget Administration
• Leadership
• Project Management

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 work is sedentary although there may be some nominal walking or standing for short periods or carrying light loads of papers, books, or reports that do not require special physical demands.

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.

Status: This vacancy is open to current permanent VA Nationwide employees, CTAP/ICTAP eligibles, and other Status Eligible Applicants-see Hiring Paths for more information.


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.