Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent Department of Veterans Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies, and current/past/upcoming VHA Health Professions Trainee (HPT) Graduates. Veterans' Preference is not applicable. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Videos

Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

• Supports and advises the Chief Engineer; serves with full authority in their absence.
• Participates in Medical Center planning, policy development, and budgeting for Engineering Service.
• Provides technical consultation on all engineering program areas and collaborates with service lines to meet mission requirements.- Manages planning, organizing, directing, and evaluating Engineering Service programs.
• Provides professional engineering guidance across multiple disciplines, including civil, mechanical, electrical, structural, environmental, and fire/safety engineering.
• Develops Medical Center policies, procedures, and resource allocations for assigned programs.
• Oversees human resources functions including workforce planning, performance management, training, hiring, and labor relations.
• Represents Engineering Service in VISN-level coordination and collaborates with other VA engineers and leadership.
• Supports VISN capital and energy programs, including SCIP, CAPRES, and deferred maintenance initiatives.
• Participates in VISN and national committees and work groups.- Contributes to strategic capital planning, project scope development, and facility master planning.
• Manages and supports fire and life safety programs to meet VA and Joint Commission requirements.
• Identifies and mitigates risks related to utility systems, physical environment, and facility infrastructure.
• Oversees medical equipment management programs and ensures clinical environments support mission needs.
• Ensures compliance with federal, state, and local regulations (OSHA, EPA, FDA, TJC, CAP, etc.).
• Adjusts engineering services and operations to meet national initiatives such as energy conservation and hazardous waste management.
• Maintains effective relations with local governments, unions, professional societies, affiliated universities, and research leaders.
• Supports and maintains controlled research laboratory environments and advanced equipment.
• Formulates, justifies, and executes Engineering Service budgets; provides financial reporting and analysis.
• Advises leadership on financial impacts, resource planning, reprogramming, and cost considerations.
• Conducts research and analysis on engineering issues; develops new analytical techniques and provides expert recommendations.
• Serves as principal advisor on administrative management for Engineering Service.
• Oversees personnel management functions, documentation, classification, recruitment, promotions, awards, and compliance with reporting requirements.
• Develops long-range plans for Engineering Service operations, resources, and programs.
• Leads special projects, analyses, reviews, and cross-agency initiatives; develops and administers training.
• Provides professional engineering and architectural analysis; mentors engineers; reviews design plans and specifications.
• Manages capital improvement programs; identifies space needs, renovations, and leases.
• Oversees construction administration, including inspections, materials review, problem resolution, and ensuring compliance with VA, AIA, FGI, ASHRAE, and USP standards.
• Prepares technical reports, estimates, schedules, correspondence, and contract modifications.
• Provides expert review of shop drawings, submittals, and materials for contract compliance.

Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May Be Authorized for a Highly Qualified candidate
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): May Be Authorized for a Highly Qualified candidate
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
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).
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
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 635-551220
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): May Be Authorized for a Highly Qualified candidate

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.
• 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 identification 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).
• 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

Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

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

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

Education. Applicants must meet one of the following:

1. A Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering or Architecture from a school with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), Engineering Accreditation Commission (excluding engineering technology), or the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).Acceptable degrees include Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Architecture, and Architectural Engineering. Degree titles may vary by institution and over time; OR

2. Evidence of passing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination with a bachelor's degree. Evidence may include an Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certificate from any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico, or NCEES test results showing a passing score; OR

3. Evidence of current professional registration or licensure as a Professional Engineer or Architect from any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico.

Grandfathering Provision. 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).

Foreign Education. Education completed outside the U.S. must be evaluated by a private organization specializing in foreign educational credential interpretation. The education must be deemed equivalent to a U.S. Bachelor's degree as described under the Education section above.

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

GRADE DETERMINATIONS. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet the following criteria for the Supervisory Healthcare Engineer (Deputy), GS-13 position:

Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12).

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). Candidates must fully demonstrate the following:

• Knowledge of the management of overall healthcare system resources, (i.e., finances, space, equipment, supplies, schedules and staffing).
• Knowledge of mechanical, electrical, structural, civil and other engineering/architectural principles, practices and their applications as related to healthcare facilities.
• Skill in using effective communication in managing interpersonal relationships with internal and external customers, stakeholders, executive leadership, labor representatives and managers.
• Skill in balancing priorities, delegating tasks and meeting multiple competing deadlines.
• Skill in interpreting broad or general national policies and guidelines and adapting/applying them to specific compliant programs at the local healthcare system.
• Skill in recognizing and assessing evolving scenarios, utilizing initiative, self-direction and assigned resources to affect resolutions.
• Ability to analyze complex organizational problems and develop and implement effective solutions that result in efficient operations.
• 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.
• Ability to ensure compliance with healthcare industry standards and regulatory agency and organization (including but not limited to TJC, OSHA, NFPA, etc.), regulations, requirements, guides, policies, procedures, directives and general medical program requirements as they relate to healthcare engineering.
• 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-13, position is the deputy to the Supervisory Healthcare Engineer, GS- 14, who supervises professional engineers and other support staff. They supervise the engineering service to accomplish the operations of the service. The deputy, as an assistant chief, in this position exercises 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. The deputy provides a safe, reliable and precisely controlled operating environment for direct patient care. They are experts in the design, sustainment and improvement of the medical care environment, including all hospital building features, automated building management and environmental control systems, critical utility systems and medical equipment technology. They work under the authority and direction of the Supervisory Healthcare Engineer, GS-14, and may collaborate directly with executive leadership, medical staff, nursing staff and other clinical personnel regarding the design and operation of the environment for medical care. They manage the healthcare system's capital assets program and construction projects. They educate and advise clinical staff on the safe use of critical building features, utility systems and fire prevention systems as they relate to the environment of care. They educate and advise clinical staff on medical equipment technology including selection, operation, safety and security. Deputies/Assistant Chiefs ensure the healthcare system complies with a multitude of VA established or adopted standards, codes, accreditation and regulatory requirements including, but not limited to, those issued by TJC, OSHA and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In summary, they apply engineering concepts and methodologies to enhance the delivery of healthcare by providing a technologically advanced, safe and reliable healthcare environment. They coordinate the operational planning, organizing, directing, evaluating and management process for service line programs, which may include setting qualitative and quantitative standards. They may develop and provide the Executive Leadership Team and the clinical staff information on the methods, techniques and procedures necessary to integrate engineering, maintenance, biomedical, capital management and other engineering 12 programs into the mission of the medical center. They assist the Supervisory Healthcare Engineer, GS-14, with oversight of the TJC, Environment of Care Programs for Utility Systems Management, Safety, Life Safety and Medical Equipment Management for both their assigned medical center and all CBOCs.

Preferred Experience: Leadership or supervisory experience and experience overseeing construction projects.

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

This position is above the full performance level.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.

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.

Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.
2. All other VA employees.
3. Current permanent Federal employees of other agencies.