Summary Environmental Protection Specialists play a central role in planning and administering environmental programs. Environmental protection programs deal with the environmental impacts of human activities on air, land, water, and other media. The incumbent is responsible for GEMS program planning and implementation to assure compliance with environmental laws and regulation. Responsibilities Duties may include: Administers the GEMS program and is responsible for management of GEMS activities and internal reporting activities. Advises senior level management officials within the facility on the status of environmental programs and recommends changes in the design of facility work 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 audits to identify and evaluate program implementation and compliance activities. Conducts site inspections, collects data, reviews documents, analyzes evidence, evaluates results, writes reports, recommending corrective action or procedures for compliance, and coordinating with VA officials. Trains other employees and lower grade environmental staff, providing instruction on a variety of subjects related to specific and specialized environmental topics. The incumbent adapts various available media to fit special and unique training requirements and participates in the development of novel or innovative environmental training and promotion activities. Participates in the facility GEMS committee. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Position Description/PD#: Environmental Protection Specialist - Green Environmental Management Systems (GEMS) Coordinator/PD482-25002-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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 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 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, 09/21/2026. 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. Selective Placement Factor(s): 1. Some knowledge on various principles, methods, and practices of the Green Environment Management Program (GEMS) or any administrative work relating to the program. The incumbent applies specialized knowledge of one or more programs, or functional areas of environmental protection work but does not require full professional competence in environmental engineering or science. This knowledge entails: (1) an understanding of environmental laws and regulations, (2) knowledge of how to plan, organize, implement, and evaluate of environmental programs, (3) practical knowledge of environmental sciences and related disciplines, and the relationship between environmental factors and human health and well-being; and (5) practical knowledge of important historic and natural resources and the relationship between the preservation and management of these resources and environmental protection. 2. Some knowledge on exercising oversight on environmental programs while providing technical support to VA organization assigned by applying and interpreting existing policies to eliminate known environmental hazards and disseminating applicable guidelines within the facility and to contractors as appropriate. Analysis of potential hazards requires adapting established techniques and methods to adequately measure risks to employees. The incumbent is responsible for performing day-to-day tasks that fall within the various environmental functions or aspects of their service and requirements of the GEMS Program. 3. Demonstrate some technical skills in providing timely customer service, including day to day communications with internal and external customers with respect to environmental regulatory compliance. 4. Demonstrates some communication skills both verbally and in writing on a wide range of technical administrative matters with individuals of differing technical backgrounds. Independently leads interdisciplinary teams by providing instructions to staff regarding proper handling of and disposal of hazardous waste and materials from Facilities and Engineering, Laboratory and Research , Pharmacy, and other services. 5. Some knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring Green Environmental Management programs or projects for compliance with various regulatory agencies, e.g., VHA GEMS, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). The incumbent must interpret a variety of environmental management circumstances and adapt proven environmental protection techniques, when necessary, to control, minimize or eliminate hazardous situations. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Education and experience requirements: 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: (1) an understanding of environmental laws and regulations, (2) knowledge of how to plan, organize, implement, and evaluate of environmental programs, (3) practical knowledge of environmental sciences and related disciplines, and the relationship between environmental factors and human health and well-being; and (5) practical knowledge of important historic and natural resources and the relationship between the preservation and management of these resources and environmental protection. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Ph.D. OR equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. 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 Ph.D. OR equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. 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 "Whole Health is an approach to health care that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their life to the fullest. The VA is committed to Whole Health and values Veteran and Employee health and wellbeing. As a VA employee, you will practice Whole Health in an environment that supports personalized and proactive care." 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/.
