Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/11/2026. 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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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. Selective placement factor: is applied in the same manner as minimum qualification requirements. Relevant selective placement factor experience must be well documented in your resume. Failure to meet a selective placement factor will result in you not receiving further consideration. In addition to the minimum qualifications described below, you must meet the following selective placement factor: Must have a valid state driver's license. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

Basic Requirements:

• Education: 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
• 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
• Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Managing safety or occupational health program elements
• Developing and recommending safety and occupational health policy to higher levels of management
• Applying safety and occupational health laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices, and procedures to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing with occupational safety and health requirements
• Developing safety and occupational health standards, regulations, practices, and procedures to eliminate or control potential hazards
• Developing or implementing programs to reduce the frequency, severity, and cost of accidents and occupational illnesses
• Analyzing or evaluating new and existing jobs, processes, products, or other systems to determine the existence, severity, probability, and outcome of hazards
• Designing or modifying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems to control or eliminate hazards
• Inspecting or surveying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems for compliance with established safety and occupational health policies or standards and to identify potential new hazards
• Training of workers, supervisors, managers, or other safety and occupational health personnel in safety or occupational health subjects
• Work in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, and occupational health nurse
• GS-12 Grade Level Requirements Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization
• To be creditable, experience must have been equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service
• Specialized experience includes: 1) Conducting occupational safety and health surveillance inspections in the workplace to identify hazards and risks to personnel and making corrections to eliminate hazard(s)
• 2) Investigating workplace unsafe hazardous conditions, equipment, and practices to identify root cause and prevent future incidents
• 3) Developing and preparing guidelines, policies, procedures, and other recommendations related to occupational safety and health regulations
• 4) Providing expert knowledge, guidance and direction regarding construction safety to reduce the potential for injury and illness
• and 5) Questioning witnesses to uncover the sources of reported injuries and illnesses
• You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Manages Human Resources Organizational Awareness Public Safety and Security Safety Engineering 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: The work may require the employee to carry a good deal of equipment and involves walking, standing, bending, climbing or crawling
• The employee may be subject to all the risks and discomforts associated with industrial and construction activities in a healthcare facility
• This exposure requires the use of protective clothing and equipment, including respirators, hardhats and ear protectors
• Exposure to hazardous materials including biological, chemical and radioactive may be encountered
• Incumbent is required to travel to all remote sited within the New Mexico Veterans Affairs Healthcare System area of responsibility, as well as to attend conferences, meetings and training events associated with the safety program
• 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/.