Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

$70,623

Washington, District of ColumbiaFull-timePosted Oct 22, 2026

Against the Washington typical range

Job description

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is located in Smithsonian Institution, Office of Protection Services. The Office of Protection Services (OPS) is responsible for overseeing, a large museum/complex law enforcement and security program, and leading and providing protection throughout the Smithsonian Institution.

The Safety and Occupational Health Specialist is responsible for assisting and supporting the OPS Safety and Occupational Health Managers to maintain a safe and healthy environment for employees, visitors, contractors, students-in-residence and volunteers. In this position, you will: Assist with managing safety programs by conducting investigations regarding mishaps, accidents and/or employee complaints.

Coordinate all aspects of inspections including planning and conducting inspections in a variety of work environments. Assist with the compilation and summarization of information for annual safety reports. Create and disseminate written information to employees regarding the safety program.

Basic Qualifications

Undergraduate and Graduate Education : Major study -- safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or 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 Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5) : Experience in or related to safety and occupational health that provided the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. In addition to the basic qualification requirement above, you must also meet the specialized experience listed below.

Experience: GS-09: You qualify for this position if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service or comparable pay band system. For this position specialized experience is defined as: assisting with safety and health programs, supporting safety inspections and investigations, identifying hazards, and recommending corrective actions OR Master's or equivalent graduate degree OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.

B. or J.D., if related OR Combination of Education and Experience: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications. For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards . Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.

S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. GS-11: You qualify for this position if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal service or comparable pay band system.

For this position specialized experience is defined as: assisting with safety and health programs, conducting safety inspections and investigations, identifying hazards, implementing corrective actions, and preparing reports and training materials to support workplace safety and compliance OR 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 of Education and Experience: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications. For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards . Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.

S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and specialized experience required for this position.

Do not copy language directly from the vacancy announcement, as you will be deemed ineligible for consideration. Instead, provide detailed, descriptive information about your actual experience. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, Ameri.

Corps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; 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.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

Basic Qualifications

Undergraduate and Graduate Education : Major study -- safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or 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 Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5) : Experience in or related to safety and occupational health that provided the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.

Description copied from Smithsonian Institution's careers page. Read the full posting before you apply.

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