Summary

This position is with the U. S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Birmingham Region. It is in the Nashville Area Office located in Tennessee.

• The selectee will be expected to report to the assigned office listed above; this is not a remote position.
• This position is outside the bargaining unit.
• Official Title is Supervisory Safety & Occupational Health Specialist (Assistant Area Director).

Duties

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The major duties for this position include but are not limited to the following:

• Serves as Supervisor to a multi-disciplinary group of Industrial Hygienists, Safety and Occupational Health Specialists, and Safety Engineers. Identifies, distributes and balances workload and tasks.
• Provides and signs written performance appraisals based on daily observation of work. Approves the use of annual, sick, and/or credit leave of short duration.
• Conducts on-the-job assessments of workload progress, productivity, and quality to ensure compliance with policies and procedures.
• Reviews case files to ensure proper application of standards and proposed penalties as well as reasonable abatement dates and documentation that is legally sufficient and consistent with OSHA policies and directives.
• Oversees and monitors the Regional Federal Enforcement Program by providing expert guidance and assistance to staff members and area directors concerning Regional and National Office policies, the Field Operations Manual, and new directives and instructions dealing with enforcement of OSHA programs.
• Discusses apparent problem areas and provides guidance and interpretation of enforcement standards, regulatory and procedural requirements.
• Plans and evaluates compliance methodology to develop internal compliance procedures and determines priorities, provides liaison with employer and employee organizations as well as with the Regional Solicitor's Office and with publicly organized safety and health groups.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Subject to pre-employment and random drug tests.
• Requires medical exam and must maintain physical requirements.
• Requires a supervisory probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Subject to financial disclosure requirements.
• Requires a valid driver's license.

Qualifications

This series has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR):

Education: 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.

OR

Experience: (for positions above GS-5): 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.

OR

Certificates

Certification as a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), or Certified Health Physicist (CHP), or similar certification that included successful completion of a written examination meets the requirements for GS-5. Applicants may also qualify for higher grade levels based on their education and/or experience.

You must meet the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) listed above, and the Specialized Experience below to qualify for Assistant Area Director, as described below.

Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-12, in the Federal Service. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience.

Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Specialized Experience is defined as:

• Conducting complex occupational safety and health inspections;
• Providing technical advice, guidance or training to employers, employees, labor representatives or other interested parties regarding safe working conditions, the improvement of operations or facilities, or voluntary compliance with OSHA's enforcement regulations;
• Leading teams of occupational safety and health professionals in the investigation and documentation of unsafe working conditions;
• Identifying and documenting unsafe or unhealthful working conditions, securing hazard abatement, and facilitating settlement conferences.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION

You may not be aware, but in the regulations for agency ethics programs, there are requirements for supervisors. Section 2638.103 of Title 5 of the CFR states: Every supervisor in the executive branch has a heightened personal responsibility for advancing government ethics. It is imperative that supervisors serve as models of ethical behavior for subordinates. Supervisors have a responsibility to help ensure that subordinates are aware of their ethical obligations under the Standards of Conduct and that subordinates know how to contact agency ethics officials. Supervisors are also responsible for working with agency ethics officials to help resolve conflicts of interests and enforce government ethics laws and regulations, including those requiring certain employees to file financial disclosure reports. In addition, supervisors are responsible, when requested, for assisting agency ethics officials in evaluating potential conflicts of interest and identifying positions subject to financial disclosure requirements.

Supervisory Financial Disclosure (If applicable): This position is subject to the confidential financial disclosure requirements of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-521). Therefore, if selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest(s) and your prospective position with DOL. This information will be required annually.

For more information, click Telework Position Information. This is not a remote work position. The selectee will report to an assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and is eligible for participation in telework as determined by management in accordance with DOL policy.

Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy.

The Department of Labor may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government to attract highly qualified candidates. Click here for Additional Information.

The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency's complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act.

Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions.

All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to screening for illegal drug use prior to the appointment.

All Department of Labor employees are subject to the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Program under Executive Order 12564 and Public Law 100-71.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.