Healthcare Engineer- Senior CivilEnvironmental Systems Engineer

The incumbent ensures that all site infrastructure environmental compliance programs domestic water systems drainage systems and utility distribution networks supporting patient care are engineered maintained and improved to meet applicable federal state and VA requirements. The position requires the independent application of judgment in interpreting regulatory requirements developing engineering determinations and resolving complex technical challenges impacting environmental safety and continuity of operations.
This role supports and informs leadership regarding civil infrastructure risk environmental compliance status water management and long-range capital planning aligned with mission-critical needs and regulatory mandates.

Duties Include:

• Serves as the station technical authority for civil utility and environmental systems providing authoritative recommendations to leadership on infrastructure capacity regulatory requirements and capital project strategy impacting patient care safety and system resiliency.
• Leads engineering review field oversight code interpretation commissioning and evaluation of construction and infrastructure projects involving site conditions roadways utilities stormwater systems grading and water systems.
• Serves as COR or engineering lead for civil and environmental components of construction contracts prepares scopes of work and Independent Government Estimates (IGEs) leads design review and provides commissioning acceptance criteria for infrastructure projects.
• Interprets and applies applicable standards including EPA FDEP ADA IPC IMC FGI NEPA and VA Technical Information Library (TIL) requirements and develops engineering determinations when standards require facility-specific technical adaptation.
• Leads facility-wide infrastructure condition assessments utility capacity evaluation risk analysis and long-term planning recommendations to support resilience redundancy and mitigation of single points of failure.
• Represents the facility during internal and external regulatory reviews including those conducted by The Joint Commission OIG EPA FDEP and safety compliance entities.
• Provides technical direction and subject matter expertise to interdisciplinary stakeholders including engineering colleagues maintenance trades planners architects biomed and environmental/safety program personnel without supervisory authority.

Manages critical facility environmental programs and utilities including:

• Stormwater and site drainage systems including retention/detention management and compliance with environmental permits;
• Domestic and sanitary utility systems including pressure flow backflow prevention and system protection;
• Water Safety and Legionella risk management programs in coordination with Infection Prevention and Public Health;
• Erosion control environmental permitting hazardous materials control spill response planning and NEPA documentation as applicable.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am to 4pm Negotiable
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): May be Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
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)
Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work experience or military service experience.
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 $144000 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: Available Ad-hoc within certain policy allowance
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 82695F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

• 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 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.

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.
• Language Proficiency. Healthcare Engineer candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).
• Education. 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 Industrial Engineer Mechanical Engineering Biomedical Engineering Civil Engineering Architecture and Architectural Engineering. Titles may vary from educational institutions & 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.

Grandfathering Provision. All individuals employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series performing the duties as described in the qualification standards on the effective date of this qualification standards are considered to have met all the qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education that is part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements of this standards but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to the position the following provisions apply:

• (1) 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.
• (2) 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.
• (3) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standards 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 standards.
• (4) 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 standards requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.
• (5) 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.

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.GRADE DETERMINATIONS. In addition to the basic requirements outlined above the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidatesHealthcare Engineer GS-13.

• Experience. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-12) .
• Knowledge Skills & Abilities (KSAs). In addition to meeting the specialized experience requirement for the GS-12 grade level the candidate must fully demonstrate the following KSAs:
  • Knowledge of current and evolving concepts and principles of general engineering to resolve novel or obscure problems; extend and modify techniques; develop new approaches that guide other engineers who solve a variety of technical problems; and/or apply new innovative or experimental advanced engineering theories developments or practices.
  • Skill in construction capital planning and multiple healthcare system portfolio management inclusive of budget development and tracking.
  • Skill to collaborate with persons having diverse viewpoints goals or objectives to achieve a common understanding of the problem and a satisfactory solution by justifying defending negotiating or settling controversial and far-reaching matters through active participation in conferences meetings or presentations.
  • Ability to interpret broad guidelines and exercise considerable judgment and ingenuity in interpreting and adapting existing guides developing new and improved hypotheses concepts or approaches to previously tested or reported and/or in developing new policies that advance the organization.
  • Ability to coordinate and interact with regional facilities national and corresponding staff for the implementation and coordination of policies and program plans to apply prioritization methodologies that align facilities capital asset requests and develop infrastructure options that result in the efficacious use of regional level capital strategic plans.
  • Ability to adapt and apply trends in healthcare delivery systems that impact long-term capital assets (such as aging equipment and physical plants) for regionally integrated healthcare systems.
  • Ability to consult and collaborate with all organizational levels in a national healthcare organization outside organizations and businesses regarding both strategic and financial activities of a regional healthcare organization.
  • Ability to implement and/or sustain a capital asset and construction program that meets healthcare facility related standards codes policies and regulations inclusive of state and local codes.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13.

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