Radiation Safety Officer

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/28/2024.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 in the Federal service. 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: Individual Occupational Requirement (IQR): In order to meet the basic requirement of the Health Physicist, 1306 Occupational series, you must possess: A. Degree: natural science or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours in health physics, engineering, radiological science, chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, and/or calculus. (Copy of transcript required) OR, B. Combination of education and experience — courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or other education; or certification as a health physicist by the American Board of Health Physics, plus appropriate experience and other education that provided an understanding of sciences applicable to health physics comparable to that described in paragraph A. (Copy of transcript required) IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE IQR, applicant must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of Health Physicists. Examples of specialized experience typically include but not limited to: Professional knowledge of health physics as it relates to a medical environment, to adapt standard practices, equipment, or techniques to solve a variety of health physics problems. Planning and conducting work that requires judgment in evaluating, selecting, and adapting precedents and in modifying procedures and criteria. Knowledge of health protection standards, theories, and practices and to operate instruments used for measuring radiation and radioactive materials. Identifying and solving complex scientific problems in medical and research laboratory functions and activities involving numerous and varied sources of radiation. Ensuring proper use of radioactive materials. Advising researchers and medical staff on how to design and conduct procedures. Identifying and evaluating radiation hazards and taking measures to eliminate or control exposure to those hazards. Experience also includes evaluating, overseeing and recommending proper safety measures for laser use. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Preferred Experience/Qualifications: Certified / qualified Medical RSO. You may include a copy of a medical radioactive material licensed issued by NRC or an Agreement State showing you as the Radiation Safety Officer or other supporting documents. Experience working with U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Previous experience serving as Radiation Safety Officer (RSO). 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 requires some physical exertion such as moving (lifting and carrying) objects weighing over 45 pounds with assistance, such as leaded shielding material and imaging phantoms. Often required to wear heavy, leaded radiation-protective garments for periods of one hour or more. Periods of bending, crouching, stooping, stretching and reaching, and pushing moderately heavy items such as carts with sealed sources into and out of buildings and across sidewalks and streets. 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/.
The Health Physicist serves as the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) for the Ralph H. Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The position functions within the Directors Office, reporting directly to the Medical Centers Chief of Staff. The RSO advises the Executive Leadership Team and ensures the safe, responsible use of radioactive materials and x-ray equipment, maintaining accountability for both.