Summary This position is in Facility Management Service, Boise VA Medical Center (VAMC), Boise, Idah and provides support to the Medical Center as the authority in environmental management, serving as the technical and environmental program management expert. This position assumes responsibility for all environmental management programs, including those activities designed to assure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. Responsibilities Major duties include, but are not limited to: Develops and implements environmental policies, procedures, and systems; establishing standards, promoting improvements, evaluating compliance, and providing expert technical advice to senior management. Conducts thorough research and assessments, interprets statistical data, writes reports and monitors control measures to assure compliance with Federal, State and local regulations and standards. Evaluates, modifies, and implements pollution prevention alternatives at the facility to reduce the generation of waste. Develops curriculum for courses of instruction, provides training and facilitates the exchange of environmental information to facility staff across all disciplines. Develops and presents to upper level management budgetary information related to environmental programs. Manages computer programs and databases to enhance management of environmental programs. Reviews how expansion, modifications, closures of existing facilities and infrastructure, and new construction of structures and infrastructure will affect the environment and cultural resources. Measures the effectiveness of existing environmental programs and recommends additions to environmental programs as needed, to meet changing environmental requirements. Keeps up-to-date on the latest developments in the field of environmental management systems by review of technical publications, attending technical conferences or professional society meetings, and discussion with industry representative and regulators. Applies environmental management systems knowledge to the development of databases effective in generating accurate and beneficial reports. Completes waste determinations ensuring waste is characterized and disposed of by methods that are economical, efficient, cause minimal negative environmental impact, and in compliance with environmental regulations. Resolves difficult and complex technical, project management, and organizational problems using innovative and original approaches. Provides expert technical advice and guidance to senior management officials in the appropriate application of technology to VHA's mission as it relates to environmental issues. Manages and/or provides technical advice regarding response to environmental emergencies including releases/spills of hazardous material and wastes generated from environmental emergencies. Provides guidance to the overall planning requirements and problems encountered in the operations and maintenance of facility programs. Provides support to the Safety Department. Maintains tracking records of inspection/audit findings and corrective action status. Manages and reviews environmental recordkeeping as required by VHA Directives; Medical Center Memorandums; and federal, state, and local requirements. e.g. inspection reports, hazardous waste inventories, manifests, reports of contact, contractor invoices, waste and recycling tracking records, training records, internal and external communications, etc. Writes and updates facility policies to assure compliance with applicable regulations, directives, and standards. Manages training programs to ensure all training required for environmental compliance is adequate and complete. Designs, prepares, and conducts employee training. Training programs are designed to inform management, supervisors, and employees of potential negative impacts to the environment, applicable directives, and compliance with regulatory standards and operational controls needed to reduce negative environmental impacts. Sorts, inventories, labels, and coordinates transport and disposal of hazardous waste with contractor. Assists facility managers in the development and review of environmental training requirements. Participates in training sessions for facility personnel. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm MST Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Industrial Hygienist - GEMS/PD605100 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized 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: 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. Motor vehicle operator examination is 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 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 will 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. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 07/29/2026. Basic Requirement: The Industrial Hygiene Series 0690 requires specific education or certification in order to be appointed into this position. All applicants must meet one of the following requirements in addition to the grade specific 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. Note: Transcripts required; 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. Note: Transcripts required; or Certification from the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH). Courses in the history or teaching of chemistry are not acceptable. Minimum Qualifications, GS-11: In addition to the Basic Requirement, applicants must also meet one of the following in order to qualify for the GS-11 grade level. Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Your experience must show 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Experience working as an Industrial Hygienist in a clinical setting such as a hospital or medical facility; experience in planning, development, implementation and/or oversight of industrial hygiene programs, determining compliance with various established criteria, evaluating exposures and advising on control measures and changes in work procedures or schedules to comply with established health requirements. 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, in a course of study directly related to this position. Note: Transcripts required. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate level education beyond a master's degree in a course of study directly related to this position to be creditable. To determine if you met these requirements, total your qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determine your education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; then add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. Note: Transcripts required. Driver's License Requirement: Applicants must possess a valid, unrestricted State driver's license, have a safe driving record, and demonstrate that he or she is medically qualified to operate the appropriate motor vehicle safely. Applicants are required to pass agency Government Vehicle Drivers physical examination. NOTE: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your driver's license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you may be required to provide a copy of your valid state-issued driver's license. Physical Requirements: Office as well as field work required. On a daily and recurring basis employee is required to travel to the medical center grounds and building for inspections, deliver waste and recycling containers, and pick up waste for disposal. Personal protective equipment is worn when working with hazardous waste. Occasionally travel is required to inspect Community Based Outpatient Clinics, leased spaces, and to attend training conferences. The work involves walking, standing, bending, climbing, and occasional crawling during surveys and lifting and carrying up to 40 lbs. 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. 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/. 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. 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. 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/.
