PDF versionJob Summary
Position is located at the Department of Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System (NYHHS), within the Safety Section of the Engineering Service. Incumbent will have duties at two Medical Centers (Brooklyn and Manhattan) and one Community Living Center (St. Albans, Queens).
Major Duties
The Environmental Protection Specialist plays a central role in planning and administering environmental programs. Environmental protection programs deal with the environmental impacts of human activities on air, land, water, and other media. Environmental protection programs are designed to ensure compliance with Federal, state, and local regulations governing air emissions, hazardous materials, non-hazardous and hazardous waste, oil spills, water quality, and the storage of regulated substances (e.g. petroleum products, chemicals, and wastes), among other areas, and to alleviate the adverse impacts of human activities on the environment. Environmental protection specialists support VA's Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) implementation.
Major Duties include:
- Responsible for all environmental regulatory compliance programs, including maintenance of environmental plans and permits, regulatory reporting, deficiency tracking and corrective actions;
- Performs non-regulatory Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) program management activities, which are dedicated to continuous environmental improvement;
- Applies specialized knowledge and understanding of environmental laws and regulations to fulfill compliance requirements;
- Interprets conflicting rules and regulations;
- Develops and issues program goals and objectives, guidelines and standard operating procedures;
- Prepares documents and reports related to environmental plans and permits;
- Directs environmental audits, spill and incident investigations;
- Manages hazardous waste disposal activities and record keeping as required by the Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA);
- Manages various GEMS program initiatives including recycling, green purchasing and waste reduction;
- Prepares and presents periodic briefings to senior executive management regarding GEMS program progress and status of compliance issue resolution;
- Serves as Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) for various environmental management contracts;
- Supports water safety committee, including oversight of legionella prevention program.
Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required
Qualifications
TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION, YOU MUST HAVE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: SPECIALIZED QUALIFICATIONS-GS-11: Possess one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level. Specialized experience includes: knowledge of engineering or architectural theories, concepts, principles, standards, prepares documents and reports related to environmental plans and permits; directs environmental audits, spill and incident investigations; manages hazardous waste disposal activities and record keeping as required by the Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); and appropriate methods to execute actions for a wide range of assignments; and knowledge of advanced concepts, principles, and practices of environmental engineering combined with knowledge of associated laws and regulations to assess an organization's environmental program. This experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit.
OR
EDUCATION SUBSTITUTION:
Possess a Ph.D., equivalent doctoral degree, or three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M. in a related field that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED.
OR
COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate education, as described above, that demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of this position. Experience must be detailed in your resume, and TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:
Analysis and Problem SolvingAudit ReportingCompliance InspectionEnvironmental EngineeringTechnical Documentation 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
$71,593.00 - $93,077.00