Summary The Hospital Housekeeping Officer leads, directs, plans, manages, reviews, and evaluates a complete Environmental Management Service program for the Fort Harrison Montana VA Medical Center. Responsibilities Duties include but are not limited to: Oversee the administration of environmental and linen management plans from conception to conclusion. Oversees the management of Infection Control, Patient Clothing Assistance Program, Sanitation, Textile Care, Interior Design, Pest Control, Waste Management and Uniform operations. Provide input to areas such as disinfecting, handling and disposal of bio-hazardous and regulated medical waste and anti-neo-plastic agents. Deliver uniform services to all eligible medical center employees. Participate in the planning and directing of all environmental programs to maintain and upgrade appearance and sanitation of the Medical Center and outpatient clinics. Provide assistance to the medical staff in developing timely and effective sanitation programs to reduce the possibility of nosocomial infections. Provides professional environmental management direction in matters dealing with legislative and accreditation requirements. Distribute staff to meet the needs of the Medical Center for effective utilization of personnel. Oversee the work of the Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) patients for Environmental Management Service. Supervise a workforce that has large fluctuations in staff resulting in adjustment of work assignments and/or maintaining a smooth flow of work while absorbing and releasing employees. Frequently adjust operations under the pressure of continuously changing and unpredictable conditions to meet goals and deadlines. Participate in conducting Union negotiations at the facility level regarding uniform style, color and appropriate allocations of issue and allowance. Supervise an organizational unit with special situations requiring involvement with the employee representatives to resolve difficult or complex human resource management issues or problems that have regular and recurring requirements for counseling and motivational activities. Maintain personal contacts with officials of the VA, other Federal agencies and outside salespersons, manufacturers, representatives and contractors. Plans budgeting and maintains the budget ceiling for the department. Oversees contract services that are provided for textile and uniform services, window washing, pest management, waste removal, and any other contracted services within the scope of Environmental Management Service. Develops specifications, administers contract and certifies that work has been completed according to specifications. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized ad-hoc telework ONLY. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Hospital Housekeeping Officer - Supervisory/PD123520 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) Selected applicant is required to hold a current, valid state-issued Driver's License for this position. NOTE: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you will be required to provide a copy of your current, valid state-issued Driver's License. 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, 04/20/2026. 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-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): The Hospital Housekeeping Management Series, 0673 has a minimum qualification entry requirement. All applicants must meet one of the following IORs to receive further consideration:Education: Education: Undergraduate Education: Major study -- chemistry or biological sciences, sanitary science or administration, institutional sanitation or administration, hospital administration, hotel administration, public administration, business administration, or other fields related to the position. Graduate Education: Major study -- public health or business administration with emphasis in hospital administration; OR, Note: If you are basing your IOR elibibility on Undergraduate or Graduate Education, you must submit a copy of your transcripts with your application. Specialized Experience: Experience in two or more of the following areas, or other 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. AND, In addition to the IOR, you may qualify based on the experience described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: extensive knowledge of advanced sanitation programs and a working knowledge of hospital sanitation programs within the facility in the areas of environmental sanitation, laundry/linen operations and inter/exterior pest control; analytical ability to research, assemble and compile information and data, evaluate the results against appropriate standards and recommend correction action where indicated; knowledge of pertinent regulations and policies as they apply to the duties of the position and to the function of all environmental operation program areas; ability to plan work and to be accomplished by subordinates, set and adjusts short-term priorities, and prepares schedules for completion of work; skill in management techniques-specified for all @types of employees; knowledge of the operations of the VA, state, local and federal regulations/requirements and other standards pertaining to the textile care operations, waste management, sanitation operations, infection control, lean/departmental process improvement methods, efficiency improvement actions and how these are specified in a health care setting. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Conflict Management Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Leadership Managing Human Resources 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 of a general administrative nature but requires walking, standing, and carrying light loads of papers, books, reports, or equipment that does not require special physical demands. 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 There is no educational substitution at this grade level, however, if you are basing your IOR eligibility on Undergraduate or Graduate Education , you must submit a copy of your transcripts with 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 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.
