Environmental Engineer – GEMS Coordinator

Summary Employee will serve as an Environment Engineer – Green Environmental Management (GEMS) Coordinator within Facilities Management, Safety Section located at the Veterans Healthcare System in Hampton, VA. Responsibilities THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION The primary purpose of this position as the GEMS Coordinator will support the management and operation of healthcare facilities and programs needed to protect the environment, protect human health from environmental pollution, and improve air, land, and water resources. Duties will include, but may not be limited to the following: Coordinates the GEMS program in accordance with VA policies and regulatory requirements ((Joint Commission (JC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Ensures that GEMS program shows continual improvement of the environmental programs. Applies environmental science and engineering practices and technology to demonstrate the relationships between the operation of the hospital and human health, ecosystems, environmental media, and natural resources. Provides leadership and direction to management, professional, and technical personnel regarding the development and implementation of the GEMS program. Plans, organizes, implements, oversees, and provides technical assistance with projects to resolve environmental problems. Provides technical expertise in the design, modification, operation, and maintenance of VA facilities and infrastructure to ensure compliance with environmental regulations. Develops and implements environmental policies, procedures, and systems. Evaluates, modifies, and implements pollution prevention alternatives to reduce the generation of waste. Develops promotional and educational activities to promote stakeholder awareness of environmental issues. Participates in Environment of Care and Construction Safety rounds as required. Works with Federal, State, and local environmental and occupational safety and health organizations in areas of mutual interest. Keeps abreast of the latest developments in the field of environmental management systems, respiratory protection, and healthcare decontamination by reviewing technical publications, attending technical conferences or professional society meetings, and by conversing with industry representatives. Performs other duties as required. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved 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 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) – See “Additional Information” below for details. Qualifications Applicant must meet at least one of the Environment Engineer basic requirements described below. A. DEGREE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelors degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. OR B. COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) — college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following (Transcripts and Documentation Required to receive credit): Professional registration or licensure — Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Boards eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions. Written Test — Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Specified academic courses — Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A. Related curriculum — Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelors degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelors degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all inclusive.) AND – SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR (SCREEN-OUT) – In addition to the basic requirement, a Selective Placement Factor (SPF) has been identified for this position. Selective Placement Factors (SPF) are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for the position. Applicants who do not meet the SPF are ineligible for further consideration. The SPF for this position is: Experience in a medical/healthcare facility applying healthcare regulations, regulatory requirements, and other healthcare inspections related to the environmental engineering programs. AND – In addition to the Basic Requirements and SPF, applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum qualifications requirements. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Requires one full year of specialized experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. The professional engineering experience for entry level position is defined as non-routine engineering work that required and was characterized by (1) professional knowledge of engineering; (2) professional ability to apply such knowledge to engineering problems; and (3) positive and continuing development of professional knowledge and ability. Specialized experience includes: applying environmental science and engineering practices and technology to demonstrate the relationships between the operation of the medical facility and human health, ecosystems, environmental media, and natural resources; conducting risks assessments, emergency management, selection of personal protective equipment, healthcare decontamination assuring compliance with OSHA, EPA, JC and local requirements, regulations, directives, and policies; and serving as technical authority for resolving environmental issues and ensuring the adequacy of the GEMS, respiratory protection program, and decontamination program for the operation and maintenance of such programs at the facility. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Successfully completed 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience may be used to meet total experience requirements. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Compliance Inspection Creative Thinking Decision Making Technical Credibility IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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 Managements website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education IMPORTANT: 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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov). Additional Information Physical Requirements: The position involves both prolonged periods of regular and recurring sitting and periods of moderate physical strain/activity. Required to carry a wide variety of equipment / item weighing up to 50 pounds (radiological nuclear pigs are heaviest items). Requires regular and recurring periods of walking, standing, bending, climbing, or crawling. 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 applicants 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.