To qualify for an Environmental Protection Specialist your resume and supporting documentation must support:
A. Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position, and is directly in or related to this position. To qualify at the GS-11 level, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military or private sector. Applicants must meet eligibility requirements including time-in-grade (General Schedule (GS) positions only), time-after-competitive appointment, minimum qualifications, and any other regulatory requirements by the cut-off/closing date of the announcement. Creditable specialized experience includes:
- Performing program work for an assigned environmental protection program.
- Ensuring compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations.
- Participating in audits of environmental programs.
B. Education Substitution: Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Education must be from a college or university accredited by an organization approved by the U.S. Department of Education. See http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx. If using education to meet basic qualifications, YOU MUST SUBMIT A TRANSCRIPT as supplemental documentation. To qualify based on education in lieu of specialized experience, you must possess: A PhD or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree.
Combination: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for grade level GS-11, and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grade GS-11.
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, religious, 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.
Work Environment: The work office environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, training rooms, and libraries. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. The environmental field work involves some regular and recurring exposure to moderate risks or discomforts that require special safety precautions (e. g. , working at a storage, disposal, restoration or spill sites where there is risk of exposure to pesticides, hazardous chemicals, radioactive materials, or other pollutants). The environmental protection specialist must use protective clothing and/or gear when needed. The work involves inspections/audits of hazardous waste generating and storage facilities and environmental restoration sites.