Clarification from the agency

This job is open to VHA employees only. SF-50 is required to be eligible.

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• Incumbent functions as the Environmental Care Specialist with responsibilities for housekeeping activities within the Environmental Management Service. This involves all aspects of environmental sanitation, within acceptable levels of bacteriological and visual cleanliness effective in this geographical location, and fully coordinated with other activities in this active affiliated teaching Medical Center.
• The incumbent directs and supervises the Housekeeping Section, fully coordinating activities with other services and staff to ensure required services are provided with absolute minimum of disruption. Directly supervises the Assistant Chief, supervisors (7) WS Housekeeping Foreman.
• Incumbent is responsible for the preventative control through supervision of the housekeeping section, to include planning, organizing, directing, controlling and evaluating the service provided by Housekeeping staff.
• Position requires travel to the offsite clinics and other visits to end users. Incumbent will be driving a motor vehicle when visiting sites up to a maximum of 120 miles, one way.
• Incumbent is responsible for managing the facility wide Recycling Program. Identifies all products that can be profitable recycled and formulates procedures to be followed. Responsibility includes maintaining an accounting procedure to track the number of products being collected for recycling and the amount earned because of these efforts.
• As a supervisor, the incumbent is responsible for the active support within the service of the Medical Center's EEO Program, seeking to eliminate barriers to EEO: ensuring development opportunities for qualified employees, ensuring lines of communication are open to all employees on an equal basis and affirmative action activities. This responsibility especially extends to implementation of the Medial Center's EEO Plan of Action as it applies.
• The incumbent must exercise broad managerial knowledge and technical expertise within the various disciplines of the Service.
• The incumbent will also make recommendations and manage space allocations. An effective and efficient EMS program must fully coordinate their activities with every organizational element in the Medical Center.
• Performs analytical and evaluative work associated with service line and program activities. Develops, analyzes, evaluates, advises on, or improves the effectiveness of work methods and procedures, organizations, manpower utilization, distribution of work assignments, delegations of authority, management controls, information and documentation systems, and similar functions of management.
• Administers operating programs and activities supporting environmental sanitation, textile services, waste management and pest management in support of services provided to veterans, their dependents or beneficiaries.
• Analyzes and evaluates, on a quantitative or qualitative basis, the effectiveness of programs or operations in meeting established goals and objectives. Evaluates agency­ wide programs against short and long-range objectives. Performs administrative work in personnel management and administration, budgeting and financial management, procurement and contracting, property management, and/or supply.
• Directs the personnel management program for the organization, performing, or overseeing the full range of human resources requirements. Maintains continuous liaison with the departmental human resources office in areas of personnel recruiting, promotion, training, equal opportunity employment, disciplinary action, performance evaluation, etc. Is responsible for managing the personnel costs to insure maximum utilization of personnel and funding resources.
• The incumbent analyzes the broad implications of laws, regulations, policies, as well as managerial, administrative, and technical trends. Local EMS policies further expand management considerations involving general administration practices, budgeting, utilization of manpower and other resources.
• Coordinates and controls housekeeping program operations. Provides advisory services to service chiefs, supervisors, and staff of other services and to management officials, when . directed, regarding the requirements and resolution of substantive housekeeping problem and services.

Work Schedule: Full Time, 0800-1630, Monday- Friday
Telework: Not authorized
Position Description/PD#: Hospital Housekeeping Management/PD028060
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• 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, 09/24/2026.

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.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR)
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: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.

Other: 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.

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: All aspects of environmental sanitation, within acceptable levels of bacteriological and visual cleanliness effective in this geographical location, and fully coordinated with other activities in this active affiliated teaching Medical Center. The preventative control through supervision of the Housekeeping section, to include planning, organizing, directing, controlling and evaluating the service provided by Housekeeping staff. Managing the facility wide Recycling Program and identifies all products that can be profitable recycled and formulates procedures to be followed. Maintaining an accounting procedure to track the amount of products being collected for recycling and the amount earned as a result of these efforts. Seeking to eliminate barriers to EEO: ensuring development opportunities for qualified employees, ensuring lines of communication are open to all employees on an equal basis and affirmative action activities.

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

• Conflict Management
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Manages Resources
• Partnering
• 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 primarily sedentary. Some travel is required. No other special physical demands are required of this work.

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.