Healthcare Engineer

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Washington; On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Project Engineer to perform project planning, design production, design management, construction administration for Minor Construction, NRM, Station Level Projects and Leases within a VA Healthcare System.

Roles involve handling architectural, electrical, life safety, mechanical, civil and structural aspects to meet healthcare facility requirements and standards.

Qualifications

• Engineering/architecture degree with ABET accreditation or equivalent
• FE exam with EIT certificate acceptable for level GS-09
• Current professional registration/licensure as PE or Architect

Responsibilities

• Project planning, producing and managing designs; construction administration for Minor Construction, NRM, Station Level Projects and Leases
• Oversee architectural, electrical, life safety, mechanical, civil and structural aspects across projects
• Coordinate with facilities management and clinical staff to ensure compliance with healthcare facility programs

Skills

Healthcare engineering principles

Project management

Regulatory compliance

Written and oral communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Architecture

FE exam or EIT certificate

Professional licensure as PE or Architect

Job description

The position serves as a Project Engineer at an assigned Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System. 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 (architectural, electrical, life safety, mechanical, civil, structural, etc.)

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

Citizenship Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).

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 3 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

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

Healthcare Engineer, GS-07

Experience. None beyond the basic requirements.

Healthcare Engineer, GS-09

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) 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) 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)

In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following 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;
• OR
• (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).

In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• (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).

In addition to meeting the experience requirements for this grade level, the candidate must fully demonstrate the following 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

This position evaluates and manages the requirements for healthcare projects from the planning/design phase to construction and ultimately through the activation process. These requirements are 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. The project needs are determined for the organization down to the department level based on a broad array of guidelines, standards, regulatory requirements, and mission priorities.

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-7 to GS-12.

Physical Requirements

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements