Summary A Recruitment/Relocation incentive may be authorized for a highly qualified individual. The position serves as the Safety & Occupational Health Manager for the Kansas City VAMC, responsible for management of the Safety and Occupational Health Program including Safety, GEMS, Radiation Safety, and Industrial Hygiene through developing, planning, administering, organizing, evaluating, analyzing data, and developing performance improvement activities when data has indicated a need for improvement. Responsibilities Kansas City VA Medical Center is committed to Diversity and Inclusion. Together, we strive to create and maintain a working and learning environment that promotes professional growth and teamwork. We offer an inclusive, equitable, and welcoming environment where we celebrate our individual differences and unite as a team toward a common goal of providing outstanding service to our Nation's Veterans. The Safety and Occupational Health Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Environment of Care program which encompasses Life Safety, Green Environmental Management Systems (GEMS), Radiation Safety, and Industrial Hygiene. Provides expert and authoritative advice, consultation and guidance on safety and occupational issues regarding OSHA, Joint Commission, EPA, NFPA, VA policies, sanitation and infection control requirements, and other pertinent regulatory and directive requirements relating to the operation of the Medical Center and Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs). Duties include, but are not limited to: Develops local policies, regulations, and procedures related to safety, occupational health, and environmental management. Directly responsible for the Medical Center's Safety, GEMS, and Environmental Management program, including but not limited to, ensuring that rounds are conducted as required, deficiencies are entered in the tracking database and monitored for completion, and trends are analyzed and brought forth to the Environment of Care Council (EOCC). Acts as the Chapter Champion for Joint Commission chapters relating to environment of care, life safety and others that pertain to sections supervised. Develops and implements an accident prevention program that includes a reporting system, reviews injury and illness reports, ensures that reports are entered in a timely manner and that incidents are investigated, and corrective action is taken. Oversees the development of a comprehensive industrial hygiene program that includes identification of workplace hazards. Responsible for the review of construction/renovation, minor improvement and non-recurring maintenance projects to ensure incorporation of compliant fire/safety features. Supervises and reviews inspections for annual workplace evaluations of administrative and clinical areas; tracks deficiencies to ensure timely completion. Responsible for budget development and oversight, workload tracking and analysis, and control point oversight. Develops both short- and long-range plans for the program by coordinating the administrative needs of the Program Serves on various facility strategic planning committees and management of on-site meetings with other agencies and program officials. Sets priorities and prepares schedules for completion of work. Assigns work to subordinates based on priorities, selective consideration of the difficulty, the requirements of the assignments and the capabilities of employees. Develops performance plans and evaluates performance of subordinates. Provides advice, counsel, or instruction to individual employees on both technical and administrative matters. Interviews candidates for positions in the office; makes recommendations for appointment, promotion, or reassignment. Hears and resolves complaints, referring group grievances and the more serious complaints not resolved to higher-level supervisors. Performs Other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm CST Telework: Ad Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Safety and Occupational Health Manager/PD043650 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/23/2025. 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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: You must have one of the following: Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 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 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 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. In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement above, you must also meet the following Specialized Experience requirements. GS-13 GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience are: 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. 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. Management and leadership of staff. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Managing Human Resources Performance Measurement Planning and Evaluating Safety Engineering 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: The work is performed in an office or workplace setting and is sedentary in nature. There is some walking or bending during infrequent walk-through inspections of worksites. Work Environment: Work is usually performed in an office setting, although there may be occasional exposure to industrial hazards during infrequent walk-through surveys that are conducted as part of a larger study. 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/. Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.