Assistant Hospital Housekeeping Officer

This position is located in the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center's (JHQVAMC) Environmental Management Service (EMS). EMS is an independent service line and the position reports directly to the EMS Housekeeping Officer (EMS Service Chief). The incumbent serves as a full Assistant to the EMS Chief, substantially sharing all technical and managerial responsibilities. The incumbent will share responsibility on a continuous basis as well as the managerial work in the absence of Chief.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/09/2026. Applicants must meet the time-in-grade requirement, Individual Occupational Requirement and specialized experience - these are 3 separate requirements.

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-9. 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. In addition to meeting time-in-grade, applicants must meet the following IOR and specialized experience: Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR):

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. (Transcripts must be submitted with application reflecting coursework, hours and grades earned and degree conferred date.)

Graduate Education:

Major study -- public health or business administration with emphasis in hospital administration. (Transcripts must be submitted with application reflecting coursework, hours and grades earned and degree conferred date.) OR, Specialized 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. In addition to meeting the time-in-grade requirement and Individual Occupational Requirement, applicants must also possess the following specialized experience:

Specialized Experience:

Applicant's must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience gained in 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. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Clerical Conflict Management Contracting/Procurement Decision Making Manages and Organizes Information Written Communication 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 sedentary although there may be some nominal walking or standing for short periods or carrying light loads of papers, books, or reports that do not require special physical demands. 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/ .