Assistant Hospital Housekeeping Officer - Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration

Summary The Assistant Chief serves as a full deputy to the Housekeeping Officer, substantially sharing all technical and managerial responsibilities. Responsible to the Service Chief for the planning, conducting and managing effectively an entire environmental management program. Incumbent also performs administrative, professional, and technical work involving administering, managing, operating, and supporting services and programs related to the operation and safety of the VAMC at Northport, NY. Responsibilities Major Duties: The Assistant Chief serves as a full deputy to the Housekeeping Officer, substantially sharing all technical and managerial responsibilities. The Assistant Chief assists the Chief in directing the entire hospital housekeeping program, and has full responsibility for the following functional areas: Laundry Operations & Control of Linen Management; Interior Decoration; Pest Control; Waste Management; Grounds Maintenance Program; and Fleet Management Program. The scope of the work is administrative, with the Incumbent responsible for the full range of housekeeping programs in the hospital facility. The incumbent is to provide, Environmental Management Oversight (50% of the time) Program Supervision (50% of the time) Other duties include, but not limited to: Research, assemble and compile information and data, evaluate the results against appropriate standards and recommend corrective action. Plan work to be accomplished by subordinates, set, and adjust short-term priorities and prepare schedules for completion of work. Assign work to subordinates based on priorities, selective consideration of the difficulty and requirements of assignments, and the capabilities of the employees. Develop performance standards and evaluates work performance of subordinates; gives advice, counsel, or instruction to employees on both work and administrative matters. Hears and resolves complaints from employees. Responsible for the management of additional functional areas. In association with the Chief of the Environmental Management Service, Plan for and direct the provision of housekeeping services for the hospital facility. Determine long-range, intermediate, and short-range program goals and policies. Develop and implement organizational structures and operating plans and procedures to achieve program goals, monitoring the effectiveness and efficiency of operations within the established framework. Determine the need for and allocation of resources. Coordinates program efforts. Coordinate, control, and direct housekeeping program operation. Provide advisory services to all levels of management and to all hospital departments regarding the requirements and resolution of substantive housekeeping problems and services provided. Other duties, as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Position Description/PD#: Assistant Hospital Housekeeping Officer/PD21V89-O Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/04/2024. 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. 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. Individual Occupational Requirement: This is the minimum qualification requirement for this occupational 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 Experience: General Experience (for positions above GS-5): 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. or Other: One year of formalized hospital administrative residency or internship in hospital administration or hospital housekeeping management is equivalent to 1 year of GS-5 level specialized experience. Grade Requirement: You may qualify based on your experience as described below, Specialized Experience: You must have one 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Experience in at least one functional area: Laundry Operations & Control of Linen Management; Interior Decoration; Pest Control; Waste Management; Grounds Maintenance; and/or GSA/VA-owned Fleet Management. Experience in the maintenance of environmental sanitation within acceptable levels of bacteriological standards, as well as visual cleanliness. Knowledge of hospital sanitation programs within the facility in the areas of environmental sanitation, laundry/linen operations, waste management, interior/exterior pest control and interior/exterior signage. Ability to perform analytical research, assemble and compile information and data, evaluate results against standards, regulations and policies, and recommend corrective action. Preferred Experience: Supervisory Housekeeping Experience. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communications Decision Making Interpersonal Skills 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 regular and recurring work of the position involves sitting at a desk, attending conferences or meetings, facility tours, facility inspections, conducting presentations, and occasional visits to various work sites. Occasional use of automobile and public conveyances may be required. No special physical exertion is required. The regular and recurring work of the position is performed in a work environment that involves normal everyday low risks or discomforts typical of offices, patient rooms, sterile environment, hazardous environment, or commercial vehicles. The work areas are adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. 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/. Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.