Summary

The position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), at the Central Virginia VA Health Care System (CVHCS), Richmond, VA. The position is organizationally aligned under Facilities Management Service and directly reports to the Supervisory Healthcare Engineer (Chief) .

Duties

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Major Duties and Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Serves as the Safety, Occupational Health and Fire Protection Manager and is responsible for the development of a comprehensive Safety, Occupational Health, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental and Fire Protection Program for a large medical center. Responsible for planning, coordinating, analyzing, supervising, organizing, evaluating/monitoring, and administering a comprehensive program in accordance with applicable regulations and guidelines concerning the safety of patients, employees and visitors.
• Works directly with management and labor representatives in a regulatory and enforcement capacity to assure compliance with all applicable criteria adopted or developed by the VA to recognize, evaluate, analyze, control and eliminate hazards encountered in the construction, operation and maintenance of the health care facility.
• Plans, organizes, coordinates, analyzes, and administers a series of comprehensive inspections of the Medical Center's facilities in patient care areas, laboratory areas, engineering shops, offices, as well as community nursing homes, Adult Day Care Centers, Grant and Per Diem facilities and residential board and care homes. Provides management with reports on compliance and violations of safety, industrial hygiene, environmental and fire protection mandates. Manages the Automated Safety Incident Surveillance Tracking System (ASISTS) for the medical center and inputs and manages all information required to maintain the OSHA 300 log and associated records.
• Identifies, evaluates, analyzes and recommends means for controlling a wide variety of safety issues, including chemical, physical, radiological, environmental, biological or ergonomic hazards associated with occupational or patient care activities.
• Assigns, directs, and reviews the work of assigned employees; plans and carries out the training and development of assigned employees; evaluates employees' work performance; recommends selections, promotions, status changes, awards, disciplinary actions, and separations; plans, schedules, and coordinates work operations; solves problems related to the work supervised; determines material, equipment, and facilities needed; explains and elicits the support of employees for management policies and goals; works to achieve the objectives of government-wide personnel programs and policies.
• Responsible for active support of the Medical Center's EEO program by seeking to eliminate barriers to EEO.
• Develops, prepares and updates, as necessary, comprehensive Safety Policies, the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and all other program policies and procedures; maintains a comprehensive library pertaining to the safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene, environmental and fire protection field.
• Investigates and analyzes accidents and safety reports from services and evaluates the causal factors and environmental conditions that lead to accidents; devises measures to control hazards detected; prepares annual, statistical or investigative reports.
• Involved in the planning, development and construction phases of all construction and monitors construction contracts for compliance with applicable standards and conformance with Life Safety Codes; assists design engineers in the unique safety features required in renovations, including air distribution, ventilation, building construction, fire and smoke detection and suppression systems.
• Conducts and monitors the safety, occupational health, environmental, industrial hygiene and fire protection training for all medical center staff ; evaluates and reports on safety-related training performed station wide.
• Responsible for compliance with federal, slate and local regulations concerning the management of hazardous materials and waste, and universal waste from the point of entry into the facility to its final disposal.
• Involved in the planning, development, coordination, and evaluation of the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan for the medical center.
• Oversees the inspections of community nursing homes, Adult Care Centers, Grant and Per Diem facilities and residential board and care homes, and similar programs, to ensure the safety of veterans placed and ensure compliance with Life Safety Codes.
• Acts as the hub of the safety management information and collection system to provide the Environment of Care Committee with a working agenda and information necessary to make informed decisions concerning the Safety, Occupational Health, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental and Fire Protection Program.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am to 4:00 p.m./ Nights and weekends work may be required

Telework: Not Authorized

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Manager/PD015570

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/08/2026.

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.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

Individual Occupational Requirements

Education

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study - safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, hygiene), or degree in other fields that included or was supplemental by at least semester hours of study from among the following (or closely related) disciplines: safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene, occupational health, industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, toxicology, public health, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological sciences, engineering, and industrial psychology.

OR,

Experience

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.

• 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.

Grade Determination, GS-12: In addition to the IOR, your must meet the following:

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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: applying federal and state Safety and Occupational Health, Fire Protection, Industrial Hygiene and Environmental laws, statutes, policies, regulations, standards, operational directives and methodologies to plan and carry out a facility-wide program, providing guidance, direction and technical assistance to all managers and supervisors.

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: Incumbent accomplishes on-site visit throughout the facility and requires moderate physical ex