Clarification from the agency

The area of consideration is current, permanent employees of the Malcom Randall Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and satellite offices, those employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs and other federal agencies. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Videos

VA Careers - Biomedical Engineer: https://youtube.com/embed/F571hsIKQUk

The Supervisory Biomedical Engineer (BME) for the Healthcare Technology Management/Biomedical Engineering service for the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System (NF/SGVHS). Incumbent serves as the Service Chief and reports to the Associate Director of Operations at the Malcolm Randall VAMC.

Duties Include:

• Supervises subordinate Biomedical Engineers and the Supervisory Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist.
• The supervisory biomedical engineer is responsible for managing overall department resources. i.e., finance, space, equipment, supplies, and staffing at this highly complex university-affiliated medical center.
• The Supervisory Biomedical Engineer will have ongoing responsibility to support VISN biomedical engineering initiatives and may be assigned additional responsibilities be the Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) Program Office.
• The range of supervisory responsibility includes development of performance standards and performance evaluations; recommendations for appointment; awards; advancements; and when appropriate, disciplinary actions and identification of continuing training needs, etc.
• The Supervisory Biomedical Engineering (clinical) is responsible for compliance and reporting of medical device, cyber security, and isolation for facilities under their management oversight.
• Provides projects management, or oversees project management for the purchase, planning, construction design review, installation, the in-service training stages of major medical technology initiatives.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am to 4pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 55456F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): May be Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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.
• 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 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 trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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:

• Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3.g.)
• English Language Proficiency. Biomedical Engineers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.
• Education and/or Experience. The individual must meet either item (1) or (2) below to meet this requirement:(1)
• Bachelor's Degree or Higher in Engineering.-Transcripts Submitted To be creditable, the curriculum must be from a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), as a professional engineering curriculum. Examples of acceptable engineering degrees include: Biomedical Engineering, Clinical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biomechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Biochemical Engineering. Titles may vary from educational institutions and change over time.

OR

• (2) Certification as a Certified Clinical Engineer (CCE) and a bachelor's degree not listed in item 3.b.(1) above. (Documentation Supplied)

Grade Determinations:

Supervisory Biomedical Engineer (Clinical), GS-14

• Experience. Completion of at least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower level, and must fully meet the KSAs at that level.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the biomedical engineer (clinical) must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • i. Ability to manage overall department resources, i.e., finance, space, 14 equipment, supplies, and staffing at a highly complex medical center or at the VISN level.
  • ii. Ability to develop local or VISN policies and/or draft directives related to healthcare technology management.
  • iii. Skill in balancing multiple responsibilities, setting priorities, delegating tasks and projects, meeting multiple deadlines, analyzing organizational problems, and developing and implementing effective solutions.
  • iv. Ability to analyze complex organizational and operational problems to develop and implement solutions that result in efficient operations, and use data effectively to manage workload, quality, performance, and productivity within the area of responsibility.
  • v. Skill in interpersonal relationships leading and dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers, within and outside the biomedical engineering program, to include conflict management, dispute resolution, mediation, or reasonable accommodations.
• Assignment. For all 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 at least 25% of the time. At this level, employees are supervisors and are at the facility, VISN, or National Program Office level. The supervisory biomedical engineer (clinical) is assigned overall biomedical engineering program management responsibility typically found at a university affiliated tertiary care facility (complexity level 1,) with one or more subordinate biomedical engineers. In this assignment, supervisory biomedical engineers at the facility level will have notable ongoing responsibilities, supporting VISN biomedical engineering initiatives, and/or notable ongoing responsibilities as assigned by the Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) Program Office.

OR,

• At the VISN level, the supervisory biomedical engineer (clinical) is responsible for oversight and coordination of facility biomedical engineering programs, and will serve as the primary liaison between the HTM Program Office and the VISN and facilities. The supervisory biomedical engineer (clinical) must have notable ongoing responsibilities, as assigned by the HTM Program Office. The supervisory biomedical engineer (clinical) is responsible for compliance and reporting of medical device security and isolation for facilities under their management oversight.

OR,

• At the national level, the supervisory biomedical engineer (clinical) is assigned responsibility for specific program areas within the HTM Program Office.

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).

• Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA in this occupation, on the effective date of this qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education, and/or certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:
  • (1) Such employees in an occupation that does not require a certification/registration, may be reassigned, promoted, or demoted within the occupation.
  • (2) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis, prior to the effective date of the qualification standard, may not have their temporary appointment extended, or be reappointed on a temporary, or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
  • (3) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or certification/registration, that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard, must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
  • (4) If an employee, who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3) 4. BASIC REQUIREMENTS. 4 under this provision, leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status, and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

Preferred Experience: Previous supervisory experience. Skill in balancing multiple responsibilities, setting priorities, delegating tasks and projects, meeting multiple deadlines, analyzing organizational problems and developing and implementing solutions.

Ability to analyze complex organizational and operational problems to develop and implement solutions that result in efficient operations.

Use data effectively to manage workload quality, performance and productivity within the area of responsibility.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14.

Physical Requirements: The position is mostly sedentary. Occasionally requires duties that are physically demanding involving walking, sitting, standing, climbing ladders, crouching, crawling, stooping, reaching, kneeling, and some prolonged periods of intense concentration, under adverse conditions. Lifting of objects between 10 and 40 pounds is common, and on occasion lifting of heavier objects is necessary. Trips to satellite outpatient clinics are sometimes necessary and will involve transportation via station vehicle or privately-owned 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.