Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to Status Candidates, CTAP and ICTAP candidates only. Documentation required to verify eligibility.

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

• Identifies opportunities for improvement through an ongoing effort of hazard identification, evaluation, solution implementation, and monitoring
• Maintains accountability for developing, implementing, managing, and monitoring a comprehensive Safety and Occupational Health Program as defined by policy, which meets safety, hazardous material, and life safety requirements of the Department of Veterans Affairs, The Joint Commission (TJC), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and other applicable accrediting entities
• Oversees Environment of Care and Life Safety Standards to ensure compliance
• Develops, monitors, and evaluates required management plans
• Assists in the development and evaluates required management plans: Life Safety (LS) Management, Hazardous Material Management, and Emergency Preparedness Management, as well as Utility Management, Equipment Management, and Security Management. Manages the facility's Statement of Conditions (SOC) and ensures life safety and fire protection features for the facility are maintained as required by NFPA and TJC
• Responsible for the Safety Management System (SMS) and its Program Effectiveness (Safety Policy, Job Hazard Analysis (JHA), Industrial Hygiene Exposure Assessment (IHEA)
• Oversight of compressed gases program, confined space program, construction safety program, electrical safety program, emergency eyewash and shower program, fall protection program, fire protection/life safety programs, lock-out/tagout program, machine guarding , motor vehicle safety and personal protective equipment
• Responsible for EOC Inspections, Construction Safety Inspections, Periodic shop inspections and AWE inspections
• Managing the Employee Compensation Operation & Management Portal (ECOMP)
• Investigates and reviews of employee injuries, making recommendations to the committee and the department heads for corrective actions
• Develops and presents to upper management budgetary information related to safety and occupational health programs
• Manages computer programs and databases to enhance management of safety and occupational health programs
• Develops promotional and educational activities to promote stakeholder awareness of the facility safety and occupational health programs
• Identifies and appraises accidents and/or loss producing conditions
• Identifies practices and evaluates the severity of accident problems
• Develops accident prevention and loss control methods, procedures, and programs
• Communicates accident and loss control information to those directly involved
• Measures and evaluates the effectiveness of the accident and loss control systems and the modifications required to achieve optimal results
• Back-up coverage for Environmental Protection Specialist
• Assists in oversight of a comprehensive and effective GEMS/IH program which recognizes, evaluates, and monitors environmental impacts from aspects of facility operations
• Secures required air emission, wastewater, and underground fuel storage tank permits and hazardous waste disposal
• Assists in oversight of comprehensive industrial hygiene program which recognizes, evaluates and monitors chemical, physical, biological and ergonomic stresses in the workplace to provide patients, visitors and staff of the VA the highest possible level of safety attainable
• Analyzes, and makes recommendations on all levels of medical center construction projects, including Major, Minor, Non-Recurring Maintenance (NRM) and Station Level Projects (SLP) to verify compliance with VA, federal, NFPA, OSHA, EPA, ADA, state, local and any other applicable safety codes
• Makes recommendations for changes to achieve full compliance when deficiencies are detected
• Ensures that internal safety codes are practiced uniformly and consistently with every construction project in the health system.
• Reviews findings with appropriate facility management and employee groups; prepares formal findings and recommendations for alleviation or elimination of hazards; involved in negotiating settlement or implementation of corrective action with facility managers at various organizational levels, as well as labor unions representing federal employee interests
• Conducts Life Safety assessments of affiliated community nursing homes, residential board and care homes and makes recommendations about referral of Veterans to these facilities
• Provides expert and consultative technical assistance to various facility committees, work groups, and task forces as well as to senior leadership and as a member of the Incident Command Team during activation of the hospital Incident Command System.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Manager/PD04950NR
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Physical Requirements: required to exert considerable and strenuous physical effort on a regular basis while performing the functions required of the position. The functions are normally performed while the incumbent conducts safety surveys and inspections that require crawling in confined building areas. This position involves walking frequently back and forth between buildings and traveling among all outpatient clinics. The individual spends additional time outdoors in conjunction with projects taking place there and spends time at construction sites and on facility inspections. Must be physically able to gain access to all spaces at each facility.
• 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 dentification 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, 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, 11/18/2025.

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.

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: 1) Managing safety or occupational health program elements. 2) Developing and recommending safety and occupational health policy to higher levels of management. 3) Applying safety and occupational health laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices, and procedures to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing with occupational safety and health requirements. 4) Inspecting or surveying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems for compliance with established safety and occupational health policies or standards and to identify potential new hazards. 5) Designing or modifying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems to control or eliminate hazards. 6) Training of workers, supervisors, managers, or other safety and occupational health personnel in safety or occupational health subjects. 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 OR,
  • 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree OR,
  • LL.M., if related

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.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Interpret Instructions, Specifications (includes blueprint reading)
• Learning
• Production Support Service
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Reliability And Dependability
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork
• Technical Practices

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Other (1)
• Other (2)
• Other (3)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Proof of Marriage Status
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
• An SF-50 showing 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
• Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
• Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
  • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
  • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
  • SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

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.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.

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.

Next steps