Clarification from the agency

This is an internal job announcement. This is announcement is open to current permanent facility employees and current permanent VHA employees

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Program Operations:
Sanitation:- The incumbent develops and administers a formal, systematic internal review plan for reviewing and appraising the effectiveness of each phase of EMS activities. The incumbent analyzes and reports findings to management.- The incumbent ensures specialized training concerning the handling of contaminated and noncontaminated linen and waste, as well as the use and upkeep of EMS equipment to ensure adherence to established standards, procedures and instructions is provided to employees.- The incumbent is an integral member of the Environment of Care Rounds throughout the medical center complex, reporting, and directing the follow up of EMS issues to ensure timely correction of any identified deficiencies.
Laundry /Linen:- The incumbent is STVHCS' Linen Control Officer and is responsible for the planning, controlling and directing of the service to include budget development, staff needs, equipment needs and utilization of all available resources to ensure adequate supplies of linen.- The incumbent manages procedures to ensure specialty linens are controlled and accounted for which includes development of costs and quantities for external customers and the monitoring of performance under specifications of the contracts and inclusion in the total system inventory and budgeting. Internal detail is developed for individual programs such as Surgical Service operating rooms for tracking of their specialty linens to scrub suit control and accountability.
Pest Management: - The incumbent is responsible for the Integrated Pest Management Program and serves as the Pest Management Officer (PMO) for STVHCS, to include planning, organizing, directing, controlling and evaluating.- The incumbent is responsible for monitoring the campus to identify high risk areas for pest activity.- The incumbent is responsible for insuring the various pests will be handled in compliance with local, state and federal regulations.
Uniforms:- The incumbent is responsible for the development of policy and procedures for uniforms, scrub apparel and personal protective equipment.- The incumbent will develop procedures that follow policy relating to issuing uniforms and staff uniform allowance.
Waste Management:- The incumbent is responsible for the administration and oversight of the waste management program. Contacts and contracts with outside agencies and landfill sites are performed as required to insure compliance with community, state, EPA, and OSHA regulations. The Chief of EMS must keep pace with advancing technology and sophistication and provide input to such areas as ethylene oxide utilization, hepatitis control and disinfecting, handling and disposal of biohazardous waste, and antineoplastic agents.- Incumbent is responsible for directing efforts to meet regulatory goals for reducing solid waste disposal.
Administrative Oversight:- The incumbent is responsible for EMS annual budget plan, which consists of approximately $21 million for salaries and equipment, supplies, and contracted services.- The incumbent is responsible for future budget planning to help the service meet the needs of the facility.- The incumbent is responsible for oversight of all contracting services.- The incumbent ensures reasonable equity among units of performance standards developed, modified, and/or interpreted and rating techniques developed by subordinate supervisors. Explains performance expectations to subordinate supervisors and employees directly supervised.

Work Schedule: 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM, Monday - Friday
Telework: Ad-Hoc only
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Hospital Housekeeping Officer - Relocation Incentive Authorized/PD00023O
Relocation Incentives: 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, 09/17/2026.

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.

Hospital Housekeeping Officer (Chief, Environmental Management Service) GS-13 requires the Individual Occupational Requirement be met. Individual Occupational Requirement:
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.
OR
Experience: Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): 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.

You may qualify based on your experience and 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: Managing an Environmental Management program across several medical facilities within a large healthcare system, directing operations through subordinate supervisors at multiple sites and serving as the subject matter expert for Environmental Care and Sanitation, Waste Management, Linen Management and Control, and Integrated Pest Management. This includes organizing, overseeing, and implementing all aspects of the program, including a multi-million dollar operating budget covering staffing, equipment, and contracted services, and establishing personnel management policies in accordance with Medical Center and VA regulations.

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

• Administration and Management
• Hazardous Material
• Planning and Evaluating

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. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.

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.