Job Summary

This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs(VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (SAVAHCS) in the Engineering Service, Environmental, Health and Safety section. Environmental Protection specialists, also known as GEMS (Green Environmental Management System) Program Managers, play an essential role in the GEMS Program and apply specialized knowledge of planning and administering environmental compliance and sustainability.

Job Description

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/18/2026. 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-9. 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: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 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) planning and/or implementing program policy or procedures that ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations; and 2) Advising organizations on procedural methods and process improvements that cover a variety of environmental aspects and impacts.. 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. or equivalent doctoral degree which demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, or related LL.M. (Transcript Required). 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 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education, or beyond LL.B or J.D., if related (Transcript Required). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Environmental Engineering Program Management Technical Competence 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 includes frequent audits of waste storage areas and many other areas of the health care system, collection and consolidation of wastes across the health care system, and clean-up of hazardous materials and wastes. The work involves walking, standing, bending, hand dexterity, climbing, carrying of items, and driving of government motor vehicles. During audits and inspections, there is regular exposure to all the hazards and discomforts to which workers in the areas are subjected. This may include toxic chemicals, biohazards, physical stressors, and safety hazards. Working Conditions: Much of the work is performed in an office setting. The work does include frequent audits of waste storage areas, storm water drains and outfalls, environmental audits and inspections within and outside the health care system facilities and involves a good deal of walking, standing, bending, lifting, and climbing. During audits and inspections, there is regular exposure to all hazards and discomforts to which the workers are subjected. This may include toxic chemicals, physical stresses, and safety hazards, such as working at a storage, disposal, or spill site where there is risk of exposure to pesticides, hazardous chemicals, radioactive materials, or other pollutants. The employee must use a variety of protective equipment and clothing or gear. 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/.