Clarification from the agency

Open to US Citizens.

Videos

Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Responsible for strengthening and enhancing healthcare facility engineering and operations.
• Key managerial advisor reporting directly to top Medical Center management.
• 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.
• Responsible for the planning, organizing, directing, evaluating, and management process for the Engineering Service that includes setting qualitative and quantitative standards.
• Develops and provides the Medical Center executive leadership and the clinical staff information on the methods, techniques, and procedures necessary to integrate these programs into the mission of the Medical Center.
• Provides advice to management and program personnel on budgetary and finance issues.
• Exercises responsibility for budget formulation, presentation, and execution.
• Maintains awareness of and information about the overall status of financial resources for the office in order to react to changing situations with timely recommendations.
• Provides expert analysis and advice on complex program issues.
• Collects relevant information from many varied sources, some of which are difficult to access.
• Devises new analytical techniques to evaluate findings.
• Plans and/or accomplishes special projects.
• Manages special projects for major office or program issues of broad impact.
• Undertakes or participates in special projects, ongoing analyses, investigations, and initiatives that have high priority for high-level management.
• Coordinates and oversees scheduling and layout of operations, inspection and surveillance of materials, methods, and equipment used in construction and renovation managed by subordinate engineers and engineering technicians.
• Provides technical resource information to other engineering supervisors.

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.
• 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

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).

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 Exam 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 from any State, the District of Columbia, Guam or Puerto Rico. English Language Proficiency Healthcare Engineer

English Language Proficiency

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

GS-14 Requirements

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, (i.e., TJC, OSHA, NFPA, etc.), regulations, requirements, guides, policies, procedures, directives 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 in the section, recommend appointments, advancements, or when appropriate, disciplinary actions; evaluate performance and identify continuing education and training needs.

Assignment

This Supervisory Healthcare Engineer, GS-14 position is the Chief Engineer. Chief Engineers supervise engineering service, including subordinate 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 service 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.

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.