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Hospital Housekeeping Officer

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration

Summary

This position is located at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center(FHCC) North Chicago and reports directly to the Deputy Associate Director for Facility Support. The primary purpose of this position for the planning, organization, staffing, controlling, evaluation and directing the functions of an expanded EMS for a 100-acre campus and 7 Outpatient Clinics in Wisconsin and Illinois.

Overview

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Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$118,984 - $154,682 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Promotion potential
13
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Not required
Appointment type
Temporary promotion
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
Yes
Federal service type
This job is in the Excepted Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Other
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
CAZP-13094518-27-DM
Control number
889327900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This is open to Legacy VISN 12 employees.

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Duties

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Beyond basic environmental cleaning, this position carries responsibility for multiple substantive functional areas including:

  • Environmental Sanitation
  • Linen and Textile Control and Management, including laundry contracting and distribution.
  • Supply and Distribution Unit for EMS supplies.
  • Property Management Unit for Ems equipment
  • Pest Control Coordination
  • Solid Waste, Potentially Infectious Medical Waste(PIMW), Biohazardous Waste removal.

Duties include, but may not be limited to the following:

  • The EMS Chief is a full staff official to Senior Management offering guidance that affects the full range of organizational and clinical operations. The FHCC is a one-of-a-kind integrated facility which provides a transformational opportunity for health care, the first integration of two distinct and separate health care organizations each having different sets of regulations and rules for operations this complexity increases the knowledge needed to ensure standards are met for both VA and Department of Defense.
  • Interprets local and agency policies, and drafts policies for local facility approval.
  • Delegates to subordinate supervisors and holds them accountable for the performance of their assigned duties.
  • Ensures environmental regulatory compliance in the service by the effective implementation of applicable environmental programs and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
  • Exercises independent judgment and initiative in directing the accomplishment of assigned work operations and program management responsibilities within the limits established by Facility Support Directorate.
  • Adheres to all provisions of the Equal Opportunity Program.
  • Ensures that all employees are knowledgeable of and comply with safety rules, that all employees receive pertinent and required safety training, and that safety programs are met.
  • Reviews and evaluates activities within the Sanitation Section to measure the extent of achievement of objectives and to evaluate the effectiveness of cleaning methods, techniques, and procedures.
  • Incumbent is responsible for training, counseling, disciplining, evaluating, and promoting the growth of employees within the department.
  • Develops and implements organization structures and operating plans and procedures to achieve program goals and determines needs for resources and their appropriate allocation and effectiveness.
  • Prepares, maintains, and monitors work plans for staff utilization.
  • Identifies training and competency needs and ensures on the job training is conducted to develop technical competence.
  • Has full responsibility for various program areas/contracts (environmental sanitation, linen management, waste management and recycling, pest control).
  • Performs other related duties as assigned.


Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 0700-1530 (or as needed to meet operational needs)
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Hospital Housekeeping Officer/PD20216O
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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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, 10/26/2026.

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 as described below:

  • Basic Qualification:
    • 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. OR
    • 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.
  • 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. Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped them with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes experience in two or more of the following areas, or other work related to the position to be filled: (1) 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; (2) Experience in laundry and linen management; (3) Experience in interior design management; (4) Experience that demonstrated knowledge of waste management, including the requirements relating to hazardous, toxic, and infectious wastes and provisions for their final disposition; (5) Experience that demonstrated knowledge of pest management, including alternative methods of control and the selection and application of chemicals.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
  • Communication
  • Decision Making
  • Hazardous Materials
  • Infection Control
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Quality Assurance


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: Responsibility spans throughout the medical center situated on 100 acres consisting of 56 patient care and administrative buildings encompassing over 2M million square feet which makes supervision very challenging. Due to this large area covered the employee will do a lot of moving across the areas supervised. The work will require some physical exertion such as long periods of standing, or recurring and considerable crouching, bending, standing, stooping, stretching, or walking such as in performing cleaning activities if needed and possible inspections of employees/contractors' work. Work could also include frequent lifting of moderately heavy items weighing less than 23 kilograms (i.e., under 50 pounds) such as boxes and equipment.

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/.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level for specialized experience.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

This announcement is a temporary promotion and the position may become permanent without competition.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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.

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.

Veterans Health Administration

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?

Agency contact information

Doug Madel
Phone
608-555-5555
Email
douglas.madel@va.gov
Address
Captain James A Lovell Federal Health Care Center
3001 Green Bay Road
North Chicago, IL 60064
US

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https://vacareers.va.gov/

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