Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all U.S. Citizens and other current permanent Federal employees of other agencies. Other federal employees will be referred on a separate certificate. Current, permanent employees of the VA should apply to: CBSY-12223217-24-JH

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This is an open and continuous job opportunity announcement. Certificates are issued on an unannounced periodic basis based on requests from management as vacancies occur within the organization. This announcement is set to close on September 30th, 2024, however it may close at any time once all positions are filled.

This position serves as a supervisor within Engineering Service with responsibility for the Future Operations and Planning section at a multi-faceted and affiliated VA Medical Center, including outlying Community Based Outpatient Clinics by performing the following duties:

• Serves as expert in the design of the medical care environment, including all hospital building features, automated building management and environmental control systems, and critical utility systems, as well as the oversight of related construction including construction in and adjacent to operational healthcare environments.
• Collaborates directly with the Chief of Engineering Service, executive leadership, medical staff, nursing staff, and other clinical personnel regarding the design of the environment for medical care.
• Ensures all hospital design and construction projects comply with a multitude of accreditation and regulatory requirements including, but not limited to, those promulgated by the Joint Commission (TJC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
• Provides professional and technical guidance and direction and review of assigned programs, including professional engineering work in several disciplines such as; architecture, civil engineering, energy engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, structural engineering, environmental engineering, fire safety and safety engineering.
• Responsible for the planning, organizing, directing, evaluating, and management processes for the Engineering Service FUOPS/Planning Section that includes setting qualitative and quantitative standards
• Ensures internal personnel-related programs are dealt with in a timely and efficient manner; communicates agency and local policies and priorities to all employees within the projects section; delegates to subordinates the authority and responsibility to carry out assigned tasks; follows progress of each and recommends improvement to be made where warranted; ensures labor/management relations are maintained in accordance with Medical Center policy and procedures; and that other requirements such as effective use of performance standards, EEO policies, and other personnel related rules and regulations are effectively enforced.
• Prepares correspondence, technical reports, estimates, fact sheets, status reports, and schedules as required to complete future project assignments
• Consults with contractor personnel to resolve difficult and complex unforeseen problems and latent conditions encountered during construction.
• Prepares sketches or changes to drawings and specifications to solve problems and incorporates these changed documents into the contract performance documents.

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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following:

Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).

Language Proficiency. Healthcare Engineer candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Education: Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering or Architecture. 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,

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,

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.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

GRADE DETERMINATIONS. In addition to the basic requirements outlined above, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade. Experience includes, but is not limited to, the following: work independently, under general supervision with wide latitude to exercise independent judgment; demonstrate intimate grasp of high order healthcare engineering and capital subject matter; serve as institutional resources for healthcare delivery processes and systems, working extensively with clinical stakeholders, acquisition staff, contractors and executive leadership by leading healthcare engineering programs, technology assessments, integration planning and implementation of both current and emerging technologies; support the delivery of healthcare to patients by contributing to the education of clinical staff, planners and leadership to ensure safe and efficient healthcare delivery; plan, execute and document highly complex, multi-faceted healthcare facility construction projects and inspections while prioritizing resources against approved scopes of work, contract documents and budgets; identify problems and develop innovative solutions within the context of applicable rules, regulations and procedures, as it relates to the healthcare environment.

Supervisory Healthcare Engineer, GS-13.

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 data analysis techniques related to managing workload, quality, performance and productivity within the area of responsibility.
(b) Knowledge related to the management of overall department resources, (i.e., finances space, equipment, supplies, schedules and staffing) at the local level.
(c) Knowledge of the full range of supervisory duties, which include responsibility for assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, training and development, recommendation of awards, advancements and disciplinary actions.
(d) Skill in using effective communication in managing interpersonal relationships, leading and dealing with employees, team leaders, labor representatives and managers.
(e) Ability to balance multiple responsibilities, set priorities, delegate tasks, meet multiple deadlines, analyze organizational problems and develop and implement effective solutions that result in efficient operations.
(f) Ability to draft and/or recommend local policies and/or directives related to healthcare engineering management.
(g) Ability to recognize and assess evolving scenarios, utilizing initiative, self-direction and assigned resources to affect resolutions.

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. At this level, Supervisory Healthcare Engineers are assigned at the facility level, supervising professional engineers and other support positions at GS-13 equivalent and below.

References: VA Handbook 5005/150 Part II, Appendix G72

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13 .

Physical Requirements. You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

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.