Supervisory Environmental Protection Specialist

Incumbent is organizationally located Waste & Operations Section of Environmental Management Service (EMS) and functions under the general supervision of the Chief, Environmental Management Service at the Dayton VA and it subordinate units. The incumbent is an Environmental Protection Specialist functioning as the facilities waste manager for the general, regulated medical, sharps, and pathogenic waste streams for the facility.

Major duties

Major Duties As a Supervisory Environmental Protection Specialist (Waste & Recycling Manager), your duties are detailed but not limited to: Manage the facility's waste management program, including regulated medical waste, sharps waste, pathological waste, municipal solid waste, and recycling programs. Ensure compliance with applicable Federal, State, local, VA, VHA, OSHA, and accreditation requirements governing waste management and environmental protection programs. Advise facility leadership on environmental compliance issues, waste management requirements, risk mitigation strategies, and regulatory changes impacting operations. Develop, implement, coordinate, and evaluate recycling, sustainability, pollution prevention, and waste minimization initiatives throughout the medical center. Conduct environmental compliance audits, inspections, surveys, and program evaluations to identify deficiencies, recommend corrective actions, and ensure regulatory compliance. Analyze environmental laws, regulations, policies, and guidance and provide technical interpretations and recommendations regarding environmental compliance requirements. Serve as a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or provide technical oversight for waste management contracts and contractor performance. Monitor waste handling, storage, treatment, transportation, recycling, and disposal activities to ensure safe and compliant operations. Prepare environmental reports, waste management analyses, compliance documentation, and performance metrics for facility leadership and oversight organizations. Serve as the facility point of contact for waste tracking systems and environmental reporting programs, including management of environmental data and user access controls. Collaborate with Federal, State, and local regulatory agencies and serve as a liaison regarding environmental compliance and waste management matters. Provide environmental training and education to employees on waste handling procedures, environmental compliance requirements, safety practices, and sustainability initiatives. Participate in Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) activities and support facility efforts to improve environmental stewardship and sustainability performance. Supervise and evaluate subordinate staff, establish work priorities, assign workload, develop performance standards, provide coaching and technical guidance, and ensure mission requirements are met. Perform personnel management functions including recruitment, hiring, employee development, performance management, disciplinary actions, grievance resolution, and workforce planning. Promote Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) principles and maintain a workplace that supports diversity, inclusion, and fair employment practices.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 7:30am-4:00pm

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Environmental Protection Specialist/PD140420

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/23/2026.

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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9.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 and/or education as described below:

GS-11 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 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, coordinating, administering, or evaluating environmental protection, waste management, recycling, sustainability, pollution prevention, or environmental compliance programs.
• Ensuring compliance with Federal, State, local, OSHA, environmental, or healthcare regulatory requirements related to waste management and environmental protection programs.
• Conducting environmental audits, inspections, surveys, or program evaluations to identify deficiencies and recommend corrective actions.
• Interpreting environmental laws, regulations, policies, and guidance and providing technical recommendations to management officials.
• Monitoring waste collection, handling, storage, transportation, treatment, disposal, or recycling operations to ensure safe and compliant practices.
• Developing, implementing, or overseeing recycling, waste minimization, sustainability, or environmental stewardship initiatives.
• Preparing environmental reports, compliance documentation, program analyses, or presentations for management and regulatory agencies.
• Providing environmental compliance training, technical guidance, or consultation to employees, supervisors, and management officials.
• Serving as a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or providing technical oversight of environmental or waste management contracts.
• Planning, assigning, directing, evaluating, or supervising the work of employees engaged in environmental, waste management, materials handling, or related operations.

OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related.

OR,Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond two full years of graduate education..

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

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/.

Requirements

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

Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment.

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.