U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Compensation

Full Description

Summary The incumbent of this position serves as the Chief - Safety and Emergency Management Service - Chief - Occupational Health (Administrative and Policy Direction of the clinical staff) - and GEMS Program Administration for the VA Northern California Health Care System (HCS). The HCS is comprised of two large divisions with one Medical Center (Mather and partial use of David Grant) located in Sacramento Valley and Eastbay. Qualifications To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 11/26/2025. 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-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. 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. Individual Occupational Requirements: You must meet one of the requirements listed below to qualify for consideration. 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 (for positions above GS-5): 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. OR 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 Qualification Requirements GS-14: In addition to meeting the individual occupational requirements you must also possess the required specialized experience. Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-13 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include - but are not limited to: Directing - planning - developing - advising and implementing comprehensives programs for Safety - Emergency Management - Fire Protection - Green Environmental Management Systems (GEMS) - Industrial Hygiene - Occupational Health - Laser Safety - and Radiation Safety Programs - Supervision - planning - and direction of work operations and for directing daily operational activities - Investigating accidents and incidents - and facilitates compliance and resolution for issues brought forward from a regulatory and accrediting agencies - Conducting inspections and processing incumbent reports of unsafe or unhealthy working conditions when inspection findings warrant - Initiates and assists with the design for fire-safety projects - Serve as Liaison between regulatory agencies - and Development and implementation of hazardous and toxic waste programs. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accident Investigation Compliance Oral Communication Public Safety and Security Technical Competence 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: Most work is performed in an office or workplace setting - and the work is sedentary in nature. There may be some walking - standing - bending and carrying of light items - occasionally carrying moderate weight items - but no specific physical demands are required to perform the work. 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/. Duties • The Chief - Safety and Emergency Management Service acts under the authority of the Associate Director in the Office of the Medical Center Director - VA Northern California Health Care System (VANCHCS) - on matters relating to the protection of the environment - incumbents - visitors - and patient safety and health • The incumbent is the administrative head of the Safety and Emergency Management Service • Major Duties for the position may include but are not limited to: Serves as the Chief - Safety and Emergency Management Service for VANCHCS - and is the Emergency Manager for the HCS • Responsible for directing - planning - developing and implementing comprehensives programs for Safety - Emergency Management - Fire Protection - Green Environmental Management Systems (GEMS) - Industrial Hygiene - Occupational Health - Laser Safety - and Radiation Safety Programs • Oversees - monitors and evaluates occupational health and safety activities - administratively manages the overall facility Occupational Health Section clinical staff and safety programs to provide the patients - visitors and staff of VANCHCS with the highest attainable level of safety possible and identifies opportunities for improvement through an ongoing effort of problem identification - evaluation - resolution - monitoring and evaluation • Responsible for the supervision - planning - and direction of work operations and for directing daily operational activities including direct supervision interventions and has full responsibility for assuring efficient and economical work operations including planning the accomplishment of major and complex work operations on a long-range basis and participating in establishing long-range goals and facility planning • Maintains accountability for developing - implementing - managing - and monitoring a comprehensive Safety Program as defined by agency policy which meets the Safety - OSHA - NFPA - and Life Safety requirements of both the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Joint Commission • These exacting standards emphasize integration of Safety Management and clinical responsibilities - and a closed loop - safety cycle of communication and documentation for significant safety issues and incidents • Other related duties as assigned • Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8am - 4:30pm - Subject to change to meet the needs of the agency • Telework: This position may be authorized for telework • Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process • Virtual: This is not a virtual position • Position Description/PD#: Safety and Occupational Health Manager (Chief - Safety and Emergency Management)/PD01009O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized