Industrial Hygienist

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR GS-11 LEVEL: EXPERIENCE: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal service. Specialized experience is Experience working as an industrial hygienist or in a similar occupation in a large facility with responsibility for making decisions or recommendations concerning critical industrial hygiene matters and controlling health hazards such as toxic chemicals, contaminated water, noise and other factors that affect safety and health issues. Qualifying experience involves the recognition, evaluation, corrective actions, and elimination of environmental conditions in the workplace that causes sickness, impaired health, or illness. This experience must demonstrate a professional knowledge of the theory and application of the principles of industrial hygiene and closely related sciences such as physics and engineering controls. Such work must have involved experience in all of the following areas: the acquisition of quantitative and qualitative data, and the measurement of exposures for a variety of chemical, physical, and biological stresses; the analysis of the data acquired and the prediction of probable effects of exposures on the health and well-being of workers; and the selection and recommendation of appropriate controls, including management, medical, engineering, education or training, and personal protective equipment. NOTE: This 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. Failure to provide this required information will result in nonreferral. OR EXPERIENCE: A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree that provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of Industrial Hygienist. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: A combination of successfully completed progressively higher-level graduate education and specialized experience as described above which meets the total experience requirements for this grade level. Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience. For example, an applicant with 6 months of appropriate experience equivalent to GS-9 (50 percent of the experience requirement for GS-11) and 45 semester hours of appropriate graduate education (50 percent of the education requirement for GS-11, in excess of that required for GS-9) would be qualified for a GS-11 position (assuming that there is no evidence that the attended college or university requires more than 18 semester hours as equivalent to a year of graduate study). NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Chemistry Communication Environmental Engineering Hazardous Materials Technical Competence IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: The performance of duties requires long period of walking, standing, crawling, kneeling, and bending, Moderate lifting and carrying of equipment, use of personal protective devices is required. Use of all appendages, good vision and hearing are necessary. 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/.
This position is located in Safety and Occupational Health Service at the Montana VA Medical Center in Fort Harrison, MT.