Environmental Engineer

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Department of Veterans Affairs

Job Summary

This position is organizationally aligned under the Office of the Director, Occupational Safety & Health Service, at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Hines IL.

Major Duties

  • Oversees the Green Environmental Management System (GEMS);
  • Ensures that Environmental Management Systems (EMS) program at the facility and clinics comply with Federal, State and local requirements, Executive Orders, and VHA and VA environmental requirements;
  • Coordinates the environmental compliance program with VISN, health care facility management, supervisors, safety managers and others, as required;
  • Serves as a regulatory specialist with technical expertise to organize, analyze, interpret and evaluate scientific data in the solution of environmental engineering problems;
  • Performs all scientific and engineering tasks required for the design, operation and management of environmental management systems and projects related to the operation of a health care facility including but not limited to:
    • Potable Water supply and distribution;
    • Wastewater collection and treatment;
    • Solid and hazardous waste storage, handling, sampling, treatment, transport, and disposal;
    • Environmental statute, regulation and permit compliance;
    • Waste minimization;
    • Environmental health risk assessment and mitigation;
    • Pollution prevention and cleanup;
    • Development of VA facility policy and procedures related to environmental requirements and regulatory and statutory analysis.
  • Reviews of engineering plans, drawings, technical specifications and estimated cost of projects related to environmental compliance;
  • Develops and implements health care facility policy, guidance and procedures related to environmental requirements and regulatory and statutory analysis;
  • Performs on-site surveys to identify environmental compliance deficiencies and pollution prevention opportunities;
  • Consults subject matter experts to obtain alternative and consensus views on environmental issues and to produce a timely and quality product that meets the overall objectives of the environmental compliance program at the facility;
  • Monitors work progress and coordinates related work efforts amongst the supporting staff planners and/or A/E consultants;
  • Reviews and presents findings made by the supporting staff and/or A/E consultants.
  • Participates in the coordination and implementation of financial and budget execution activities related to environmental programs at the VHA facility;
  • Reviews technical literature and works with associated engineers, and support personnel to gain experience in the solving of complex environmental problems;
  • Utilizes various forms of computer hardware and software to develop skills and accomplish tasks;
  • Compiles and prepares technical data for use by a variety of different sources, such as upper-level facility management, supervisors, engineers, safety managers, technical managers or other interested parties;
  • Performs related duties as required.
Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm.
Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Qualifications

BASIC EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENT: A bachelor's degree or higher in engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. Or a combination of education and experience. College-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following: 1. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions. 2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. 3. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A. 4. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.) MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS GS-11: One year of professional engineering experience performing non-routine engineering work that required and was characterized by professional knowledge of engineering; professional ability to apply such knowledge to engineering problems; and positive and continuing development of professional knowledge and ability. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level. Additional required specialized experience includes: ensuring program compliance with federal, state and local waste management and other environmental regulations/requirements directly related to large health care facilities; performing compliance reporting to federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state environment regulators; performing technical writing e.g. policies, standard operating procedures; working with a range of non-technical to technical customers; and providing recommendations to upper management. This experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit. Or a Ph.D., equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in engineering that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Transcripts required. Or a combination of specialized experience and graduate education as described that demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of this position. Experience must be detailed, and transcripts required. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

Analytical ReasoningEnvironmental EngineeringTechnical Competence 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 https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Pay Range

$70,987.00 - $92,281.00

More information...

End Date: 

Friday, February 14, 2020