This position is organizationally located with the Safety Department aligned under the Associate Director of Quality & Patient Safety. The Associate Director of Quality & Patient Safety has supervisory responsibility over the position. Incumbent will have multiple program responsibilities as the Environment of Care Coordinator and Safety Manager.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/23/2025. 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. Individual Occupational Requirement: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or degree in other related fields that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours of study from among the following (or closely related) disciplines: safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, toxicology, public health, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological sciences, engineering, and industrial psychology. OR Specialized Experience: Experience in or related to safety and occupational health that provided the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: - Managing safety or occupational health program elements. - Developing and recommending safety and occupational health policy to higher levels of management. - Applying safety and occupational health laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices, and procedures to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing with occupational safety and health requirements. - Developing safety and occupational health standards, regulations, practices, and procedures to eliminate or control potential hazards. - Developing or implementing programs to reduce the frequency, severity, and cost of accidents and occupational illnesses. - Analyzing or evaluating new and existing jobs, processes, products, or other systems to determine the existence, severity, probability, and outcome of hazards. - Designing or modifying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems to control or eliminate hazards. - Inspecting or surveying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems for compliance with established safety and occupational health policies or standards and to identify potential new hazards. - Training of workers, supervisors, managers, or other safety and occupational health personnel in safety or occupational health subjects. - Work in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, and occupational health nurse. In addition to the IOR above, you may qualify based on your experience as 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: applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to issues or studies concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of program operations; interpersonal skills as facilitator, team leader, or chairperson when presenting pertinent information requiring team cooperation and participation in problem resolution; technical knowledge of work pertaining to JC standards, Environment of Care, safety, and occupational health; knowledge of VHA and health related organizations, as well as structures, missions, programs, and the processes of developing quantitative and qualitative methods and techniques to support a complex Safety Program; understanding of how regulatory programs are administered to select and apply program evaluation and measurement techniques in determining compliance with rules and regulations; knowledge of management and organizational principles and practices along with a working knowledge of planning, programming, and budgeting regulations, guidelines, and processes, and knowledge of VHA facilities planning acquisition, and management processes to prepare long-range and short-range objectives; knowledge of developing resource guidance as well as continuous appraisal of the utilization of resources in accomplishing program objectives and goals; ability to direct complex studies requiring application of analytical and statistical methods and techniques. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Communications and Media Customer Service Safety Engineering 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: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination. 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/.
Major duties include: Duties are to carry out, administer, and advise on work concerned with Amarillo VA Occupational Health, Safety, and JC-Environment of Care Programs. Duties include performance of work that involves systematic conformance to regulations and standards, identification of unsafe trends and conditions, and correction of factors that may contribute to unsafe work processes or products in the Amarillo VA Health Care System. The program consists of direct supervision of the safety staff as well as coordinating other safety and Joint Commission issues with the Patient Safety Manager, Infection Control Practitioner, Risk Manager, Chief Engineer, and the Police Chief. The incumbent: - plans, organizes, directs, administers, and evaluates a comprehensive safety and occupational health program throughout the Medical Center - interprets technical and vague criteria to assist in the hazard analysis and development of an appropriate control/abatement plan· - formulates, develops, and administers the overall safety program - establishes and maintains liaison with other governmental jurisdictions and private parties in a cooperative effort on safety matters of mutual concern Develops goals and objectives, prepares safety policies, procedures and guidelines, organizes and executes program budget, develops safety training curriculum, and reviews proposed equipment procurement requests to insure the inclusion of necessary safety features. Coordinates inspections for fire, safety and industrial hazards, for compliance with EPA, NFPA Code, OSHA, and VA regulations. Participates in VISN Safety/IH Annual Inspections, develops corrective actions, and follow ups. Coordinates and tracks deficiencies identified during surveys and inspections. Assesses work practices and environmental conditions for hazards to the health and safety of employees, patients, and visitors. Responsible for developing Safety section of the facility's Environment of Care Plan. Responsible for reviewing all EC Plans for completeness and adherence to latest JC standards. Develops and analyzes monitoring activities to address regulatory compliance (VA, OSHA, EPA, NFPA, JC-Environment of Care). Identifies indicators, progress measures, objectives, and areas of emphasis. Provides input during review and revision of facility EC Policy. Assures Annual Reviews are completed for all EC Plans. Provides guidance to services preparing EC policies covering the EC elements of Safety Management/Life Safety, Security, etc. Responsible for review of service policies as outlined in review schedule for completeness. Responsible for developing and organizing documentation for presentation to JC surveyors. Assures other EC participants are current with documentation and available for presentation and discussion of programs. Participates in explanation of program compliance, providing supporting documentation during surveyor's document review. Participates in JC survey walkthroughs. Develops training outlines and materials on Environment of Care issues to comply with JC, OSHA, EPA, NIOSH, VA, and other regulatory agencies. Assists supervisors in identifying training needs and sources, planning and facilitating training, and assures training is documented. Maintains MCP 001S-01, Environment of Care Inspection Program. Coordinates all changes and updates to the program, updates the document, and coordinates any required reviews. Work Schedule: Typical tour of duty is Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm but may be adjusted due to needs of the facility Telework: This position may be authorized for ad-hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Safety & Occupational Health Specialist - Recruitment/Relocation Incentive Authorized/PD010840 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized for a highly qualified candidate Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized