Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent employees of the VA Boston Healthcare System, Engineering service only. This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent employees.

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The Supervisory Facility Operations Manager serves as the principal operational authority for the facility operations at the assigned campus for the VA Boston Healthcare System (VABHS) and functions in line management capacity under the administrative direction of the Deputy Director, Engineering Service. The incumbent bears primary responsibility for functions of the Engineering Service at the duty station including maintaining the Environment of Care on a day-to-day basis. The incumbent exercises standing operational authority for facility operations programs and routinely acts on behalf of Engineering Service Leadership in approving operational decisions necessary to ensure continuity of care, life safety, and regulatory compliance. In these roles the incumbent would hold the responsibility for all engineering operations Medical Center wide, including the three (3) campuses, seven (7) leases and three (3) off campus residence houses.

Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Responsible for the development, management, and execution of a comprehensive facility operations program.
• Serve as the senior technical authority for facility operations in a 1A complexity medical center.
• Require up-to-date knowledge of modern management procedures, accounting, budgeting and facility operations principles.
• Direct, coordinate, and oversee work of outside agencies, architects, engineers, planners, and contractors.
• Prioritize and assure timely, economical accomplishment of construction/modernization projects in coordination with outside agencies, architects, engineers, planners, and contractors.
• Interview and select candidates for the positions within the unit.
• Evaluate performances and conduct performance appraisals.
• Perform technical/administrative work involving managing and administering leave programs, vacation, and time cards.
• Responsible for facility master planning to provide a safe, secure, reliable Environment of Care.
• Assure compliance with applicable codes, regulations, standards criteria, and sound professional facility operations judgment.
• Evaluate and assess facility long-range facilities needs.
• Exercise substantial delegated authority over facilities operations, resources and priorities, balancing competing clinical, compliance, and infrastructure demands.
• Maintenance and repair infrastructure of all medical and administrative service buildings, patient residences, and commercial/industrial support structures.
• Resolve minor complaints from employees referring group grievances and more serious unresolved complaints to a higher level supervisor or manager.
• Investigate, review, plan and advise on various unusual, controversial, or technically difficult problems or conditions.
• Use resourcefulness, perception, and sound judgment, to interpret general guidelines, to deviate or extend traditional practices, methods, and techniques to resolve issues.
• Approve and coordinate day-to-day construction phasing plans and construction activities as they relate to the maintenance of the Environment of Care - continuity of operations.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Telework: Ad-hoc may be authorized.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Facility Operations Specialist/PD523-04084-0
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Notifications:

• This position is in the Competitive Service.
• Current federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.
• Interchange Agreements with Other Merit System: Employees who occupy medical or medical-related positions and were appointed under 38 U.S.C. 4701(1) or (3) [formerly 38 U.S.C. 4104 (1) and (3)] must be serving in a full-time position without time limit and have served continuously for at least one year in this other merit system to be eligible to convert to the Title 5 System. Some exceptions to this rule may apply if you have previously acquired tenure under a Title 5 appointment.
• This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay.
• Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employee.
• Selectee may be required to work at any VA Boston Healthcare System campus or CBOC, as needed.
• Incomplete applications will not be considered.

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
• 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)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/22/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

Supervisory Facility Operations Specialist, Series 1640
Individual Occupational Requirements

Education:
Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- engineering, industrial arts, property management, or business administration.

OR

Experience:
Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

• Managing a maintenance program for office or apartment building complexes, hospitals, recreation facilities, military, or other special-purpose installations, including planning maintenance activities, and developing preventive maintenance programs.

• Conducting surveillance activities over construction and maintenance operations performed by a variety of private contractors, including reviewing project plans and specifications for workability, informing contractors of construction and reporting requirements, and supervising operations for conformance with project plans.

• Performing maintenance or construction work, including estimating material and labor costs for a variety of construction or maintenance projects (such as construction or maintenance of brick, frame, structural steel, reinforced concrete, and other type structures ranging from one- or two-story buildings to larger structures), directing actual work operations, and maintaining appropriate contacts with the organization funding the project.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• General Engineering
• Managing Human Resources
• Project Management
• Technical Competence

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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements:
The work requires the incumbent to carry a good deal of equipment (50lbs) and involves walking, standing, bending, crawling during surveys. Protective devices and equipment must be worn as required by the hazard of incidence. Incumbent is required to work at different sites of the medical center or at locations designated by the VA Boston Healthcare System.

Work Environment:
Work is usually performed in offices, meeting rooms, or similar settings. Many positions involve travel, including the normal everyday risks and discomforts of auto, bus, rail, and air transportation. However, the incumbent may be required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when visiting construction sites where there are physical hazards such as falling objects, tripping, electrical shock, burns, dust debris, noise, chemicals and other physical and environmental hazards.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

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 WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

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.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the 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.