Duties

Major Duties Include:

Advisory Services for Industrial Hygiene Programs and Projects

• Serves as an Agency subject matter expert and authority in industrial hygiene programs, with the responsibility for providing expert advice to staff members; the development and interpretation of regulations and guidelines regarding the occupational health and safety of employees; the promotion of AOC compliance and mandated requirements; the evaluation of progress achieved and regulatory matters; and consultation and training where needed.
• Identifies and assesses risk factors on health hazards, analyzes and evaluates industrial health findings and develops such changes in methods or procedures to control health hazards. Develops and implements internal procedures for immediate control of hazards.
• Develops criteria, procedures and written guidance for the handling, labeling, storing, use, transfer and disposal of toxic and hazardous materials. Develops guidance to be used for implementing criteria and evaluating preparedness based on exercises, plans and training.

Establishment of Program Evaluation Criteria and Conditions

• Provides expert industrial hygiene advice and technical assistance and guidance to employees, supervisors, managers and other personnel on chemical, physical and biological stressors in the workplace.
• Investigates health problems that arise among workers and determines corrective measures. Participates in accident investigations and emergency responses when potentially hazardous or unknown substances are involved.

Formulation and Dissemination

• Serves as a technical authority for healthy work environments and working conditions for the Agency and facility occupants of the Agency. Performs, organizes and/or directs comprehensive on-site inspections and worksite surveys on a recurring basis to identify and evaluate conditions which may be hazardous to workers' health.
• Observes operations and conditions which could constitute potential health problems. Develops or oversees the creation of sampling strategies and protocols, takes air samples, bulk samples and cultures for contaminants suspected of causing health problems.
• Performs field inspections of proposed projects to determine directive and design requirements. Inspects projects that are under construction to determine compliance with regulations and conformance to plans and specifications.

Hazard Information Training and Dissemination

• Conducts new employee orientation on health and hazardous conditions and conducts annual refresher training for all employees and volunteers. Develops training plans, conducts training of supervisors and monitors in-service training activities. Prepares articles, pamphlets or brochures and/or directs the preparation of materials by others for publication.
• Collaborates with supervisors, safety managers and occupational health personnel or physicians to institute control and remedial measures for hazardous and potentially hazardous conditions and equipment.
• Develops specific implementation strategies to promote information dissemination and exchange among health-oriented organizations and/or among assigned Agency program offices using such methods as electronic mail, distribution of project reports, newsletters or program announcements.

Project Management

• Acts as a Project Manager or Task Leader on assigned projects and is responsible for: (1) independently administering assigned projects of major size, scope and complexity in accordance with safety and health regulations, AOC policies and best practices, which may include: preparation of scope and statement of work; acting as the Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR); reporting project status to upper management; coordinating an integrated team; managing the schedule, budget and quality of the projects and most importantly meeting the clients objectives (2) furnishing advice and counsel to the agency, contractors and representatives of other agencies on matters pertaining to the use and interpretation of the assigned criteria.

Contractor Oversight

• Examines plans, specifications and cost estimates for technical adequacy, throughout the entirety of development. Reports progress and/or problems. Directs necessary changes, resolves controversial problems, ensures conformance to plans and specifications and furnishes other assistance as required where deficiencies are noted.
• Handles and assesses contractor efforts and assesses technical progress in relation to the established schedule and resources allotted. Reviews plans, specifications and cost estimates for technical adequacy. Serves as a COTR on assigned projects.
• Adheres to applicable safety rules in the performance of duties. Complies with applicable AOC and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety rules and regulations. Provides or receives training, either on the job or through classroom training, to ensure that required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is utilized.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen.
• You must be able to pass a drug test.
• Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related KSAs.
• You must meet the definition of specialized experience.

The selectees shall be certified by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene or be able to sit and pass the exam within a year after hire.

May be required to work weekends and/or off normal daytime working hours.

Qualifications

You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site at OPM qualification standards

Specialized experience : is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.

Candidates for the GS-13 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower GS-12 grade level in the Federal service.

Specialized experience for this position is defined as having experience in at least 4 of the following: (1) Performing field inspections of proposed projects and participating in accident investigations in controlled facilities when hazardous or unknown substances are involved; (2) Planning and managing policies and programs involving: hazardous building materials, indoor air quality, exposure assessments and medical surveillance; (3) Preparing written reports based upon the analysis of data acquired and the prediction of probable effects of exposures on the health and well-being of workers; (4) Administering an industrial hygiene training program and disseminating information and exchange among health-oriented organizations and/or program offices; (5) Serving as Contracting Officers Technical Representative (COTR) or equivalent to ensure accurate and adequate oversight of contractor performance.

Education

The education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. Applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

• A bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in industrial hygiene, occupational health sciences, occupational and environmental health, toxicology, safety sciences, or related science; or
• A bachelor's degree in a branch of engineering, physical science, or life science that included 12 semester hours in chemistry, including organic chemistry, and 18 additional semester hours of courses in any combination of chemistry, physics, engineering, health physics, environmental health, biostatistics, biology, physiology, toxicology, epidemiology, or industrial hygiene; or
• Certification from the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH).

Courses in the history or teaching of chemistry are not acceptable.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education :

Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment.

Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part of foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree.

You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing if selected.

Must provide transcripts if selected.

Additional information

Welcome Veterans. The Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) gives veterans' preference rights in the legislative branch to certain veterans as applied by the Congressional Accountability Act. Veterans' preference is applied on this vacancy announcement. If you are a veteran and have been separated under honorable conditions, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility; SF-15, if applicable; and Department of Veterans Affairs documentation of disability, if applicable. For more information, please visit OPM vet guide

If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System. If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information.

DRUG TESTING : The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is a Drug Free Workplace. As part of the AOC's suitability assessment, a candidate tentatively selected for a position who is not currently an AOC employee is required to submit to screening for illegal drug use. Satisfactory completion of a drug test is a condition of employment with the Agency. A candidate must test negative prior to being eligible for appointment into a position. We will schedule, provide and cover the cost for the drug test.

The selectee(s) under the vacancy announcement for this position is subject to a criminal record check by the U.S. Capitol Police and satisfactory adjudication to be eligible for employment at the Architect of the Capitol.

The Architect of the Capitol is an E-VERIFY Participant. E-VERIFY is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment authorization in the United States. If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the DHS Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-VERIFY" electronic system. For more information on E-Verify, please visit http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1185221678150.shtm

The Architect of the Capitol is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information and/or disability.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Moving expenses are not authorized.

Relocation expenses are not authorized.

Probationary Period - A newly appointed selectee is subject to the completion of a one-year trial/probationary period, regardless of whether or not a trial/probationary period has been completed previously with the Architect of the Capitol or another Federal agency.

This vacancy announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies in any of the jurisdictions of the Architect of the Capitol.

All application materials become the property of the Architect of the Capitol.