Hospital Housekeeping Officer

Summary

The incumbent serves as the Hospital Housekeeping Officer (Chief of Environmental Management Service) at Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The purpose of this position is to manage all matters related to environmental sanitation, waste management, linen control, and/or pest infestation as it relates to policies, directives, regulations and laws established by the Tuscaloosa VAMC.

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Duties

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The Hospital Housekeeping Officer (Chief of Environmental Management Service) will serve as the medical center expert and top authority on environmental concerns and is inherently involved with the overall success of the the Health Care System's mission.

Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Plans, coordinate, organize, direct, evaluate, integrate, and manage the programs and services that are essential to operate and maintain a safe, healthy and comfortable facility with optimum utilization of resources.
• As Chief of EMS, the incumbent serves as an integral part of the senior management team and ensures the safety, sanitation, and comfort of the physical environment for Veterans, visitors, and employees of the TVAMC.
• Program responsibility includes the Environmental Sanitation Program, Waste Management Program, Linen Management, Employee Uniform Program, and Pest Management.
• Executes the planning, organizing, budgeting, staffing and management of a diversified program.
• Manages, develops, evaluates, and adjusts the organizational structure and management systems for Environmental Management Service.
• Evaluates, analyzes, develops, and formulates guidelines, directives, and policies and procedures in compliance with the Joint Commission, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and other Federal, State, and local agencies.
• Analyzes, maintains, plans and accounts for program budgets, commitment registers, linen control, training and travel of staff, and housekeeping service contracts.
• Oversees department employees, distributes workloads, recommends corrective actions, working with staff to resolve problems and achieve compliance with policies and procedures, reviews and evaluates employee performance.
• Consults with Executive Leadership Team, prepares and submits reports of special projects, studies, and customer satisfaction surveys as required. Participates with the facility infection control team.
• Participates in space utilization, non-medical equipment selection, medical, non-medical and mechanical equipment layout, funding, etc.
• Responsible for the management and environmental response to the management and control of infectious diseases.
• Operates a certified interior and exterior Pest Control Program.
• Develop and provide management and staff information on methods, techniques, and procedures necessary to integrate the environmental management programs into the mission of an organization.
• Manages network consolidate linen service, which includes determining the type and quantity of linen and the quota and transportation mode of delivery for each campus.
• Effectively conducts meetings, make presentation, and speak to large groups of diverse backgrounds and level of education.

Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. Work schedule subject to change based on agency needs.

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Hospital Housekeeping Officer / PD077900

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.
• 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 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 may be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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.

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. This position requires the application, assessment, and questionnaire to be fully completed. The assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/31/2026.

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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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:

Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for this occupational series. Education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

• Education: In order to meet the basic requirement of the Hospital Housekeeping Management, 0673 Occupational series, you must possess an Undergraduate education with a Major study in chemistry or biological science, sanitary science or administration, institutional sanitation or administration, hospital administration, public administration, business administration, or other fields related to the position OR Graduate education with a Major study in public health or business administration with emphasis in hospital administration; OR,
• Specialized Experience : Experience in two or more of the following areas, or work related to the position to be filled:
  • Experience that demonstrated a practical working knowledge of the basic principles of chemistry, biology, and bacteriology as applied to environmental sanitation, infection control, and to the choice and use of antimicrobial agents in the disinfection, sanitization, and/or sterilization of surfaces and equipment.
    
    
    • Experience in laundry and linen management.
    • Experience in interior design management.
    • Experience that demonstrated a knowledge of waste management, including the requirements relating to hazardous, toxic, and infectious wastes and provisions for their final disposition.
    • Experience that demonstrated a knowledge of pest management, including alternative methods of control and the selection and application of chemicals. OR,
• One year of formalized hospital administrative residency or internship in hospital administration or hospital housekeeping management is equivalent to 1 year of GS-5 level specialized experience.

Specialized Experience: In addition to meeting the above IOR, the following specialized experience requirement must be met:Applicant must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of Hospital Housekeeping Officer. Examples of specialized experience include but not limited to: planning and administrative functions; experience in the full range of hospital housekeeping methods and techniques, including basic cleaning, disinfection methods, and pest control; consultative and technical assistance to facility management regarding the Hospital Housekeeping program; knowledge of policies and regulations, and ability to interpret provisions of the program; approving/disapproving funding requests, obligations, expenditures on the basis of interpretation of regulations, policies, and status of funding; overseeing employees, recommending corrective actions, working with staff to resolve problems and achieve compliance with policies; distributing workload, reviewing work products and assures effective and timely internal and external reporting.

Preferred Experience:

• Supervised and managed a department or service in a hospital setting.
• Experience in laundry and linen management.
• Professional experience overseeing waste management, including the requirements relating to hazardous, toxic, and infectious wastes and provisions for their final disposition.
• Professional experience overseeing pest management, including alternative methods of control and the selection and application of chemicals.

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 is sedentary, although there may be some nominal walking or standing for short periods or carrying light loads of papers, books, or reports that do not require special physical demands.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

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

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave : Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

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

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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.

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.