The Occupational Safety & Health Program Manager is assigned to Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 20, Northwest Network, and is responsible for advising facilities within the VISN on Safety, Occupational Health, Comprehensive Environment of Care (CEOC), Construction Safety, and Fire Protection program implementation to meet regulatory and internal VA requirements.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet time-in-grade requirements and specialized experience within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 07/22/2025. 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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR). An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the GS 0018 occupational series. Education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. To qualify for this occupational series, applicants must have one of the following listed below: 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. (Transcripts Required) 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 meeting the Individual Occupational Requirement, applicants may qualify based on their experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Designing and managing occupational safety and health, construction safety, life safety, environmental protection, and workplace violence programs in the healthcare environment; Coordinating hazard control strategies and providing guidance and risk control strategies; Interpreting applicable regulations and guidelines and assuring that specific policies are consistent with federal, state, and local regulations and procedures; Applying experienced judgment to resolve various highly complex problems involving technical processes and controls, economic considerations, health conservation, and life preservation; Developing guidelines or techniques that can be used to control hazardous conditions, including chemical and biological risks; Providing consultation and technical assistance to field station safety and engineering personnel. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Audit Reporting Organizational Performance Analysis 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 is primarily sedentary, although it requires extensive walking, standing, and climbing when conducting site visits and evaluations. Personal Protective Equipment may be required to be worn in some environments. 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, but are not limited to: Plans, directs, monitors, coordinates, and evaluates a comprehensive agency safety and fire protection program for all VHA facilities within VISN 20. Serves as the principal occupational safety and fire protection advisor for VISN 20. Directs the planning, coordination, administration, evaluation, and management of a comprehensive safety, employee safety, fire protection program, construction safety, and CEOC inspection program and oversees industrial hygiene & GEMS for VISN 20. Tracks and directs facilities to comply with all safety, industrial hygiene, GEMS, CEOC inspection initiatives, and fire safety measures/monitors identified in the Network Director performance standards. Provides a professional interpretation of applicable regulations and guidelines and assures that specific policies are consistent with federal, state, and local regulations and procedures that may affect VA-related activities. Provides consultation and technical assistance to field station safety and engineering personnel at VA facilities throughout the Network. Formulates strategic planning goals for the OSH program and develops performance measures to evaluate these activities on an annual basis Represents VISN 20 in meetings, surveys, and conferences conducted by local, state, and federal agencies, third-party contractors, and private concerns that impact health care or the safety and health hazards of any VA-related activity. Participate in emergency and disaster planning and program implementation to help protect patients and staff from natural and manmade disasters. Recommends approval or disapproval to the Network Director and prepares submissions to VHA Headquarters for final determination. Reviews facility construction drawings and project specifications for compliance with applicable life safety codes and OSHA or VHA-specific criteria and acts as the authoritative safety and fire safety consultant when needed. Serves as the principal authoritative consultant on occupational safety and fire protection and oversees the industrial hygiene/GEMS advisor to the Network for the many professional, scientific, and administrative services that make up the VISN, such as facilities management, department heads, physicians, nurses, therapists, technologists, technicians, researchers, engineers, employees, and employee representatives. Professionally evaluates local employee occupational safety, industrial hygiene, and GEMS-related complaints that cannot be resolved at the local level to make a final determination by studying the problem and assessing the degree of compliance with applicable regulations and standards, and when necessary, develops changes and modifications to work processes, equipment operation, and /or protective devices to minimize injuries to patients and employees and damage to VA property. Coordinates between headquarters and the Network to provide information on any potentially hazardous condition that may damage property or cause injury to patients, visitors, or employees. Supervises the VISN 20 Industrial Hygiene (IH) and GEMS program manager and evaluates the IH/GEMS manager's monitoring of programs at facilities within the Network to identify and quantify hazards associated with hazards such as ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, airborne contaminants, noise, thermal extremes, illumination, asbestos, lead, mercury, silica, formaldehyde, hazardous drugs, hazardous chemicals, musculoskeletal 5 stressors, and other occupational health issues deemed appropriate. Ensures the IH/GEMS Manager conducts inspections of VA facilities within the Network through the VISN Environmental GAP Analysis (VEGA). Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm PST or 8:00am - 4:30pm PST Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Manager/PD10446-0Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized