Summary

As the Senior Environmental Health Officer or Environmental Health Officer, you will serve as the Agency authorities for industrial hygiene and health physics. You will lead on-site risk reviews, integrating occupational health across all Centers. You will mitigate chemical hazards, assist with mishap reviews, and direct radiation/laser safety for space nuclear missions, ensuring workforce protection during complex operations while collaborating with others as needed.

Duties

• Duties described below are at the highest grade advertised. Duties assigned at lower grade levels will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity; duties will be commensurate with the grade of selected employee.
• Serve as the Agency's senior authority in environmental health including industrial hygiene; establishing strategic objectives, policy, and programmatic guidance for approval by the Chief Health and Medical Officer to ensure optimal workforce safety.
• Plan and coordinate the comprehensive development of Agency-wide environmental health training programs, actively promoting local installation
  education efforts, continuous professional development, and specialized certifications for all personnel.
• Advance the environmental health discipline by rigorously evaluating research for new tools, maintaining robust technical program frameworks,
  and actively presenting significant findings and best practices in high-level professional technical forums.
• Serve as the senior technical advisor for health physics to mitigate radiation risks during nuclear space missions, and direct Agency-wide ionizing
  and non-ionizing radiation programs to ensure maximum operational optimization and protection.
• Advise senior management and guide the Agency on complex environmental health matters, identify new requirements and consult with project
  managers to develop cost-efficient programs using state-of-the-art industrial hygiene and health physics tools.
• Coordinate extensively with NASA Centers, contractors, academia, and industry partners to ensure all involved parties stay fully abreast of the
  latest technological advancements and regulatory changes within the environmental health disciplines.
• Evaluate field installation environmental health programs, provide expert guidance on industrial health standards, and ensure the appropriate
  consideration of critical environmental health factors during new facility and equipment development phase.
• Guide operational best practices for environmental health across all Centers to control diverse workplace hazards, including toxins, radiation, and
  asbestos, while seamlessly integrating comprehensive health solutions with safety and facilities.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• This position is open to U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
• This position may require a one-year probationary period. If selected, the requirement to serve such period will be determined by Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 11. **See Additional Information section**
• Current Federal employees must meet qualifications, time in grade, and 90 days after competitive appointment requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
• Position subject to pre-employment background investigation or higher-level clearance. Investigation/Clearance may differ and be required based on the duty location/NASA Center requirements.
• Financial Disclosure, Drug Testing, and/or the Travel Requirements for this position may differ and be required based on the duty location/NASA Center requirements.
• Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) Certification preferred.

Qualifications

Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work.

To qualify for GS-14, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level:

• Providing on-site risk assessments or industrial hygiene surveys to identify and mitigate severe workplace environmental hazards;
• Drafting occupational health policies regarding radiation safety, health physics, or hazardous chemical management;
• Advising senior leadership on regulatory compliance for toxic substances, ionizing radiation, or high-power laser safety.

To qualify for GS-15, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level:

• Leading on-site risk assessments or industrial hygiene surveys to identify and mitigate severe workplace environmental hazards;
• Formulating occupational health policies regarding radiation safety, health physics, or hazardous chemical management;
• Advising senior leadership on regulatory compliance for toxic substances, ionizing radiation, or high-power laser safety.

Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job.

Please visit https://www.nasa.gov/careers/how-to-apply/#Artificial-Intelligence to review NASA's guidance on the use of artificial intelligent (AI) or AI-assisted tools during the application process.

Education

Basic Requirement:

You must have successfully completed a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree.

You must have successfully completed a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included a major in industrial hygiene, occupational health sciences, occupational and environmental health, toxicology, safety sciences, or related science.

OR

Have successfully completed a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's degree that included a major in 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

Have a Certification from the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH).

Additional information

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across NASA within the local commuting area(s) of the location(s) identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) within NASA. CTAP/ICTAP will be cleared for any additional selection from this announcement.

If you are applying for a GS-12 or higher level and are a current federal employee, you must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible for this position. To be eligible, you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks in a position no more than 1 grade lower than the advertised position. (Please submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. If your eligibility for both merit promotion and/or time-in-grade cannot be determined, your application will be rated ineligible.)

Note: Time-in-grade requirements also apply to applicants who have held a non-temporary, competitive service GS position in the past year.

If you have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must:

• Indicate your eligibility when applying for a position. The questionnaire asks you to identify your ICTAP/CTAP eligibility.
• Be well qualified for this position to receive consideration. Candidates rated in the 'Best Qualified' category are considered well-qualified. Please see 'How You Will Be Evaluated' for more information.
• Submit proof that you meet the requirements for CTAP/ICTAP as indicated in 'Required Documents'

For additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, click here - https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/#ictap.

Qualified NASA term employees who have term conversion eligibility (Term Appointments | NASA) under the NASA Flexibility Act of 2004 will be referred and considered equally with other NASA permanent employees under internal competitive placement procedures.

Per Executive Order 14343, this position is not part of a bargaining unit.

Probationary Period

You may be required to serve a one-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. If selected, the requirement to serve such period will be determined by Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 11.

In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;

• the needs and interests of the agency;

• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and

• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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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

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.