Environmental Protection Specialist
What you'd do
Environmental Protection Specialist performs practical duties associated with air quality, storm water, hazardous materials programs, and sustainability programs. The specialist supports further development and implementation of VA's Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) within the VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS) They provide consultative support in the implementation of environmental sustainability programs and performs environmental reviews for construction projects.
Major duties
The environmental protection specialist is responsible for the implementation of environmental policies and regulatory program activities. Assignments also include responsibility for the technical adequacy of plans, designs, and specifications concerning environmental activities within a facility. Duties include but are not limited to: Administers environmental programs to assure compliance with applicable laws and regulation for air emissions, wastewater discharge, solid and hazardous waste, fuel and oil storage, and spill prevention, among other areas. Manages hazardous waste programs at VAPAHCS facilities including collection, segregation, manifesting, recordkeeping, contract management. Leads environmental audits and incident investigations, conducts root cause analysis, develops corrective actions, and tracks incidents to closure. Interacts with federal, state, and local environmental agencies with respect to facility environmental issues. Support the GEMS managers in other duties as assigned. 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, 8:00am - 4:30pm Position Description/PD#: Environmental Protection Specialist/PD00378O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/29/2026. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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-7 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: practical duties associated with air quality, storm water, hazardous materials programs, and sustainability programs. Including developing and conducting outreach and education activities, evaluating compliance status issues, and drafting enforcement actions. . OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement. 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 post-high school education and experience to meet total qualification requirements for the GS-05. GS-09 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: practical duties associated with air quality, storm water, hazardous materials programs, and sustainability programs. Including developing and conducting outreach and education activities, evaluating compliance status issues, and drafting enforcement actions. . OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed a 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 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 graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade GS-07. GS-11 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: practical duties associated with air quality, storm water, hazardous materials programs, and sustainability programs. Including developing and conducting outreach and education activities, evaluating compliance status issues, and drafting enforcement actions. . OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed a 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 graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade GS-09. 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/.
Before you apply
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