Summary This position serves as the Environmental Protection Specialist for the Northern Arizona Veterans Affairs Healthcare System Facilities Management Service. The purpose of this position is to provide environmental expertise and support in on or more specialized environmental fields. The Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) Program Manager provides professional technical services related to environmental issues and program planning to achieve compliance with proposed regulations. Responsibilities Duties of the Environmental Protection Specialist include are not limited to: Responsible for interpreting policy, laws, regulation, Executive Orders, and directives related to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and management of the GEMS program. Advises stakeholders, federal, and state partner agencies on federal responsibilities and the requirements of NEPA and EPA, the Council on Environmental Quality regulations and implementation to assure compliance with environmental laws and regulations. Completes and manages environmental analysis; environmental regulatory and compliance evaluations; risk assessments; assessments of past environmental practices, implementation of environmental regulations and policy, requiring interpretation of laws, orders, regulations and agency guidance; and technical direction and guidance to other specialist. Manages environmental permits and leads facility self-assessments, inspections, and other environmental investigations. Advises executive leadership on the status of environmental programs and recommends changes in the design of facility programs to meet new environmental requirements. Interacts with federal, state, and local environmental agencies with respect to facility environmental issues. Independently schedules and leads environmental inspections. Maintains 100% accountability of waste manifests. Ensures that regulatory reports to the State agency are accurate and timely. Reviews construction project plans and specifications for pollution control features to ensure compliance with established standards. Advises management of any permit requirements needed to comply with federal, state, or local administrative requirements. Provides guidelines to improve operation and maintenance of environmentally related systems and functions. Reviews laws, codes, and regulations promulgated by environmental control agencies at all levels and assess their impact on operations and real property in terms of changes in both equipment and dollar requirements. Performs periodic onsite inspections of facilities to determine compliance with applicable federal, state, and local environmental, hazardous materials, and waste standards. Evaluates facility contracts to ensure proper services are being rendered in a consistent and timely manner. Performs all other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 08:00AM to 04:30PM, but tours may vary depending on the needs of the service. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Environmental Protection Specialist/PD142370 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 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: Some physical effort may be required with audits of waste storage areas (e.g., walking, standing, bending, hand dexterity, climbing, carrying of items, and driving of government motor vehicles). 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 (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, 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, 04/03/2026. 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: managing environmental programs; planning, organizing, implementing, and providing technical assistance for projects to resolve environmental problems; managing response to environmental emergencies; developing, implementing, and maintaining effective programs for the identification, collection, and disposal of hazardous wastes; measuring the effectiveness of existing environmental programs and recommending modifications to existing programs as needed to meet changing environmental requirements; determining compliance with environmental regulations and policies, permit requirements, contract clauses; and evaluating the effectiveness of hazardous property management systems. NOTE: 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.. 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 an LL.B. or J.D. in a related field that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the work of this position. 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 the first two years of progressively higher level graduate education (or 36 semester hours) to meet total experience requirements. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. 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. 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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. 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 http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
