Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees and current permanent Federal employees of other agencies.

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The incumbent serves as a resident and program engineer consisting of the planning, design, and overseeing of major healthcare system projects; oversees Professional Architecture/Engineering (A/E) and Construction contracts to ensure the contractor is in compliance with all contractual requirements, healthcare regulations and codes, specifications and schedules are met in accordance with the government's requirements for VA owned and leased facilities. General description of assigned duties:

• Provides engineering support to the assigned healthcare system and is responsible for maintaining construction specifications and drawings, maintaining technical reference library of codes, standards, and other regulations which are applicable to the engineering construction industries Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and others. Serves as a healthcare engineering advisor, engineer consultant, engineer designer, contract administrator, project manager, construction coordinator, and instructor during the design and construction of all project assigned. The position is responsible for providing healthcare engineering support to all assigned projects. This position is responsible for performing the duties of a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) on professional design and construction projects, training service staff on technical issues and assisting the service staff on the completion of technical and administrative issues regarding infrastructure related operations of the medical facility.
• Serves as the Integrated Project Team (IPT) Chairperson, comprised of the diverse and multi-discipline professional team members, consisting of internal and external stakeholders, and is a recognized expert in project management.
• Maintains COR certification to oversee the administration of Facility Engineering Service's Architecture/Engineer and Construction Contracts.
• Supports and advances patient care by applying engineering and managing skills to healthcare engineering.
• The Chief Engineer is a key managerial advisor reporting directly to top Medical Center management. Position is a responsible leader and a member of the Medical Center top management team and is relied on for authoritative advice on all aspects of engineering matters. Position is a fully participating technical advisor in all or almost all significant management planning, policy, and decision-making actions of the Medical Center except those of a primarily medical nature. Position is involved with long and short-range planning, establishing policy, and budgeting for the Medical Center, as well as for all Facilities Management Service programs.
• Research and/or analyzes problems, issues, or program requirements related to all areas of the facility and all facets of Facilities Management Service. Provides expert analysis and advice on complex program issues. Based on operations and changing program requirements.
• Plans and/or accomplishes special projects. Manages special projects for major office or program issues of broad impact. Conceives and implements new initiatives and projects to strengthen, facilitate, and integrate programs. Undertakes or participates in special projects, ongoing analyses, investigations, and initiatives that have high priority for high-level management.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Authorized
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not available, Ad-hoc.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 71118F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Authorized

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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days after the closing dates of this announcement and before placement in the position.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency. Healthcare Engineer candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Education.
  • (1) Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering or Architecture-(Documented). To be acceptable, the curriculum must be from a school with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Engineering Accreditation Commission (excludes engineering technology) or National Council of Architectural Registration Boards curriculum. Examples of acceptable engineering and architectural degrees include, but are not limited to: Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Architecture and Architectural Engineering. Titles may vary from educational institutions and change over time; OR
  • (2) Evidence of passing the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination with a bachelor's degree. Evidence can be in the form of an Engineering in Training certificate issued from any State, the District of Columbia, Guam or Puerto Rico, or test results from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) identifying a passing score; OR
  • (3) Evidence of current professional registration or licensure as a Professional Engineer or Architect. Evidence of current professional registration or licensure can be from any State, the District of Columbia, Guam or Puerto Rico.
  • Foreign Education. To be creditable, engineering, architecture or related education completed outside the U.S. must be submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to a Bachelor's degree as outlined in paragraph 3.b. of this appendix.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements outlined in paragraph above, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Supervisory Healthcare Engineer, GS-14.

• Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to meeting the experience requirements for this grade level, the candidate must fully demonstrate the following KSAs:
  • (a) Knowledge of mechanical, electrical, structural, civil and other engineering/architectural principles, practices and their applications as related to healthcare facilities.
  • (b) Knowledge related to the management of overall healthcare system resources, (i.e., finances, space, equipment, supplies, schedules and staffing).
  • (c) Skill in using effective communication in managing interpersonal relationships with internal and external customers, stakeholders, executive leadership, labor representatives and managers.
  • (d) Skill in balancing multiple responsibilities, setting priorities, delegating tasks and projects, meeting multiple deadlines, analyzing complex organizational problems and developing and implementing effective solutions that result in efficient operations.
  • (e) Skill in applying considerable independent judgment to interpret broad or general national policies and guidelines and adapt/apply them to specific compliant programs at the local healthcare system.
  • (f) Skill in recognizing and assessing evolving scenarios, utilizing initiative, and self-directing and assigning resources to affect resolutions.
  • (g) Skill in complying with national internal and outside regulatory agency and organization (including, but not limited to TJC, OSHA, NFPA, etc.) regulations, requirements, guides, policies, procedures, directives, standards and general medical program requirements as they relate to healthcare engineering.
  • (h) Ability to anticipate, develop and implement strategies in meeting the healthcare system's short-term and long-term strategic goals in a highly fluid environment.
  • (i) Ability to interview candidates for positions, recommend appointments, advancements, or when appropriate, disciplinary actions; evaluate performance and identify continuing education and training needs.
• Assignment. For all supervisory assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity, difficulty, range of variety and be performed by the incumbent as a major duty at least 25% of the time. The incumbent must supervise staff for at least 25% of the time, administratively and technically at the full performance grade level or below. This Supervisory Healthcare Engineer, GS-14 position is the Chief Engineer. Chief Engineers supervise engineering service, including subordinate the Supervisory Healthcare Engineer(s) at the GS-13 level, to ensure compliance with VA, TJC and a variety of other prevailing codes and standards. In addition to Chief Engineers' integral role in providing capability and capacity for the primary medical mission, they ensure the availability of facilities for complex medical research and participate in community partnerships and supports Department of Defense contingency planning. Chief Engineers supervise the engineering staff to accomplish the operations of the service. As Chief Engineers, they exercise the full range of supervisory responsibility to include but not limited to development of performance standards and performance evaluations; recommendations for appointment, awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary actions and identification of continuing training needs.

Preferred Experience: Supervisory experience 5+ years, knowledge of construction, contracting and policies involving Facilities Management.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is 14.

Physical Requirements: The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, training rooms, and libraries. The work area is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated. The incumbent must also work outdoors in all types of weather. There may be occasional exposure to moderate risks or discomforts in storage areas or hazardous waste sites. The work is primarily sedentary, although some physical effort may be required, e.g., walking, standing, climbing ladders, stooping, kneeling, and carrying light items such as manuals or briefcases, or driving or traveling by motor vehicle.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.