Hospital Housekeeping Officer (Chief EMS)

The Environmental Management Service (EMS) Chief serves with responsibility for the Environmental Management Service (EMS) and supervising the EMS Supervisors, EMS Service, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System (VA ECHCS). The incumbent leads, directs, plans, manages, reviews, and evaluates a total EMS program for the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Overseeing the assignment of work to subordinate supervisors based on priorities, selective consideration of the difficulty and requirements of assignments, and the capabilities of employees.
• Developing performance standards and evaluates work performance of subordinates. Provides advice, counsel, or instruction to employees on both work and administrative matters. Effects disciplinary measures such as warnings, reprimands and recommends other actions in more serious cases.
• Developing performance standards and evaluates work performance of subordinates.
• Giving advice, counsel, or instruction of employees on both work and administrative matters. interviews candidates for positions in the Service and recommends appointment, promotion, and reassignments to such positions.
• Serving has the hiring official for the service.
• Hearing and resolving complaints from employees, addressing group grievances and more serious complaints in collaboration with Human Resources and the Associate Director as necessary. identifies developmental and training needs of employees, providing for and arranging for needed development and training. Has a working knowledge of the negotiated labor agreement.
• Approving leave and initiates incentive awards.
• Monitoring and analyzing both production of efficiency and organizational structure in order to implement and /or recommend process and
  organizational changes.
• Leading and managing a large diverse, blended workforce that requires an experienced
  leader, team-builder , and hands-on management with contract and other third party service providers, non-exempt federal senior employees, labor union leadership, and routinely requires and demands the expert level of senior experience navigating the processes of employee management relations and grievance processes.
• Directing a program consisting of hazardous waste management, health aids,
  general sanitations, laundry and grounds maintenance, interior design, signage, visual cleanliness for all facilities, and of most importance; a medical sanitation of patient treatment areas that meets adopted standard medical guidelines and requirements.

Work Schedule: 8:00 - 4:30, Monday - Friday
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Hospital Housekeeping Officer (Chief EMS)/PD148750
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/26/2026.

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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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: There is an Individual Occupational Requirement for the GS-0673 series.
• Education: Undergraduate Education: Major study -- chemistry or biological sciences, sanitary science or administration, institutional sanitation or administration, hospital administration, hotel administration, public administration, business administration, or other fields related to the position.
  Graduate Education: Major study -- public health or business administration with emphasis in hospital administration. OR,
• Specialized Experience: Experience in two or more of the following areas, or other work related to the position to be filled:
  • Experience that demonstrated a practical working knowledge of the basic principles of chemistry, biology, and bacteriology as applied to environmental sanitation, infection control, and to the choice and use of antimicrobial agents in the disinfection, sanitization, and/or sterilization of surfaces and equipment.
  • Experience in laundry and linen management.
  • Experience in interior design management.
  • Experience that demonstrated a knowledge of waste management, including the requirements relating to hazardous, toxic, and infectious wastes and provisions for their final disposition.
  • Experience that demonstrated a knowledge of pest management, including alternative methods of control and the selection and application of chemicals. AND,
• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Functioning as an administrative and managerial official with program responsibility for Environmental Management Service (EMS) at this multi-faceted tertiary care medical center; Planning, organizing, directing, evaluating, and management process for the program which includes setting qualitative and quantitative standards; Developing and providing the Medical Center management and the clinical staff information on the methods, techniques, and procedures necessary to integrate the EMS Program into the mission of the Medical Center; Developing and implementing an orderly system of management objectives and program review and evaluation procedures which will result in an effective program; Serves as the top advisor on environmental concerns and is inherently involved with the total Medical Center mission with a primary responsibility of planning, organizing, conducting, and managing an effective hospital housekeeping program.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Human Resources Management
• Managing Diverse Workforce
• Project Management
• Self-Management
• Standards
• Technical Competence
• Technical Competence

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 is most often performed in an office setting, although the incumbent may be required to stand and walk for prolonged periods of time. There is a moderate amount of walking involved, with infrequent bending, lifting, and stooping. Vision should be
sufficient to read from a computer screen for prolonged periods without excessive fatigue.

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/.

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/.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this 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)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial 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 period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.