Environmental Protection Specialist

Summary

The Environmental Protection Specialist plays a central role in planning and administering environmental programs that deal with the environmental impacts of human activities on air - land - water - and other media. This position supports VA's Environmental Management System Program planning and implementation to assure compliance with environmental laws and regulation. The position completes permits and leads facility self-assessments - inspections - and other environmental investigations.

Qualifications

IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-11 LEVEL YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped them with the particular knowledge - skills - and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position - and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. To be creditable - this specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes: planning - implementing - and evaluating environmental protection programs; administering a green environmental management program; leading environmental facility inspections to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations; advising management on environmental program status; preparing reports; and training others on specific environmental topics. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE.) ~OR~ SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) - Applicants must possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. This education must demonstrate the knowledge - skills - and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. ~OR~ COMBINING EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) - Combination of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. 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

• ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION - YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Major duties and responsibilities include: Administering the green environmental management system program for the facility
• Scheduling and leading environmental audits to identify and evaluate program implementation and compliance activities
• Participating in the facility's green environmental management committee
• Inspecting and evaluating environmental facilities to ensure compliance with state - federal - and environmental regulations and policies
• Accompanying regulators on media inspections and address deficiencies - notices of violations - enforcement actions - and fines through on-the-spot corrections - rebuttals - corrective action closeouts - risk management - or mitigation
• Recommending changes in the design of facility work programs to meet new environmental requirements
• Keeping abreast of current requirements of the law and anticipated changes in the law to ensure projects are completed in a timely fashion to meet all regulatory compliance dates
• Conferring with other engineers - managers - state and federal regulatory agencies - and environmental protection agencies - to ensure procedures are in accordance with provisions of public laws
• Participating in the development of novel or innovative environmental training and promotion activities
• Compiling information to prepare reports for assigned projects
• Reviewing and advising which new environmental projects to bring online - which existing projects to continue - and how to phase the projects for planning and implementation
• Scheduling project milestones and track project completion dates to ensure projects occur when they are needed - and deliverables are fully responsive
• Advising senior level management officials within the facility on the status of environmental programs
• Interacting with federal - state - and local environmental agencies with respect to facility environmental issues
• Making presentations and briefings for environmental/hazardous program compliance and provide appropriate responses to questions
• Performing other duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 8:00am to 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved