Safety and Occupational Health Specialist Job in Albuquerque, NM

Vacancy No. MP-12797915-25PQH Department Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Salary $89,583.00 to $116,463.00 Grade 12 to 12
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 9/12/2025 Close Date 9/18/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Albuquerque, NM


Summary

As a Safety and Occupational Health Specialist within the Safety and Health Program, you will work to eliminate or control hazardous operations or conditions in the assigned Core Functional Area (CFA) and be responsible for participating in the planning, development, and implementation of an occupational safety and health, environmental compliance, and wellness program specific to assignments given by the Safety Manager.

Duties

  • The duties may include, but are not limited to:
  • Participate in planning, developing and implementing a program of consults, technical training, and evaluative activities to achieve compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHA).
  • Perform environmental safety and health inspections in a variety of workplaces, noting hazardous conditions and unsafe work practices.
  • Conduct regular safety and health-related inspections and checks throughout the facilities, to determine compliance with Federal safety and occupational health standards.
  • Prepare technical reports based on findings of studies and inspections and recommends corrective safety measures and procedures.
  • Conduct diversified health and safety management studies and interpret policy in the areas of occupational safety, health, motor vehicles, wellness, and the environment.
  • Provide for technical training assistance to management personnel, supervisory, employees, and employees' representatives.
  • Serve as a Safety Officer under the Incident Command structure for Emergency Program Deployment and ensure requirements are met under the APHIS Emergency Mobilization Guide.
  • Plan, conduct, and coordinate the investigation of Federal employee complaints, facilities, and serious accidents or incidents which threaten or impair their safety and occupational health.
  • Prepare preliminary findings and recommendations for the elimination of hazards and develop plans for implementation of corrective actions.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National.
  • Individuals who were born male after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.
  • Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
  • All USDA employees are required to be enrolled in Continuous Vetting, which authorizes government agencies to receive notifications of criminal activity on individuals who hold low risk, public trust, or national security positions.
  • Personal protective equipment is required.
  • Respirator Clearance and fit testing may be required.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

TIME-IN-GRADE: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-11 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:
  • Applied comprehensive knowledge of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards, procedures, methods to perform inspections and job tasks in a variety of environments and techniques to support a Safety program.
  • Recognized Safety hazards or potentially hazardous conditions and developed measures to eliminate or control such conditions.
  • Conducted and/or coordinated safety and health training activities in pesticide safety, laboratory, respiratory protection, HAZCOM, worker safety and related areas.
  • Assisted management in conducting diversified health and safety management studies by interpreting policy in the areas of occupational safety, health, motor vehicles, wellness, and the environment, in support of all field employees.
Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level.

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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

This position does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

  • Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
  • Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).
  • Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015.
  • First time hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected.
  • Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expense associated with reporting for duty will be the responsibility of the selected employee.
  • Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.

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.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by your experience, education, training, responses to the application questionnaire and the responses to all assessments required for this position demonstrated in your application package to determine the degree to which you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies listed below:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Flexibility
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Additional Information - USA Hire Online Assessment If you are applying as a non-competitive eligible, you are not required to complete the online USA Hire assessment associated with this vacancy. If you are not sure if you are applying as a non-competitive eligible, it is recommended that you complete the online USA Hire assessment associated with this vacancy. All competitive eligible applicants are required to complete the online USA Hire assessment to be considered for the position for this vacancy. Applicants will not be given the opportunity to complete the online USA Hire assessment outside of the assigned assessment window for this vacancy.

The assessment window closes 48 hours after the posted closing date and time of the announcement.

To preview the application questionnaire, please visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12797915

Required Documents

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure or downtime, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

  • Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) all supervisors' phone numbers and if they may be contacted; and 5) other qualifications.
  • If education is required or being used to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient if it includes your name and all course information. If selected, official transcripts will be required prior to entering on duty. Education must have been obtained from an accredited institution. Education completed in a foreign institution must include an evaluation by an organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs that it was deemed equivalent to an accredited U.S. education program, see: Foreign Education Evaluation. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
  • Current and former career/career-conditional Federal employees, including those who are claiming eligibility under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA):
    • Most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing you are/were in the competitive service (block 24 must contain a 1 or 2 and block 34 must contain a 1), highest grade held (or promotion potential) on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade. If your current grade is not your highest permanent grade, submit an additional SF-50 showing your highest grade.
    • Most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable (e.g., length of time in current position). A performance plan is not an acceptable substitute. Screenshots or printouts of electronic systems, including eHR Apps (ePMA), will not be accepted unless it is of the actual appraisal form with the end-of-year rating summary.
  • Current permanent FSA County employees must submit your most recent nonaward SF-50 showing your highest grade (or promotion potential) held on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade AND most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) per above.
  • Veteran Hiring Authorities: VEOA: DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty that shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. Active duty members must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions within 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. It must be on the letterhead of the military branch and include the dates of service. Veterans' preference must be verified prior to appointment. Visit Feds Hire Vets for more information.
  • If claiming 10-point veterans' preference you must provide the DD214 or certification (see above) plus the documentation listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. Failure to submit these documents could result in a finding that 10-point preference cannot be awarded.
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act: Copies of SF-50s showing the employee served in eligible appointment(s) for a period(s) of more than 24 mos w/o a break between appointments of 2+ years. Include initial hire actions, extensions, conversions and separation SF-50s for each period. Submit performance rating(s) showing acceptable performance for each period counted towards eligibility signed by supervisor(s). If documentation does not exist for one or more periods, submit a statement from supervisor(s) indicating acceptable performance. Applicants who do not have performance documentation for any period shall provide a reason why it is not available and statement that performance for all periods was at an acceptable level.
  • Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), last performance appraisal, and the most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments, and required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.

The application process is as follows:

1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already have one) at www.usajobs.gov. It is recommended that as part of your profile you set up automatic email notification to be informed when the status of your application changes. If you choose not to set up this automatic notification, then you will have to log into your USAJOBS account to check on the status of your application.

2: Create a Resume with USAJOBS or upload a Resume to your USAJOBS account. You may want to customize your resume to ensure it documents duties and accomplishments you have gained that are directly related to this position in order to verify that qualifications are met. In addition, your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire (you may preview the online questionnaire by clicking on the link at the end of the How You Will Be Evaluated section of the job announcement).

3: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire and attach any additional documents that may be required. You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Simply log into your USAJOBS account and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select "Update Application" to continue.

4:If you are required to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.

5:Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.

6: Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.

7: Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.

Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us.

To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

NOTE: Please verify that the documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable.

Agency contact information

MRP Human Resources
Address
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
USDA APHIS MRPBS
250 Marquette Avenue, Suite 410
Minneapolis, MN 55401
US

Next steps

If you set up your USAJOBS account to send automatic email notifications, your will receive an email acknowledging: 1) the submission of your online Occupational Questionnaire and resume was successful, 2) if you were referred to the selecting official for consideration, and 3) if you were selected or not selected. Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status. We expect to make a final job offer approximately 40 days after the deadline for applications.

Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. This announcement may also be used to fill additional like vacancies, including vacancies elsewhere within the agency or other USDA organizations.

Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to MRP.Fairchance@usda.gov, subject line: Fair Chance Act.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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