The Supervisory Industrial Hygienist is the facility Safety Manager for the Iowa City VA Healthcare System, which includes all associated Health Care Centers (HCC), Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC), a Community Resource and Rehabilitation Center (CRRC) and a medium sized research facility. The Safety Manager is the facility Subject Matter Expert for occupational safety and health for the health care system.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/17/2025. 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. Basic Requirement for 0690 Series: Applicants must meet one of the following: A bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in industrial hygiene, occupational health sciences, occupational and environmental health, toxicology, safety sciences, or related science; or A bachelor's degree in a branch of engineering, physical science, or life science that included 12 semester hours in chemistry, including organic chemistry, and 18 additional semester hours of courses in any combination of chemistry, physics, engineering, health physics, environmental health, biostatistics, biology, physiology, toxicology, epidemiology, or industrial hygiene; or Certification from the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH). Note: Transcripts and/or certification required. Also, courses in the history or teaching of chemistry are not acceptable. Evaluation of Education: All science or engineering courses offered in fulfillment of the above requirements must be acceptable for credit toward the completion of a standard 4-year professional curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in science or engineering at an accredited college or university. For engineering degrees to be acceptable, the curriculum must be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) as a professional engineering curriculum. Evaluation of Experience: Qualifying experience involves the recognition, evaluation, corrective actions, and elimination of environmental conditions in the workplace that causes sickness, impaired health, or illness. This experience must demonstrate a professional knowledge of the theory and application of the principles of industrial hygiene and closely related sciences such as physics and engineering controls. Such work must have involved experience in all of the following areas: the acquisition of quantitative and qualitative data, and the measurement of exposures for a variety of chemical, physical, and biological stresses; the analysis of the data acquired and the prediction of probable effects of exposures on the health and well-being of workers; and the selection and recommendation of appropriate controls, including management, medical, engineering, education or training, and personal protective equipment. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, you must also 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. Qualifying specialized experience includes what is stated above, as well as: performing various supervisory/leadership duties, such as assigning work, setting priorities/deadlines for work completion, and developing performance standards; managing safety, health, and environmental issues by anticipating, addressing, and/or controlling hazardous conditions, exposures, etc.; developing safety & occupational health policies and procedures; conducting audits/investigations of facilities to ensure compliance with applicable laws/regulations; and overseeing/managing various programs (i.e. construction safety management, industrial hygiene, emergency planning and response). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Decision Making Safety Engineering Standards 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 involves regular and recurring walking, stooping, bending, stretching, climbing, and considerable standing; requires moderate agility and dexterity; occasional lifting of moderately heavy objects. You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. Work Environment: The work is partially performed in an office setting, however inspection work may involve regular and reoccurring exposure to moderate risks and discomforts, contagious diseases, infectious materials, or toxic or irritating chemicals, carcinogenic materials, flammable liquids, and radiation. Special safety precautions, including personal protective equipment and equipment are necessary. Driver's License: Must possess a valid, state driver's license, as applicable, if required to operate a motor vehicle or commercial vehicle. 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: Provides technical and administrative supervision to the Safety and Emergency Management staff with complete responsibility and authority to plan, design, schedule, and carry out programs, projects, or other work independently. Identifies the developmental and training needs of employees and provides or arranges for needed development and training. Provides oversight of staff and interacts with Human Resources. Interviews candidates for team positions. Issues minor disciplinary measures, such as warnings and reprimands, recommending other action in more serious cases. Develops, implements, and evaluates safety, health, and environmental program functions to eliminate and minimize human injury and property and productivity losses, caused by harmful contact incidents. Develops and executes the budget for all assigned program elements. Conducts audits and inspections of Health Care System facilities to assure compliance with EHS laws and regulations. Prepares technical documents and guidance materials to support EHS program Studies and maintains VA, federal, state, and local EHS program requirements and references. Coordinates and/or participates in the development of departmental and Health Care System wide safety policies and procedures. Manages the Healthcare Operations Committee (HOC) with oversight for the Environment of Care, Life Safety and Emergency Management. Develops, implements, evaluates, and manages the facility EHS program, ensuring compliance with ISO standards. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for Ad-Hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Industrial Hygienist/PD506040 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized VA Whole Health Statement: The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.