Environmental Protection Specialist - Albany, NY - Overview Summary Duties The environmental protection specialist is responsible for Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) program planning and implementation to assure compliance with environmental laws and regulation. The environmental protection specialist completes permits and leads facility self-assessments, inspections, and other environmental investigations. Duties include but are not limited to: - Administers the Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) program; - Implements hazardous waste management program; - Advises management officials on environmental programs and requirements; - Reviews facility projects to determine environmental effects and provide information to minimize adverse impact; - Provides technical advice regarding response to environmental emergencies; - Interacts with federal, state, and local environmental agencies in regards to facility environmental issues; - Schedules and leads environmental audits to evaluate compliance activities; - Performs other related duties as assigned. WORK SCHEDULE: Monday thru Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required - $61,817 $80,365 Job Details Application Open Date 10/20/2018 Application Close Date 10/26/2018 Organization Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration Who May Apply 15514-United States Citizens Status Full-Time - More About VA - Physical Requirements: The work includes frequent audits of waste storage areas and involves a good deal of walking, standing, bending, and climbing. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities (i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities), and/or disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. For more information on how to apply using this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator within the office, contact the facility Human Resources Department at (518) 626-5000. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. 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/. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application. - Qualifications - To qualify for this position, you must meet one of the following requirements: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-9) in Federal Service that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the duties of an Environmental Protection Specialist GS-11. Specialized experience includes: providing technical expertise for the design, modification, operation and maintenance of facilities to ensure compliance with environmental regulations; knowledge of regulations pertaining to OSHA and EPA; knowledge of the laws pertaining to storage/disposal of hazardous wastes and medical wastes; providing oversight and technical assistance on a range of environmental activities; conducting training on environmental management systems; advising management on how environmental policies/procedures will affect operations; conducting audits, inspections and surveys of environmental programs; and measuring the effectiveness of environmental programs and recommending modifications to meet changing requirements. NOTE: Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. -OR- SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a related field of study. This education must have been obtained at an accredited college or university. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one (1) year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours will be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) -OR- COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience, as described, may be used to meet the total qualification requirements. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). A Quality Ranking Factor* has been requested by the facility to help determine which of the basically qualified applicants are likely to be better qualified for a position. The quality ranking factor for this position is: - *Quality Ranking Factors are skills, knowledge, abilities, or other worker characteristics which could be expected to result in superior performance on the job. Quality ranking factors will not be used for screening, but may be used as ranking criteria. Applicants with higher proficiency levels may rank above those with lower proficiency levels on a quality ranking factor. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: - Analysis and Problem Solving - Compliance - Environmental Engineering - Quality Ranking Factor - Safety Engineering 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 Management's website at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications. - Benefits - How To Apply - All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 10/26/2018 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10338204. - To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. - Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.