Environmental Protection Specialist - Green Environmental Management Systems (GEMS) Coordinator

Veterans Health Administration; Perry Point (MD); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Veterans Health Administration seeks an Environmental Protection Specialist to plan and implement GEMS environmental programs, ensuring compliance with environmental laws and regulations. The role emphasizes knowledge of environmental oversight, program evaluation, and coordinating with multiple internal teams.

The position requires specialized experience or advanced education, including potential substitution by Ph.D.

Qualifications

• Specialized experience understanding environmental laws and regulations.
• Knowledge to plan, organize, implement, and evaluate environmental programs.
• Combination of education and experience allowed for qualification.

Responsibilities

• Assist in planning and implementing Green Environmental Management (GEMS) programs.
• Provide technical support to VA organizations to ensure regulatory compliance.

Skills

Environmental laws

Program planning

Environmental health

Education

Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree

3 years of graduate education

LL.M., if related

Job description

Environmental Protection Specialists play a central role in planning and administering environmental programs. Environmental protection programs deal with the environmental impacts of human activities on air, land, water, and other media. The incumbent is responsible for GEMS program planning and implementation to assure compliance with environmental laws and regulation.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/21/2026.

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 11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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(s):

• Some knowledge on various principles, methods, and practices of the Green Environment Management Program (GEMS) or any administrative work relating to the program. The incumbent applies specialized knowledge of one or more programs, or functional areas of environmental protection work but does not require full professional competence in environmental engineering or science. This knowledge entails: (1) an understanding of environmental laws and regulations, (2) knowledge of how to plan, organize, implement, and evaluate of environmental programs, (3) practical knowledge of environmental sciences and related disciplines, and the relationship between environmental factors and human health and well-being; and (5) practical knowledge of important historic and natural resources and the relationship between the preservation and management of these resources and environmental protection.
• Some knowledge on exercising oversight on environmental programs while providing technical support to VA organization assigned by applying and interpreting existing policies to eliminate known environmental hazards and disseminating applicable guidelines within the facility and to contractors as appropriate. Analysis of potential hazards requires adapting established techniques and methods to adequately measure risks to employees. The incumbent is responsible for performing day-to-day tasks that fall within the various environmental functions or aspects of their service and requirements of the GEMS Program.
• Demonstrate some technical skills in providing timely customer service, including day to day communications with internal and external customers with respect to environmental regulatory compliance.
• Demonstrates some communication skills both verbally and in writing on a wide range of technical administrative matters with individuals of differing technical backgrounds. Independently leads interdisciplinary teams by providing instructions to staff regarding proper handling of and disposal of hazardous waste and materials from Facilities and Engineering, Laboratory and Research , Pharmacy, and other services.
• Some knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring Green Environmental Management programs or projects for compliance with various regulatory agencies, e.g., VHA GEMS, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). The incumbent must interpret a variety of environmental management circumstances and adapt proven environmental protection techniques, when necessary, to control, minimize or eliminate hazardous situations.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

Education and experience requirements:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: (1) an understanding of environmental laws and regulations, (2) knowledge of how to plan, organize, implement, and evaluate of environmental programs, (3) practical knowledge of environmental sciences and related disciplines, and the relationship between environmental factors and human health and well-being; and (5) practical knowledge of important historic and natural resources and the relationship between the preservation and management of these resources and environmental protection. OR
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Ph.D. OR equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. OR
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond Ph.D. OR equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related.

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/.