Summary The Safety and Occupational Health Manager will serve as the Chief of Environmental Health and Safety. They are responsible for development and management of comprehensive programs to include: general occupational safety, industrial hygiene, fire prevention/life safety, hazardous material and waste management, emergency preparedness, environmental risk management and regulatory compliance. Responsibilities Lead responsibility for planning, designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating program operations to achieve compliance with VHA, OSHA, JCAHO, NFPA, EPA, DOT, CARF, CAP and state and local ordinances. Manages and leads the workforce of Safety and Occupational Health to recognize compliance gaps, assess compliance strategies, resolve environmental deficiencies, minimize risks and utilize staff, equipment and monetary resources effectively. Provides direct supervision to employees performing a variety of duties within the scope of Safety and Occupational Health Programs. Responsible for program objectives and performance improvement strategies. Directs administrative functions of multiple, complex programs. Prepares statistical and investigative reports as required by the Medical Center, Network, OIG, EMSHG, VAHQ or special task force. Establishes Medical Center policy and procedures through research, collaboration and publication, for: occupation safety and health, incident management, hazard, surveillance, life safety, industrial hygiene, hazardous materials and waste management, emergency management, construction safety, and environmental compliance (GEMS). Plans, organizes, and directs occupational safety and health programs to promote the safety of staff, visitors and patients in a wide variety of settings. Develops and directs information collection systems to include incident reporting for staff injuries and illnesses and visitor incidents. Develops incident intervention strategies with the goal to reduce incident rates, reduce severely of injury, and prevention recurrences. Reviews contractors' safety plans to evaluate risks to Medical Center staff, visitors and patients and to evaluate compliance with applicable VHA, NFPA, and OSHA regulations. Plans and directs programs for emergency preparedness. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: Not available Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Manager/PD083500 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required PCS: Possible for highly qualified candidate Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/19/2025. 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 or education as described below:. 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, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education: 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: 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. or Certificates Certification as a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), or Certified Health Physicist (CHP), or similar certification that included successful completion of a written examination meets the requirements for GS-5. Applicants may also qualify for higher grade levels based on their education and/or experience. 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: Supervised staff performs work in locations away from the main facility on a frequent basis. Staff perform hazard surveillance, education and training and implement problem solutions in contracted out-placement facilities, community based outpatient clinics, leased spaces and community veteran resource centers. Assessment of work performed must be accomplished by review of written reports, discussions, and follow-up as needed or 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/. 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. 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.
