Summary This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Southwest Region in Albuquerque, New Mexico to serve as the technical expert in providing technical assistance to the Regional Branch Chief in planning, developing, implementing, reviewing and modifying the Regional Safety Program. This is a Bargaining Unit position, for more information see What are bargaining units? Responsibilities Conduct inspections at Agency and Regional level for compliance with rules and regulations pertaining to occupational safety and health. Lead accident investigations and employ analytical techniques to render the root cause. Develop and conduct trainings pertaining to safety, fire protection, and chemical use and storage. Interpret safety rules and regulations and advise supervisor of changes effecting the Region. Administers the Workers’ Compensation Program for the Region. Administers the Motor Vehicle Operators’ Program for the Region. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for Safety and Occupational Health Management Series, Individual Occupation Requirements for GS-0018.) BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR GS-0018 SERIES: Undergraduate and Graduate Education must include: A 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: 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 C. A 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. ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements, applicants must meet the following: Specialized Experience: GS-09: One year of full-time specialized experience or the equivalent, comparable in scope to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sector). Specialized experience includes the following: performing safety and health inspections; preparing final reports of findings with recommendations for accident prevention or hazard control; recording pertinent details of accident investigations for proper reporting to automated data system; advising supervisors or employees on appropriate safety and occupational health measures to control or eliminate hazardous operating processes; promoting safety campaigns through oral presentations, exhibits, or publications. OR Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Education must have included a major study in a safety or occupational health field (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or a 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. GRADUATE EDUCATION: Graduate education must be related to the occupation and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Merit Promotion candidates must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the announcement closing date. Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act of 1934 (title 25, USC Section 472). Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur in the same location within 90 days from the closing date. Education If you are qualifying based on your education, you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society. One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education which shows the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: FOREIGN EDUCATION Additional Information All new hires earn the beginning salary of their pay grade (Step 1). See 2025 Salary Tables and select the pay chart for Albuquerque, New Mexico. If no specific chart is listed for this geographic location, see the "rest of U.S." chart. TELEWORK: Indian Affairs has determined that the duties of the position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee\_guides/career\_transition.asp . LAND MANAGEMENT WORKFORCE FLEXIBILITY ACT: If applying under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, you must provide documentation to support your eligibility (SF-50) and performance (references and/or performance appraisal). Under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) two groups of individuals are eligible to apply under this announcement: current and/or former employees serving or who have served under time-limited competitive appointments at land management agencies. Land Management Agencies include: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and U.S. Forest Service. Current appointees: 1) must have been hired under competitive examining procedures to a time limited appointment with a land management agency; 2) must have served under one or more time limited appointment(s) by a land management agency for a period totaling more than 24 months without a break in service of 2 or more years; AND 3) must have performed at an acceptable level during each period of service. Former appointees: 1) must have been hired under competitive examining procedures to a time limited appointment with a land management agency; 2) must have served under one or more time limited appointment(s) by a land management agency for a period totaling more than 24 months without a break in service of 2 or more years; 3) must have separated for reasons other than misconduct or performance; AND 4) must have performed at an acceptable level through the service period. Former Federal Employees are required to indicate whether they received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) buyout in their previous employment with the Federal government, and are required to submit a copy of the applicable Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) regarding the VSIP. Most individuals who accept reemployment with the Federal government within 5 years of receiving the VSIP amount, must repay the gross amount of the separation pay prior to reemployment.