Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (Information Systems)

• Manages and maintains medical servers and networks diagnostic software virtual platforms and clinical applications software.
• Manages projects involving medical equipment and clinical systems to include procurement installation and maintenance.
• Manages hardware components of virtual servers physical servers and medical workstations.
• Facilitates operating system updates upgrades and virus protection.
• Identifies troubleshoots and completes corrective action for issues related to networked medical equipment and clinical systems.
• Evaluates compatibility and adaptability of medical equipment and clinical systems to integrate with the electronic health record or other clinical systems.
• Reviews coordinates and implements available software patches updates and system/data backups with staff and manufacturers.
• Coordinates implements and manages cybersecurity measures and disaster recovery plans.
• Effectively responds to investigates and documents cybersecurity incidents involving medical equipment and clinical systems.
• Responds to and remediates hazard alerts recall notifications and incidents concerning medical equipment and clinical systems. Documents all actions in the appropriate system.
• Monitors cybersecurity metrics and initiates corrective action to address deficiencies.
• Complies with the facilitys medical device protection program. Ensures networked medical equipment and clinical systems are inventoried in the appropriate database.
• Serves as a subject matter expert on assigned committees projects and workgroups.
• Manages the lifecycle of medical equipment and clinical systems.
• Troubleshoots medical equipment and clinical systems using a variety of technical data and completes corrective action.
• Performs incoming inspections and planned maintenance on medical equipment and clinical systems.
• Documents all work in the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS).
• Utilizes test equipment in accordance with manufacturer instructions.
• Provides customer support to staff evaluates issues and needs responds with solutions and keeps customers abreast of status.
• Educates staff on the safe operation and user-level maintenance of medical equipment and clinical systems.
• Serves as a Contracting Officers Representative (COR) and/or purchase card holder.
• Develops documentation to purchase commodities and/or vendor services. Manages monitors and evaluates contractor performance and addresses issues or deficiencies.
• Complies with applicable standards policies procedures and regulatory requirements.
• Provides guidance and mentorship to expand professional knowledge and enhance technical skillsets.
• Maintains and enhances knowledge in technological advancements through professional development and technical training.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 07:00am - 03:30pm or 08:00am - 04:30pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 53390-F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

• 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 ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued identification 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 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.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Education Experience or Certification.
  1. Associates or higher degree in the biomedical technology or biomedical engineering field; OR
  2. Associates or higher degree in electronics a field of information technology or engineering (other than biomedical engineering) AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR
  3. Completion of the Department of Defense (DOD) biomedical equipment technician training program; OR
  4. Completion of a DOD training program in repair and maintenance of electronic systems or information technology AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR
  5. Completion of a biomedical engineering technician or Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) certificate program that included an internship or apprenticeship; OR
  6. Completion of biomedical engineering technician or HTM certificate program that did not include an internship AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR
  7. Hold or having ever held certification as a Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET) Certified Radiology Equipment Specialist (CRES) Certified Laboratory Equipment Specialist (CLES) or Certified Healthcare Technology Manager (CHTM). Continuous maintenance of certification is not required throughout VHA employment.
• Foreign Education. To be creditable education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).

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).

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade levels specified.

• Biomedical Support Specialist (Information Systems) GS-12
  • Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-11). Experience includes managing medical equipment and clinical systems including installation planned maintenance troubleshooting repair calibrations electrical safety inspections patient safety cybersecurity and decommissioning. BESSs plan implement and provide technical and project oversight for medical equipment and clinical systems. BESSs develop technical requirements draft requests for proposal (RFP) language sole-source justifications and statements of work (SOW). They conduct market research product evaluations evaluate contractor performance and conduct pre-procurement assessments. They serve as a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR) to purchase medical equipment maintenance and repair contracts and facility projects as needed. BESSs conduct pre- purchase evaluations and address pre-implementation security issues to ensure medical device isolation architecture (MDIA) requirements are met.
  • Knowledge Skills & Abilities:
    • Knowledge of Health Level 7 (HL7) and Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standards.
    • Knowledge of advanced testing methods to troubleshoot networked medical equipment and clinical system interfaces.
    • Skill in maintaining computer and server based medical equipment databases and software.
    • Skill in managing medical equipment and clinical system projects that interface with an electronic health record or other information systems.
    • Skill in applying cybersecurity standards to medical devices and clinical systems such as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines.
    • Ability to apply information security tools including virus protection software updates and operating system patches.
    • Ability to establish a medical network including VLAN configuration Internet Protocol addressing and network security.
  • Assignment: For all assignments above the FPL the higher-level duties must be of significant scope administrative independence complexity and range of variety as described in this standard at the specific grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. At the advanced level the BESS in addition to the duties at the FPL manage medical servers and networks diagnostic software virtual platforms and clinical applications software. They manage projects for medical equipment and clinical systems that interface with the electronic health record or other information systems. BESSs (Information Systems) manage virtual and physical hardware components including storage memory processing graphical and network interfaces. They facilitate operating system updates upgrades and virus protection. BESSs (Information Systems) perform maintenance for networked systems. They leverage resources and knowledge to minimize the need for unit and intermediate-level service contracts and manufacturer or vendor expenditures for tasks that can be completed in-house. BESSs (Information Systems) identify and troubleshoot issues related to networked medical equipment and clinical systems. They evaluate compatibility and adaptability of biomedical devices for integration to the electronic health record. BESSs (Information Systems) regularly review coordinate and implement available software patches updates and system or data backups with other BESSs manufacturers informatics and IT staff. They are responsible for compliance with physical security privacy and information standards and infrastructure standards. BESSs (Information Systems) ensure compliance of networked clinical systems to all Medical Device Protection Program (MDPP) requirements. They design implement and manage appropriate security measures and disaster recovery plans critical to ensure system uptime and prevent loss of patient data from critical medical equipment and clinical systems.

Preferred Experience:

• Preferred at least 3 years demonstrated ability experience and subject matter expertise managing networked medical equipment at a 2 complexity or similar hospital biomedical engineering section.
• Thorough understanding and subject matter expertise of the Enterprise Risk Assessment process Medical Device Protection Program and VA Medical Device Isolation Architecture
• Subject matter expertise in mitigating and addressing cybersecurity threats in a healthcare setting on medical servers and workstations
• Preferred at least 2 years demonstrated experience with virtual machines/servers set up and overall system administration (Such as Cisco Hyperflex)
• Preferred training/certifications such as CompTIA N and CompTIA S Comp TIA A and CCNA etc. as well as training for cybersecurity and healthcare information technology management
• Demonstrated excellent administrative and communication skills

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: A pre-placement examination will be required to be able to determine if the incumbent is able to safely operate a Government Vehicle. Preferably under the Requirements