Clarification from the agency

Open to current, permanent employees at the facility of the Montana VA Health Care System.

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Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Coordinates, controls and directs housekeeping program operations.
• Assigns work to subordinate supervisors based on priorities, selective consideration of the difficulty and requirements of assignments, and the capabilities of employees.
• Monitors staffing versus workload to ensure there are sufficient staff to meet production requirements.
• Hears and resolves complaints from employees, referring group grievances and more serious unresolved complaints to the Service Chief.
• Gives advice, counsel or instruction to employees on both work and administrative matters.
• Provides advisory services to all levels of management and to all hospital departments regarding the requirements and resolution of substantive housekeeping problems and services provided.
• Develops and maintains effective inter-service and interpersonal relationships with other key staff officials and coordinates the program with other internal activities.
• Coordinates program efforts with other internal activities and program management officials at the headquarters level and across all Service Lines to ensure coverage of critical and priorities throughout the housekeeping department and to other Service Leadership.
• Provides the technical and management guidance necessary to achieve the optimum use of the housekeeping services resources.
• Determines long-range, intermediate, and short-range program goals and policies; implements organizational structures, operating plans and procedures to achieve program goals; while monitoring the effectiveness and efficiency of operations within the established framework.
• Makes complex decisions based on a full assessment of the varying aseptic requirements of different hospital departments (i.e., special cleaning supplies, equipment and procedures, etc.).
• Identifies developmental and training needs of employees, providing for and arranging for needed development and training.
• Monitors and analyzes both production efficiency and organizational structure in order to implement and/or recommend process and organizational changes.
• Conducts cost comparison, quality control, manpower utilization and work simplification studies, as well as various program reviews and developing contract cleaning specifications, ensuring that the program functions efficiently and economically.
• Valid State Drivers License is required for this position (REAL ID).

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Assistant Hospital Housekeeping Officer/PD127550
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): 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, 09/09/2026.

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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. 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): The Hospital Housekeeping Management Series 0673 has a minimum qualification entry requirement.

• 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. OR,
• Education:
  • 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. AND,

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-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: extensive knowledge of advanced sanitation programs and a working knowledge of hospital sanitation programs within the facility in the areas of: environmental sanitation; laundry/linen operations; interior/exterior pest control and regulated medical waste handling and disposal; analytical ability to research, assemble and compile information and data, evaluate the results against appropriate standards, and recommend corrective action where indicated; knowledge of pertinent regulations and policies as they apply to the duties of the position and to the functions of all environmental operation program areas; ability to plan work to be accomplished by subordinates, set and adjust short-term priorities and prepare schedules for completion of work; knowledge of the negotiated labor agreement; skills and knowledge in management techniques; knowledge of VA, state, local and federal regulations, requirements and other standards pertaining to textile care operations, waste management, sanitation operation, infection control and health care environment requirements. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and higher-level graduate education to meet total experience requirements.

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

• Accountability
• Conflict Management
• Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
• Leadership
• Managing Human Resources

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 of a general administrative nature with some walking, standing and carrying light loads of papers, books, or reports that do not require special physical demands. Incumbent must work in a sitting position; walk; stand, stoop, turn, climb. Normal physical activity is required with no restrictive action. Incumbent can be exposed to extreme temperatures, hazardous chemicals, lint, various noise levels, high humidity, moving equipment, contaminated soiled textiles, etc.

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.