Healthcare Engineer

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; West Haven (CT); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Connecticut seeks Healthcare Engineers to plan, design, and manage Minor Construction, Non-Recurring Maintenance, Station Level, and Lease projects for VA medical centers and clinics.

Positions span GS-07 to GS-12 levels. Applicants must meet basic engineering education requirements and may receive grandfathering under VA standards. Work involves collaboration with facilities teams and adherence to healthcare codes and regulations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Architecture from ABET-accredited program.
• FE exam passing or EIT certificate acceptable.
• Current professional registration as PE or Architect preferred.

Responsibilities

• Plan, design, and manage Minor Construction projects.
• Oversee Non-Recurring Maintenance, Station Level, and Lease projects.
• Ensure compliance with healthcare facility programs and regulations.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Architecture

ABET-accredited curriculum or NCARB architecture program

FE exam passing or EIT certificate

Professional licensure as PE or Architect

Job description

This position serves the VA Connecticut Healthcare System (VACT) Facilities team as a Healthcare Engineer supporting design and construction at our medical centers and Community Based Outpatient Clinics. We are seeking Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical engineers, from recent graduates to experienced professionals, to plan, design, and manage Minor Construction, Non-Recurring Maintenance, Station Level, and Lease projects that serve Veterans. The positions are full-time at 40 hours per week.

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.


• 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.

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.

(1) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements.

Healthcare Engineer, GS-09.

(1) 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.

OR

• Bachelor's degree, 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.

(2) Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• 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.

Healthcare Engineer, GS-11.

(1) Experience or Education. Candidates at this level must meet one of the following:

• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade;

OR

• Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in Engineering or a related field of engineering.

OR

• Master of Engineering degree, Master of Architecture degree, Master of Science degree in Engineering or a related field of study, 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

• Bachelor's degree, 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.

(2) Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA). In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• 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.


• Ability to develop material for clinical or administrative staff that addresses the principles and application of engineering technology and/or theory used in healthcare.


• 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.

(1) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

(2) Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to meeting the experience requirements for this grade level, the candidate must fully demonstrate the following KSAs:

• 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.


• 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.


• Ability to plan and execute complex, multi-faceted projects and inspections while prioritizing resources against approved scopes of work, contract documents and budgets.


• Ability to organize and lead multi-disciplinary task forces with members from different departments and divisions, as well as design and construction firms.

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.