Clarification from the agency

This position is only open to current, permanent employees of the Atlanta VA Health Care System and CTAP eligible applicants.

Duties for this position may include, but are not limited to:

• The incumbent is responsible to perform all Supervisory functions to include the assessment determination of staffing levels required to support the Safety and Occupational Health Program.
• The incumbent is fully responsible for developing position descriptions, performance standards and competencies, initiating recruitment efforts, evaluating, interviewing and selecting qualified candidates to fill vacancies within the Safety and Occupational Health Office.
• The incumbent will complete all formal performance evaluations of subordinate staff and competency assessments to identify developmental and training opportunities.
• The incumbent will also identify developmental and training needs for employees, providing or arranging for needed development and training.
• The incumbent of this position has full delegated authority and responsibility for the planning, coordination, operation and internal evaluation of the AVAHCS Occupational Safety and Health Program.
• The incumbent will provide administrative and policy direction to Service Chiefs and supervisors throughout the AVAHCS as well as providing expert advice and counsel to all members of the Executive Leadership Team including the Health Care System Director.
• Incumbent will make and or approving selections for subordinate nonsupervisory positions; hear and resolve group grievances or serious employee complaints; and review and approve serious disciplinary actions (e.g., suspensions) involving nonsupervisory subordinates.
• Incumbent exercises delegated authority to oversee the overall planning, direction, and timely execution of the Safety and Occupational Health Program and associated program segments such as the Green Environmental Management Program, Respiratory Protection and Monitoring Program, Stored Energy Management and Protection Program and Material Safety Program, Fire Safety and Training Program each of which is managed through separately
• The incumbent may also serve on Network and National committees or boards on matters related to Safety and Occupational Health.
• Incumbent directs the management of the inventory management listing (EIL) and records of inspection and calibration for all equipment to include portable fire extinguishment equipment.
• Directs oversight for the proper inspection, maintenance, hydrostatic testing and re-charging and documentation of all types of fire extinguishers and fire suppression systems and ensures they remain in compliance with OSHA, NFPA, TJC and VA regulations.
• The incumbent will be responsible for a wide range of administrative duties to include the development and maintenance of historical documents for the AVAHCS related to the location of hazardous materials such as lead based paint and asbestos and the disposition of general and other hazardous materials in perpetuity as required by The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), enacted in 1976, which is the principal federal law in the United States governing the disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste
• Incumbent direct the planning, preparation and implementation of facility specific employee training via VA-Talent Management System(VA-TMS) according to applicable standards and regulations on a variety of safety and occupational health subjects including, safety, electrical safety. fall protection, slips/trips, and falls, fire, vehicle, chemical, biological or physical safety, environmental, indoor air quality, and various laboratory safety needs or ventilation requirements.
• Incumbent directs the collection, analysis, trending, and reporting of workplace accident/illness data to the Environment of Care Committee, Employee Health Physician, and Human Resources Management Services Office of Workers Compensational Program (OWCP) Specialist.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30 am - 4:00 pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Safety & Occupational Health Manager/PD114540
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• 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 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 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, 11/10/2025.

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-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:

• Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR):
  • Education: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or degree in other related fields that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours of study from among the following (or closely related) disciplines: safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, toxicology, public health, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological sciences, engineering, and industrial psychology. -OR-
  • Experience: Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): Experience in or related to safety and occupational health that provided the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:
    • Managing safety or occupational health program elements.
    • Developing and recommending safety and occupational health policy to higher levels of management.
    • 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.
    • Developing safety and occupational health standards, regulations, practices, and procedures to eliminate or control potential hazards.
    • Developing or implementing programs to reduce the frequency, severity, and cost of accidents and occupational illnesses.
    • Analyzing or evaluating new and existing jobs, processes, products, or other systems to determine the existence, severity, probability, and outcome of hazards.
    • Designing or modifying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems to control or eliminate hazards.
    • 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.
    • Training of workers, supervisors, managers, or other safety and occupational health personnel in safety or occupational health subjects.
    • Work in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, and occupational health nurse.
• 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: Communicating effectively with an Executive Leadership Team using written, oral, and presentation materials and techniques; Applying safety and occupational health laws, regulations, and principles to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing with occupational safety and health requirements; Developing safety and occupational health standards, practices, and procedures to eliminate or control potential hazards; Inspecting or surveying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems for compliance with established safety and occupational health policies; Identifying potential hazards and working with other occupational field professionals such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, and occupational health nurse; Developing or implementing programs to reduce the frequency, severity, and cost of accidents and occupational illnesses.

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

• Chemistry
• Emergency Management
• Health Physics
• Health Risk Analysis
• Leadership
• Personnel Security and Safety
• Public Safety and Security
• Safety Engineering

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 involves the frequent performance of surveys and onsite visits necessitating prolonged periods of walking, standing, bending, kneeling, and working in awkward positions. Duties also require work outdoors during inclement weather. Duties of the position require considerable walking, climbing, prolonged standing, and crouching. While carrying sampling equipment and measuring devices. Personal protective equipment must often times be worn. The incumbent is required to drive motor vehicles. Occasional travel is required.

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.

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.

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

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

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)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• 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.

Next steps