Safety and Occupational Health Manager

Summary Serves as the Chief of Safety and Emergency Management and is responsible for directing, planning, developing, and implementing and for oversight of the facility's Safety and Emergency Management Program, Fire Protection, Green Environmental Management Systems (GEMS), Industrial Hygiene, and Radiation Safety Programs. Will assess effectiveness of specific programs, projects, and functions, plan alternative courses of actions to resolve hazardous conditions and unsafe work practices. Responsibilities The incumbent serves as the Chief of Safety and Emergency Management for G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center and is responsible for: Managing the development of policy changes and responds to changes in levels of appropriations and other legislative changes. Participates in the recruitment, screening, and recommendation process for selection of potential candidates. Develops and implements strategic workforce succession plans, and Safety and Emergency Management training programs. Directing, planning, developing and implementing comprehensives programs for Safety, Emergency Management, Fire Protection, Green Environmental Management Systems (GEMS), Industrial Hygiene and Radiation Safety Programs Overseeing, monitoring and evaluating safety activities, managing the overall facility safety program to provide the patients, visitors and staff with the highest attainable level of safety possible and identify opportunities for improvement through an ongoing effort of problem identification, evaluation, resolution, monitoring and evaluation. Defining safety issues, collecting reports, investigating accidents and incidents, assisting in prioritizing the activities of the Safety, Environment of Care (EOC) Committee and assisting in defining solutions that can be implemented by supervisory line officials at all management levels. Making recommendations for structural changes or seeks approval to bring the facility into compliance for safety code compliance as well as TJC accreditation. Determines origination, priority, emphasis, and deletion of overall program content with regard to the available resources and requirements. Ensures all personnel, including professional, administrative and research investigators are trained to recognize, avoid, and report all potential fire, safety, and industrial hygiene and radiation hazards. Evaluate safety programs management. Integrate safety programs with the existing organizational structure, responsibilities, facility planning activities, work practices and processes, organizational goals, operations, and resource allocation. Develop procedural and systems design to prevent injury or illness and mitigate hazards. Ensure plans, resources, and capabilities to manage and recover from the impacts of disasters are in keeping with local and national standards. Works with community in response to various emergencies and disasters by coordinating multiple agencies, both local and federal, exercises. Support of leadership in providing accurate assessments of responses both during and after the events. Identify risks and design safeguards that aid in preventing, controlling, and mitigating the effects of fires. Implement and periodically review GEMS requirements in accordance with the principles of ISO 14001, Federal, State and local environmental statutory law, Executive Orders, VA and VHA policies, and this directive. Identify training, policies, operational requirements and engineering controls needed to comply with environmental regulatory requirements. Examine workplace for health hazards such as exposure to lead, asbestos, pesticides, or contagious diseases. Ensures facility compliance with all local, state and federal regulations and codes, and reviewed and approved by the FIH, or Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) as appropriate. All other duties as assigned by management. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, Subject to change based on the needs of the facility Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Safety and Occupational Health Manager/PD84390-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not authorized Requirements 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: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. 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 identification 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, 07/20/2026. 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-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. This occupational series has an Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) Specialized Experience/Special Provision: You must meet one of the statements below. 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, Specialized Experience: 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. In addition to the IOR, you must also qualify based on your experience as described below: 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 emergency management within a healthcare or similar complex organization, such as: Leading a healthcare Emergency Management Program, including development and maintenance of Emergency Operations Plans and COOP plans. Coordinating with internal and external emergency management partners (e.g., VA OEM, VISN, NDMS, DoD, state, and local emergency authorities) on preparedness, response, and recovery activities. Supporting an Incident Command System or Hospital Command Center for real events and exercises. Conducting Hazard Vulnerability Analyses and leading HSEEP-based exercises, After-Action Reports, and Improvement Plans. Managing decontamination/CBRNE readiness and associated training, equipment, and procedures. Ensure that comprehensive risk assessments are performed to identify, eliminate or control hazards. Investigating accidents involving personnel, visitors, and/or damage to machinery, tools, materials, or equipment. Evaluate work performed to ensure quality of work, regulatory compliance, and ability to assist services within reasonable time standards. Experience in inspection of healthcare system buildings, grounds, and operations of physical plant facilities regarding safety, health, and fire deficiencies; provide guidance on safety and health issues regarding OSHA, Joint Commission, VA policies, NFPA and/or other pertinent organizations and Regulations for all healthcare system activities, professional and administrative services, and management. 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