Healthcare Engineer

US Department of Veterans Affairs; Town of Tomah (WI); On-site; USD 65,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs—VHATOM Medical Center in Tomah, WI—seeks a Healthcare Engineer to plan, design, and manage construction and maintenance projects across the medical center and associated clinics.

Responsible for project planning, design development, construction management, and clinical facility engineering support. Positions span GS-07 to GS-12 levels; candidates must meet basic engineering/architectural education or FE/PE criteria and demonstrate KSAs in engineering

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Architecture from ABET-accredited program.
• Evidence of passing FE exam or Engineering in Training certificate.
• Current professional registration/licensure as PE or Architect.

Responsibilities

• Plan, design, and manage Minor Construction, NRMs, and Leases at VA facilities.
• Oversee construction administration and project planning for assigned medical centers and CBOCs.
• Ensure compliance with healthcare facility engineering standards and regulations.

Skills

Engineering principles

Code/regulation interpretation

Clinical service understanding

Communication skills

Project management basics

Education

ABET-accredited eng/arch degree

FE exam or PE licensure

Graduate education in related field (GS-11 path)

Job description

The position serves as a Healthcare Engineer at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System, VHATOM Medical Center. This position performs project planning, produces designs, manages designs, manages construction, and provides construction administration for Minor Construction Projects, Non-Recurring Maintenance (NRM) Projects, Station Level Projects, and Leases, including all areas and aspects at an assigned medical center and associated Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC)'s.

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 in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Education: (1) Bachelor's 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

(2) Evidence of passing the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination with a bachelor's 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

(3) 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.

Grade Determinations

Healthcare Engineer, GS-07.

(1) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements.

Healthcare Engineer, GS-09

Experience or Education: Candidates at this level must meet one of the following:

• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade;
• OR
• 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
• Bachelor's 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 applicant's total background demonstrates the core competencies for GS-09 level assignment.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs):

• (a) Knowledge of the principles, theories, concepts and practices of the engineering profession.
• (b) Ability to interpret relevant codes, regulations, guidelines and standards to make recommendations to assure compliance with healthcare facility programs.
• (c) Ability to understand the operational professional engineering needs of clinical services in the healthcare system.
• (d) 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.

Healthcare Engineer, GS-11.

Experience or Education: Candidates at this level must meet one of the following:

• (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 applicant's total background demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities for GS-11 level assignment;
• R
• (d) Bachelor's 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 applicant's total background demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities for GS-11 level assignment.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA):

• (a) Knowledge of either mechanical, electrical, structural, civil or other engineering/architectural principles, practices and their applications in the healthcare environment.
• (b) Knowledge of basic project management principles as applied to the healthcare setting.
• (c) Ability to apply healthcare engineering related standards, codes, policies and regulations, inclusive of, state and local codes.
• (d) Ability to communicate effective orally and in writing with internal and external customers with tact and diplomacy.
• (e) Ability to develop material for clinical or administrative staff that addresses the principles and application of engineering technology and/or theory used in healthcare.
• (f) Ability to advise staff on emerging engineering technology related to a healthcare facility, while keeping abreast of changes in such technology and utilizing the information to solve healthcare facility engineering challenges.

Healthcare Engineer, GS-12

Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs):

• (a) Knowledge of mechanical, electrical, structural, civil and other engineering/architectural principles, practices and their applications in the healthcare environment.
• (b) 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.
• (c) Knowledge of construction standards, methods, practices and techniques, materials and equipment to determine compliance with engineering regulations and standards.
• (d) Skill in researching and analyzing information, conditions, human factors and projections to make sound engineering and business recommendations and decisions to proactively identify problems and develop innovative solutions within the context of applicable rules, regulations and procedures.
• (e) Ability to plan and execute complex, multi-faceted projects and inspections while prioritizing resources against approved scopes of work, contract documents and budgets.
• (f) Ability to organize and lead multi-disciplinary task forces with members from different departments and divisions, as well as design and construction firms.

Preferred Experience:

• a. Knowledge of either mechanical, electrical, structural, civil or other engineering/architectural principles, practices and their applications in the healthcare environment.
• b. Knowledge of basic project management principles as applied to the healthcare setting.
• c. Ability to apply healthcare engineering related standards, codes, policies and regulations, inclusive of, state and local codes.
• d. Ability to communicate effective orally and in writing.
• e. Ability to develop material for clinical or administrative staff that addresses the principles and application of engineering technology and/or theory used in healthcare.
• f. Ability to advise staff on emerging engineering technology related to a healthcare facility.

Reference:

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-07 to GS-12.

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