Healthcare Engineer

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The position serves as program engineer consisting of the planning design and overseeing of major healthcare system projects; oversees Professional Architecture/Engineering (A/E) and Construction contracts to ensure the contractor is in compliance with all contractual requirements healthcare regulations and codes specifications and schedules are met in accordance with the governments requirements for VA owned and leased facilities.Duties for the position may include but are not limited to:

• Determines the requirements for healthcare projects in relation to the needs of the Healthcare System inclusive of the parent site as well as off-site locations under the auspice of the Healthcare System whether VA owned or leased.
• Provides in-depth reviews on all design submissions to include healthcare code compliance and references within the documents for regulations and codes applied to healthcare.
• Plays an essential role in resolving conflicts in designs and in the construction field to reduce and prevent large cost and time impacts for projects while ensuring the project VA standards and adopted codes.
• Performs evaluations on medical care programs and services to ensure assigned projects are aligned and support the healthcare organizations needs and requirements for expansion of service and/or efficient flow of operation.
• Position develops initial concept documents creates and maintains project and lease applications in multiple VA database systems such as the Veterans Support Service Center (VSSC) Strategic Capital Investment Planning Tool and Capital Assets Inventory. Tracks and manages the status changes and updates to projects over their life cycle.
• Coordinates construction activities for a wide range and variety of interrelated systems and services. Coordinates and monitors planning and answers design problems for the multi-disciplinary projects including all components of the project life cycle from initial planning and concept to design to construction project completion and warranty periods.
• Performs an array of pre-planning activities that include coordinating cross-departmental planning meetings developing Scopes of Work conceptual project designs and government cost estimates and ensures project documents are produced in accordance with VA Contracting and Information Security requirements.
• Develops specifications and plans for alterations additions to existing buildings grounds utility plants and systems as well as for preparing the site for the installation of highly complex medical equipment ranging from smaller Ultrasound type equipment to larger Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) type equipment.
• Reviewing contractor submittals contractor change order requests assuring project compliance with drawings and specifications administering A/E and VA Headquarters review processes assuring safety practices and making sound engineering recommendations to appropriate leadership for action.

• 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 ( 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 evaluation/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.

• 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.

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:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: Healthcare Engineer candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English.
• Education and Experience: Must possess any of the following:
  • Bachelors degree or higher in Engineering or Architecture. To be acceptable the curriculum must be from a school with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Engineering Accreditation Commission (excludes engineering technology) or National Council of Architectural Registration Boards curriculum. Examples of acceptable engineering and architectural degrees include but are not limited to: Electrical Engineering Mechanical Engineering Biomedical Engineering Civil Engineering Architecture and Architectural Engineering. Titles may vary from educational institutions and change over time; OR
  • Evidence of passing the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination with a bachelors degree. Evidence can be in the form of an Engineering in Training certificate issued from any State the District of Columbia Guam or Puerto Rico or test results from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) identifying a passing score; OR
  • Evidence of current professional registration or licensure as a Professional Engineer or Architect. Evidence of current professional registration or licensure can be from any State the District of Columbia Guam or Puerto Rico.
• Foreign Education. To be creditable engineering architecture or related education completed outside the U.S. must be submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to a Bachelors degree as outlined in paragraph 3.b. of this appendix.

• Employees may be reassigned promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
• Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels.
• 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.
• Employees who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.
• Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.

• (a) One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade; OR
• (b) Master of Engineering degree or Master of Architecture degree or Master of Science degree in Engineering or a related field of study as outlined in paragraph 3.b.(1); OR
• (c) Bachelors degree as outlined in paragraph 3.b.(1) plus two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education in a related field of study provided the applicants total background demonstrates the core competencies for GS-09 level assignment.

• Knowledge of the principles theories concepts and practices of the engineering profession.
• Ability to interpret relevant codes regulations guidelines and standards to make recommendations to assure compliance with healthcare facility programs.
• Ability to understand the operational professional engineering needs of clinical services in the healthcare system.
• Ability to prepare material on current technical topics and trends for presentation to other technical staff and mid-level hospital management and to keep abreast of changes in engineering technology related to a healthcare facility.

• (a) One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade; OR
• (b) Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in Engineering or a related field of engineering as outlined in paragraph 3.b.(1);OR
• (c) Master of Engineering degree Master of Architecture degree Master of Science degree in Engineering or a related field of study as outlined in paragraph 3.b.(1) plus 1 full year of progressively higher-level graduate education in a related field of study provided the applicants total background demonstrates the knowledge skills and abilities for GS-11 level assignment; OR
• (d) Bachelors degree as outlined in paragraph 3.b.(1) plus 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education in a related field of study provided the applicants total background demonstrates the knowledge skills and abilities for GS-11 level assignment.

• Knowledge of either mechanical electrical structural civil or other engineering/architectural principles practices and their applications in the healthcare environment.
• Knowledge of basic project management principles as applied to the healthcare setting.
• Ability to apply healthcare engineering related standards codes policies and regulations inclusive of state and local codes.
• (Ability to communicate effective orally and in writing with internal and external customers with tact and diplomacy.

• Knowledge of mechanical electrical structural civil and other engineering/architectural principles practices and their applications in the healthcare environment.
• Knowledge of healthcare industry standards and related regulatory agency and organization (including but not limited to The Joint Commission (TJC) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) etc.) regulations requirements guides policies procedures directives standards and general medical program requirements as they relate to healthcare engineering.
• Knowledge of construction standards methods practices and techniques materials and equipment to determine compliance with engineering regulations and standards.