Environmental Care Specialist

Summary

This position serves as an Environmental Care Specialist in the Environmental Management Service Department at the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center located in Bronx, New York.

Duties

THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-11. At the GS-9 grade level, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-11. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher-level work, and availability of funds. PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Planning and oversight of work done in support of Environmental Management Service Center goals and objectives; Setting and adjusting short-term daily, weekly or monthly priorities; Assigning work to Environmental Management Service Center Associates based on priorities, consideration of the difficulty of the assignments, and the capabilities of the Environmental Management Service Center Associates; Evaluating -the work performance of the Environmental Management Service Center Associates and recommending performance ratings; Understanding complex written instructions, policies, Environmental laws and regulations, e.g.: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Joint Commission for Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), etc.; Planning quality control measures, work schedules, production standards, and cleaning: frequencies for the health care facility; Carrying out directions, policies and procedures issued by the Director, Environmental Management Service Center and the Assistant Hospital Housekeeping Officer to assure that the Environmental Management Service Center Program is implemented through each individual associate and assignment, and assures that all functional and program responsibilities are adequately met; Performing other duties assigned. Work Schedule: Full-Time Employment from 7:00 am to 3:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized 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 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) - See "Required Documents" below for details. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. -AND- IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-9 LEVEL YOU MUST MEET ONE OF THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS: GS-9: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE- You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as an Environmental Care Specialist. Specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: performing administrative support under general supervision that supports environmental care and collecting data, preparing reports and spreadsheets as utilized in the performance of environmental sanitation functions of the environmental housekeeping program. Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week. OR GS-09: SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE- Successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree or two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., in a related field of the position to be filled. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. NOTE: One (1) year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one (1) year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, eighteen (18) semester hours should be considered as satisfying the one (1) year of full-time study requirement. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) OR GS-09: COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION - Equivalent combination of successfully completed education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. Only education in excess of the first year (18 semester hours) may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-09 level. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT AND CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED) NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-11 LEVEL YOU MUST MEET ONE OF THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS: GS-11: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE- You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as an Environmental Care Specialist. Specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: performing administrative duties that supports environmental care and collecting data, preparing reports and spreadsheets as utilized in the performance of environmental sanitation functions of the environmental housekeeping program. Maintaining, updating, and presenting manuals, policies, pest management and waste management plans as well as program infection control guidelines for review by Environmental Management Service Center management officials. Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week. OR GS-11: SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE- Successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) OR GS-11: COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION - Equivalent combination of experience and education directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. Only education in excess of a master's or equivalent graduate education may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-11 level. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT AND CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED) NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. Physical Demands: Physical effort required of the Environmental Care Specialist is moderate to heavy with the major factor being the requirements to constantly bend, stretch, stoop, and reach while performing inspection tasks. Lifting efforts of twenty (20) to sixty (60) pounds may be encountered when moving items of furniture for inspection or performing setups and demonstrating work activities. The Environmental Care Specialist may also move and control heavy equipment, demonstrating work activities and performing setups. The Environmental Care Specialist may lift and move objects weighing over fifty pounds (50 lbs.), and occasionally objects weighing over 75 pounds (75 lbs.). Furniture and supplies moved are moderately heavy and require lifting for placement on platform trucks, hand trucks, or dollies for movement. Equipment move is generally light to moderately heavy and is mounted on wheels for transport but may require some physical effort to accomplish the transition from the transport mode to deployment for use. The Environmental Care Specialist must operate cleaning equipment as scrubbers, vacuum cleaners, floor polishers and burnishers, wet pickup vacuum cleaners and walk-behind automatic scrubbing equipment. The Environmental Care Specialist may also occasionally operate heavy ride-on scrubbing equipment. The Environmental Care Specialist must have good eye-hand coordination to perform inspection and move non-powered carts and control powered housekeeping equipment. Work Environment: The Environmental Care Specialist will work in any area of the Medical Center. Most areas are clean, well lighted, and adequately ventilated, but some exposure to other types of working conditions (e.g. poor ventilation, exposure to dust, dirt, noise etc.) are possible. The Environmental Care Specialist works with standards household and commercial cleaning chemicals and will be exposed to the possibility of ·spilling or splashing when mixing and using such chemicals. Protective gear and equipment is provided when dealing with chemicals and when working in areas of identified potential for infection. The possibility exists for exposure to communicable diseases, and the Environmental Care Specialist must be well versed in infection control procedures and techniques. The Environmental Care Specialist works primarily inside but may be exposed to changes in temperature and inclement weather on inspections. 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

IMPORTANT: 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/. 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. How You Will Be Evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Candidates who apply under "All U.S. Citizens" announcements will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows: Best qualified - Applicants possessing the type and quality of experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications Very Highly Qualified - Applicants possessing the type and quality of experience that exceeds, to a very considerable extent, the minimum qualifications Highly Qualified - Applicants possessing the type and quality of experience that exceeds, to a considerable extent, the minimum qualifications Well qualified - Applicants possessing the type and quality of experience that marginally exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and who demonstrate average proficiency in most of the critical competencies Qualified - Applicants possessing the type and quality of experience that meets the minimum qualifications Application of Veterans' Preference: Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants that meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category (except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher). Other Information

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 80 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.