Summary This position has been established to oversee and implement the Green Environmental Management Systems (GEMS) programs within the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System (CTVHCS), Temple, TX. by ensuring the various clinical and administrative operations carrier out comply with all applicable regulations pertaining to environmental management, public health and safety, and the GEMS program and support and achieve VHA, VISN, and HCS GEMS performance requirements and goals. Responsibilities The Primary Purpose of the Position is to perform duties as an Industrial Hygienist, as the designated Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) Coordinator. The Organizational Location of the Position is Safety and Industrial Hygiene, Assistant Director for Operations-Waco, Central Texas Health Care System (CTVHCS), Temple, TX. Major duties include, but not limited to: The GEMS Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the efforts of VA Medical Center staff involved with the GEMS to ensure that the GEMS is developed and implemented in accordance with VHA and VA Medical Center policy and guidance. The GEMS coordinator is further responsible for ensuring that the GEMS results in findings and conclusions that lead to continual improvement of environmental programs at the VA Medical Center. The GEMS Coordinator is responsible for but is not limited to the following programs - asbestos control and abatement, ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, nitrous oxide, mercury, hazardous and infectious waste management, water testing and treatment, and anti-neoplastic drugs. The GEMS Coordinator provides leadership and direction to management, professional and technical personnel regarding the development and implementation of the facility GEMS. Performs various duties to assess work practices and environmental conditions for hazards to the health and safety. of workers. Duties include conducting studies of work operation and processes, examining work environments, analyzing findings, promulgating recommendations, and preparing various reports. Environmental conditions involve a variety of hazards including physical, chemical and biological hazards; ionizing and nonionizing radiation; and other environmental agents. Assigned work areas include industrial shops, surgical suites, production areas, laboratories, research areas, confined spaces, and outdoor work sites. Receives and disposes of hazardous wastes and maintains appropriate records in accordance with existing EPA standards, state law, and VA regulations. Prepares comprehensive and legally sufficient written reports of all monitoring activities performed which are subsequently incorporated into comprehensive reports prepared to assess the overall effectiveness of the industrial hygiene program. Identifies and requisitions test equipment used in performing industrial hygiene tasks. Performs or arranges for proper calibration and maintenance of equipment. Accompanies, assists, and advises contract certified industrial hygienists in monitoring activities and IH investigations. Conducts program for the education of workers in the prevention of occupational exposures and diseases at the medical center (hazard communication program). Documents all training provided. Performs on-site inspection of new construction to ensure compliance with all applicable codes and standards. Serves as a technical and program management expert for the VAMC, with responsibility for providing leadership, guidance, technical assistance and evaluation for matters involving decontamination, respiratory protection and environmental technology and compliance, including environmental management systems. This involves advising on the overall planning and programming requirements for the operations and maintenance of such programs at VAMC. Advice rendered: Pertains to the interpretation and implementation of (and compliance with) environmental management policy directives and applicable procedures and involves subjects directly related to GEMS, pollution and environmental compliance. Involves subjects related to the management of respirator programs for occupational health especially in the healthcare setting including selection of appropriate protective devices, user training and evaluation of new devices. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, Compressed Tour - eight 9 hour days and one 8 hour day in a pay period. Compressed/Flexible: Compressed Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Industrial Hygienist/PD076370 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements 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, 01/20/2026. Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) Basic Requirements: The education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. Applicants must meet one of the following requirements: A bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in industrial hygiene, occupational health sciences, occupational and environmental health, toxicology, safety sciences, or related science; OR A bachelor's degree in a branch of engineering, physical science, or life science that included 12 semester hours in chemistry, including organic chemistry, and 18 additional semester hours of courses in any combination of chemistry, physics, engineering, health physics, environmental health, biostatistics, biology, physiology, toxicology, epidemiology, or industrial hygiene; OR Certification from the Board for Global EHS Credentialing (formerly American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH)). CERTIFICATION REQUIRED Courses in the history or teaching of chemistry are not acceptable. Evaluation of Education All science or engineering courses offered in fulfillment of the above requirements must be acceptable for credit toward the completion of a standard 4-year professional curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in science or engineering at an accredited college or university. For engineering degrees to be acceptable, the curriculum must be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) as a professional engineering curriculum. Evaluation of Experience Qualifying experience involves the recognition, evaluation, corrective actions, and elimination of environmental conditions in the workplace that causes sickness, impaired health, or illness. This experience must demonstrate a professional knowledge of the theory and application of the principles of industrial hygiene and closely related sciences such as physics and engineering controls. Such work must have involved experience in all of the following areas: the acquisition of quantitative and qualitative data, and the measurement of exposures for a variety of chemical, physical, and biological stresses; the analysis of the data acquired and the prediction of probable effects of exposures on the health and well-being of workers; and the selection and recommendation of appropriate controls, including management, medical, engineering, education or training, and personal protective equipment. In addition to the above, you may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of qualifying 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 qualifying experience is : knowledge of industrial hygiene concepts, principles and practices that enables the employee to conduct industrial hygiene studies, to develop sampling or control methods and to provide expert advice to staff in a broad range of industrial hygiene matters. Knowledge required in evaluating and applying methods and equipment to the practice of industrial hygiene, particularly in dealing with problems not readily treatable by standard methods. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree . OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. When combining education with experience, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Chemistry Environmental Engineering Health Risk Analysis Safety Engineering Managing Human Resources Information Management Technical Competence 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 the employee to carry a good deal of equipment and involves walking, standing, bending, climbing, or crawling during surveys. 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: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or 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.
