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Environmental Protection Specialist

Department of Energy
Department of Energy Headquarters
Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security

Summary

This position is part of the Office of Environmental Compliance & Radiation Protection, Office of Environment, Health, Safety, and Security, Department of Energy. As an Environmental Protection Specialist, you will provide oversight and support to DOE programs and field offices with minimizing environmental risks and impacts, achieving compliance with environmental risks and impacts, achieving compliance with environmental protection and conservation regulatory requirements.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—This position is eligible for situational telework only.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$143,913 - $187,093 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
Yes
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
26-EH-13022618-DE
Control number
880077600

Duties

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The Department of Energy's mission is to ensure America's security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.

The mission of the Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security (EHSS) as the Department's central organization, is to be responsible for health, safety, environment, and security; providing corporate-level leadership and strategic vision to coordinate and integrate these vital programs. EHSS is responsible for policy development and technical assistance; safety analysis; and corporate safety and security programs. EHSS advises DOE Senior Leadership on all matters related to environment, health, safety and security across the complex.


We are truly honored that DOE has been named America's #1 Best Employer for Veterans in 2023 by Forbes-not only among Government agencies, but among employers across the U.S. We are so proud of this ranking which reflects our commitment to the employment of veterans. As so many veterans at DOE renew their service to our Nation, we are deeply committed to their success and advancement. Veterans shape the future of energy


As an Environmental Protection Specialist, you will:

  • Act as the Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security (EHSS) lead for Cultural Resources Management and Historic Preservation, serving as the technical liaison to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the primary point of contact for issues under the Federal Preservation Officer.
  • Provide authoritative technical advice, guidance, and policy interpretation to DOE headquarters, field offices, and sites on compliance with cultural resource laws, historic preservation, and environmental stewardship regulations.
  • Formulate, evaluate, and implement overall environmental strategies, policy documents, and project plans to address complex environmental and resource preservation challenges across DOE.
  • Represent the agency on interagency task forces, lead high-level technical meetings, and coordinate with diverse Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments to resolve conflicting viewpoints on sensitive environmental and cultural resource issues.
  • Review and analyze proposed DOE projects, land transactions, and external policies to evaluate compliance, assess program effectiveness, and verify alignment with federal historic preservation and environmental laws.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
  • If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.
  • If selected, your appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
  • This position is not remote, the selectee will be expected to report to the duty station(s) listed. If selected, military spouses, veteran caregivers, and spouses of foreign service employees may be eligible for applicable workplace flexibilities.
  • This position does not support 100% remote work. You will be required to report physically to the official reporting worksite as specified in this announcement.
  • Situational telework may be available in accordance with agency's policy.
  • This position is not included in a Bargaining Unit.
  • You are required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement, OGE-450, Executive Branch Personnel Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of entering the position and annually.
  • A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work. Current Federal employees or other individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check.

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-13 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as meeting ALL of the following

  1. Serving as a technical expert in cultural resource management and historic preservation.
  2. Providing technical advice and support on implementing and complying with cultural resource management requirements.
  3. Interpreting laws, regulations, and directives governing cultural resources management.

Education cannot be substituted for specialized experience at the GS-14 grade level.

"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.

Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications. Your full resume will be made available to the hiring manager if you are referred.

CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must (1) meet all of the requirements as described in this section; and 2) be rated "well-qualified", which is defined as scoring in the in Well Qualified category (or higher).

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

There are no specific education requirements or substitution of education for experience for this position.

Additional information

  • Shared Certificates: The Department of Energy shares lists of applicants among its internal Departmental Elements and organizations. You may be referred for consideration to other DOE Hiring Managers throughout the Department for more than one position based on this application. By applying to this announcement, you understand your application materials may be shared with multiple Hiring Mangers throughout DOE. If additional positions are filled from this announcement conditions of employment may differ. You will be notified if you are referred for additional positions.
  • This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE.
  • For general information on government-wide Telework polices visit: www.telework.gov
  • Hiring incentives may be authorized in accordance with agency policy and if funding is available.
  • Equal employment opportunity policy.
  • Employees or applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) for assistance, when applying or competing for a job or performing a job due to their medical condition or to exercise their religious beliefs. If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Staffing Specialist listed on this vacancy announcement.
  • Reasonable Accommodation Policy: https://www.energy.gov/hc/articles/reasonable-accommodation-and-personal-assistance-service-procedures
  • Veterans Information: https://www.energy.gov/careers/veterans-military-spouses
  • Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/
  • The Fair Chance Act prohibits specific inquiries concerning an applicant's criminal or credit background unless the hiring agency has made a conditional offer of employment to the applicant. An applicant may submit a complaint to the agency within 30 calendar days of the date of alleged noncompliance by completing the Fair Chance Act Intake Form and emailing the form to the Administrative Investigations Program at AdministrativeInvestigations@hq.doe.gov.
  • 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.
Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.

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.

Your application will be assessed based on your responses to an online job knowledge assessment, and you will be placed into one of three pre-defined quality categories under Category Rating procedures. These categories are "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified". The online job knowledge assessment primarily consists of multiple-choice questions designed to evaluate your understanding of key concepts relevant to this position.

Your application will be assessed based on your responses to an online assessment that measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. Your score will place you into one of three pre-defined quality categories under Category Rating procedures. These categories are "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified". You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Your application and resume should demonstrate that you possess the following competencies. Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather, you must describe in your resume how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the competencies identified below. Use specific examples of employment or experience contained in your resume and describe how this experience has prepared you to successfully perform the duties of this position.

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Flexibility
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Leadership
  • Learning
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Problem Solving
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork
  • Technical Competence
  • Technical Documentation
  • Application of Veterans' Preference: If you are a preference eligible candidate, you will be listed at the top of whichever quality category your rating places you in. CP/CPS veterans are placed at the top of the highest category for all positions except professional and scientific positions at GS-9 and higher.
  • Non-Competitive Hiring Authority for Military Spouses: If you are a military spouse eligible under this authority, and you meet the minimum qualification requirements for the position, you will be referred to the selecting official for consideration on a separate list specific to only military spouses.
  • Career Transition Assistance Programs: To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet the eligibility criteria; and 2) be rated "well-qualified", which is defined as scoring in the in Well Qualified category (or higher).
You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (08/18/2026) of this announcement. To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, clickhttps://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13022618.

Department of Energy Headquarters

Agency contact information

Patricia Bledsoe
Email
patricia.bledsoe@hq.doe.gov
Address
Office of Environment, Health, Safety, and Security
Department of Energy
Human Capital Shared Service Center
1000 Independence Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20585
US

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