Environmental Protection Specialist

Summary

The incumbent will serve as an Environmental Protection Specialist organizationally aligned to the Safety Service, Battle Creek VA Medical Center. The purpose of the position is to serve as the Medical Center's Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) Coordinator and being a key member of the VAMC GEMS Committee. This position reports directly to the Chief of Safety Service

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Duties

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Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Developing and implementing a GEMS program at the VA Hospital and coordinating the efforts of staff involved with GEMS to ensure that the GEMS is developed and implemented in accordance with VHA policy and guidance.
• Manages environmental programs such as (SPCC Plan, Storm Water Plan, P2 Plan, clean air and clean water, safe drinking water, asbestos and lead management and abatement, mercury reduction, etc.).
• Conducts internal gap analyses of GEMS. Issues reports of gap analyses and tracks status of corrective and preventive actions. Reviews implementation of GEMS policy and procedures and reports the status to the Safety & Occupational Health Manager. Discusses deficiencies and necessary remedial action with appropriate VAMC staff, including top management.
• Develops, implements, and maintains effective programs for the identification, collection and disposal of hazardous wastes. Ensures that handling of all waste streams are in compliance with federal, state, and local governmental laws and regulations.
• Advises management on how environmental policies, procedures and systems will affect the operation of the hospital.
• Reviews how expansion, modification, closures of existing facilities and infrastructure, and new construction of structures and infrastructure will affect the environment and provides information that will minimize adverse impacts to human health and the environment and reduce facility vulnerability.
• Measures the effectiveness of existing environmental programs and recommends to the Safety & Occupational Health Manager modifications to existing programs as needed to meet changing environmental requirements.
• Serves as an expert on issues related to environmental statutes.
• Participates in planning, organizing, implementing, and providing technical assistance for projects to resolve environmental problems. Assignments include, but are not limited to, industrial wastewater treatment and disposal; safe drinking water; treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous waste; release of hazardous material/spill response; air pollution control; environmental media permitting; toxic substances; and regulatory oversight.
• Provides technical expertise for the design, modification, operation and maintenance of facilities and infrastructure to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.
• Evaluates and implements pollution prevention alternatives to reduce the generation of waste.
• Manages response to environmental emergencies including releases/spills of hazardous materials.
• Coordinates response to VA and external environmental audits, surveys, inspections, etc.
• Develops promotional and educational activities to promote stakeholder awareness of the Medical Center's environmental issues.
• Facilitates the exchange of environmental information to staff, including the development and implementation of training and educational programs related to environmental programs.
• Manages computer programs and databases to enhance management of environmental programs.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm, 8:00am-4:30pm

Telework: Not available.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Environmental Protection Specialist / PD91808-0

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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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
• 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 ( 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, 07/24/2026. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: management, coordination, monitoring, oversight, or evaluation of routine programs, projects, or activities; assure environmental compliance and provide routine technical assistance to operating personnel and managers; assess and correlate environmental data, verify results, and discuss technical aspects of work with scientists, engineers, and other environmental experts; standard data gathering and analysis techniques to collect and review technical information on environmental activities or quality and to identify and solve problems of a procedural or factual nature; prepare and conduct briefings or training programs, lead group conferences, and write reports and letters; planning, implementing, or monitoring environmental programs and services (e.g., determining needs, evaluating program effectiveness, assuring compliance with regulations). 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. (Transcripts Required). OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level GS-09. (Transcripts Required).

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

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

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 requires regular and recurring physical exertion such as prolonged standing, bending, and stooping to observe work operations and identify leaking containers in a treatment, storage, or disposal area.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

Education

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: 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:

Additional information

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.

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.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at

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.

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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.

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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.