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Engineering Technician

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Tomah VA Medical Center

Summary

The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a Project Section, Engineering Technician. This position works with a high level of independence, with little or no technical guidance received from the Supervisor and/or Chief, Engineering Service. Assignments are broad in scope and performed at both the Medical Center and the Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC's) under its control, with goals to be achieved outlined.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$74,678 - $97,087 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Not required
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
Yes
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
CAZP-13111115-27-JI
Control number
891897800

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Duties

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Major duties:

  • Initiate all required correspondence pertaining to supplemental agreements, specification changes, etc.
  • Responsible for all aspects of service contract oversight, including initial development, and installation.
  • Inspect construction work, along with Medical Center project work to assure conformance with plans, specifications, and applicable codes. Maintains timely progress records, logs, reports, and documents.
  • Prepare project documents for submission to the Network requesting authorization and funding. This includes detailed project description; justification; selection methodology analysis, prioritizing, and scoring; workload and space criteria analysis; environmental impact analysis; estimating project costs, including technical services, construction, impact, equipment, recurring and non-recurring expenses, and contingencies; and other documents necessary to support the validity of the project.
  • Administer contracts for compliance, evaluates submissions, and processes payment applications and invoices within required time frames.
  • Prepare plans, specifications, and estimates for complex projects, which include multi-disciplinary architectural, fire and safety, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, telecommunication, analog and digital electronics, and hazardous material abatement design.
  • Serve as the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and administers contracted projects to ensure contractor compliance with drawings, specifications, regulations, and policy.
  • Perform field investigations and measurements to gain first-hand knowledge and to gather architectural and engineering data necessary to document conditions for design, construction, and engineering records.
  • Serve as the OSHA certified "Competent Person" to ensure construction work areas and practices
    are managed in accordance with the safety standards.
  • Assists in conducting engineering, structural and land surveys. He/she does the major portion of the development of initial plans and technical specifications for maintenance, repair, alterations, additions, modernizations, and new construction projects relative to the physical plan of the VA Health Care System and all outpatient clinics including roads, grounds, structures, buildings, utilities, distribution systems, building service equipment, operations equipment, furnishings, and other physical property.
  • Research requests for engineering work. Visits site and discusses request with the requestor to assure understanding of work desired and to obtain information on existing conditions that would affect or be affected by the work.
  • Prepares working drawings of proposed work and/or existing conditions complete with accurate field measurements, elevations, and other pertinent information and conditions. Makes engineering studies to determine the feasibility and requirements of proposed projects.


Work Schedule: Full time, Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Telework: Not authorized
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Engineering Technician/PD24014A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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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
  • 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)

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/13/2026.

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 11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS 10. 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.



You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

  • Specialized Experience GS-11: Do you possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-10) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization? Specialized Experience for this position includes but is not limited to: Knowledge and skills necessary to prepare complex drawings, estimates, and specifications for architectural, fire and safety, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, telecommunication, electronic and digital controls, and asbestos abatement on maintenance, repair, alteration, and/or total replacement of facility and building components.; Knowledge and experience with various construction trades, practices, materials, and methods.; Knowledge and experience with AutoCAD, Revit and Microsoft Office Software including Microsoft Word and Excel.; Knowledge and experience with federal, state, and local building codes, standards, and regulations, including various national codes and standards such as the National Electrical Code, National Plumbing Code, Life Safety Code, American Concrete Institute (ACI) Standards, Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), and Joint Commission. Each of these is relevant to a separate field of Engineering.; Knowledge and experience with various construction trades, practices, materials, and methods.; able to prepare, read and interpret engineering and structural drawings and specification.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Project Management
  • Quality Management
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Safety Engineering
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork
  • 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: Work involves regular sitting, walking, bending, climbing, and crawling in or around the facility and construction sites. Work hours can vary from the norm depending upon the circumstances surrounding project performance, which can entail night, weekend, and/or extended work hours. Use of motor vehicles to travel to CBOC's.

Work Environment: Work is occasionally performed in construction areas with inherent hazards and can include areas of adverse environments which contain suspended dust and other particulate, have high ambient or impact noise levels, resonate with vibrations, or range in temperature and humidity extremes. Much of the work is involved in clean construction areas and office setting. There may be some exposure to contagious diseases or potential for exposure to asbestos contaminated materials in the Medical Center buildings. There maybe a risk of accident and injury in the inspection process. However, exposures and injuries should be mitigated by following proper safety precautions. Off-Campus Travel: Occasionally travels to other VA-owned/leased facilities/sites located in Wisconsin; satellite CBOC sites, to include annexes and clinics. The incumbent is required to maintain up to date VAMC training that enables the use of government vehicles with the VAMC fleet.

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/.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Project Management
  • Quality Management
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Safety Engineering
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork
  • Technical Competence


Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.

Veterans Health Administration

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?

VAMC Tomah (http://www.tomah.va.gov/) has been improving the health for those who have so proudly served our nation. Services are available to Veterans living in a Western/Central area of Wisconsin.

In addition to our main facility in Tomah, we offer services in four community-based outpatient clinics. These clinics are located in La Crosse, Clark County, Wausau, and Wisconsin Rapids. VAMC Tomah is one of 8 facilities that comprise Veterans Integrated Services Network 12 which is administratively headquartered at Westchester, IL, and includes facilities in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

Agency contact information

Jessica Ireland
Phone
812-657-0717
Email
Jessica.Ireland1@va.gov
Address
Tomah VA Medical Center
500 East Veterans Street
Tomah, WI 54660
US

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http://www.va.gov/jobs

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