Department of the Army

SAFETY AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SPECIALIST

Norfolk, Virginia Full time

SAFETY AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SPECIALIST

Department: Department of the Army

Location(s): Norfolk, Virginia

Salary Range: $75788 - $118092 Per Year

Job Summary: About the Position: Manage and administer the Safety and Occupational Health (S&OH) program for the Operations or Navigation Support Branch, Water Resources Division. Formulates Branch policies and provides program direction by issuing regulations, standards, and technical guidance. This position is being filled at either the GS-11 or GS-12 level. Selection is at management discretion based on experience. GS-11 Salary Range: $75,788 - $98,530 GS-12 Salary Range: $90,838 - $118,092

Major Duties:

  • Establishes the Safety and Occupational Health program according to Federal regulations
  • Develops methods for providing Safety and Occupational Health support, evaluations, surveys, and studies of an unusual or complex nature- requiring liaison with internal and external agencies and organizations
  • Develops and coordinates the Corps of Engineers Safety and Occupational Health Management System (CESOHMS) for the Branch.
  • Serves as the branches Lead Fall Protection Technical Specialist, Lead Confined Space Technical Specialist, and Lead Control of Hazardous Energy/Lockout Tagout Technical Specialist
  • As Lead Technical Specialist, reviews, coordinates, trains, investigates, and develops lessons learned across the broad spectrum of Safety and Occupational Health operations within the Branch
  • Provides expert consultation and advice to the Branch Chief, Section Chiefs, management, staff, and operating officials, on SandOH management issues pertaining to a wide variety of complex work situations.
  • Oversees safety aspects of Civil Works Navigation and Flood Risk Management Project within the Branch
  • Coordinates with District Safety Chief to implement the Employees' Health Program
  • Coordinates the Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Programs. Coordinate for programs such as blood borne pathogens, hazard communication, ergonomics, hearing conservation, respiratory protection, and vision screening
  • Reviews and oversees safety and health programs associated with dredging operations.
  • Serves as the safety and occupational health technical authority for emergency preparedness and natural disaster recovery operations of floating plant, locks, dams and other Branch assets

Qualifications: Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities. Current Civilian Employees of the Command Domestic Defense Industrial Base/Major Range and Test Facilities Base Civilian Personnel Workforce Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act Military Spouses, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13473 Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998 In order to qualify, you must meet the education/experience requirements described below. 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; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. GS-11 Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes: 1) conducting surveys and inspections for compliance with applicable laws and regulations; 2) investigating incidents and near-misses to recommend corrective measures; 3) preparing safety instructions and guides; AND/OR 4) reviewing, updating, and enforcing program and district safety policies. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09). OR Education: Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M. with a major study in safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree in other related fields that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours of study from among the following (or closely related) disciplines: safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, toxicology, public health, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological sciences, engineering, and industrial psychology. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages. GS-12 Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes: 1) reviewing contractor safety program and making recommendations; 2) conducting on-site safety surveys; 3) reviewing and analyzing statistical data in relation to accidents and hazards; AND/OR 4) participating in the development of safety training. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11). Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For the GS-12 level, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted. You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas: Attention to Detail Customer Service Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Time in Grade Requirement for GS-11: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent to the GS-09. Please upload a copy of your most recent SF-50 to show that you meet the time in grade requirement. Time in Grade Requirement for GS-12: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent to the GS-11. Please upload a copy of your most recent SF-50 to show that you meet the time in grade requirement.

How to Apply: To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 05/18/2026 to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12948904). Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Your resume selected in USAJOBS will be included, but you must re-select other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application may be incomplete. It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/applicant/profile/dashboard/), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.

Application Deadline: 2026-05-18