Interior Designer

Veterans Health Administration; Johnson City (TN); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Mountain Home VA Healthcare System seeks an Interior Designer to lead medical center interior design projects across multiple campuses and clinics in the region.

The role requires meeting Federal qualifications, including time-in-grade rules for GS-11, and expertise in programming, space planning, and coordinating mechanical, electrical, and structural disciplines to ensure health and welfare through design.

Qualifications

• Education: Master's degree in interior design or equivalent, or NCIDQ certification.
• Experience: specialized interior design work including programming, space planning, and design analysis.

Responsibilities

• Lead interior design projects for medical center spaces to meet functional and aesthetic needs.
• Coordinate mechanical, electrical, and structural disciplines within interior contexts.
• Manage projects, develop cost estimates, and review construction documents.
• Perform on-site visits and occupancy evaluations to ensure health, safety, and welfare.

Skills

Interior design

Space planning

Problem solving

Education

Master's degree in interior design or equivalent

NCIDQ certification

Job description

Incumbent serves as the Interior Designer in the Office of the Chief, Engineering Service and is responsible for the medical center interior design projects for all Services within the Mountain Home VA Healthcare System including the James H. Quillen VAMC, the Knoxville, Morristown, Rogersville, Sevierville, LaFollette, Bristol and Norton Community-Based Outpatient Clinics, and the associated Rural Outreach Clinics in Jonesville, Marion and Vansant.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/30/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

Individual Occupational Requirements: The Interior Design Series has Individual Occupational Requirements that must be met.

Failure to document these Individual Occupational Requirements on your resume will result in non-referral to the hiring manager. You must have one of the following: Education: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- interior design or other field that included or was supplemented by at least 30 semester hours in interior design, interior architecture, or interior environmental design; or passage of the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) examination. OR, Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): Experience that required the performance of work concerned with the design and alteration of interior spaces to meet functional and aesthetic needs such as: (1.) Identifying, researching, and creatively solving problems pertaining to the function and quality of the interior environment. (2.) Performing services relative to interior spaces, including programming, design analysis, space planning and aesthetics, using specialized knowledge of interior construction, building systems and components, building codes, equipment, materials, and furnishings. (3.) Preparing drawings and documents relative to the design of interior spaces in order to enhance and protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. (4.) Coordinating and integrating the mechanical, electrical, and structural engineering disciplines within the interior context. (5.) Managing projects, developing cost estimates, evaluating bid proposals, reviewing construction documents, participating in on-site construction visits, conducting pre- and post-occupancy evaluations, developing standards for efficient space management, etc.

Grade Determination: In addition to the Individual Occupational Requirements listed above, you must meet one of the following for the GS-11 Interior Design occupation. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Identifying, researching, and creatively solving problems pertaining to the function and quality of the interior environment. Performing services relative to interior spaces, including programming, design analysis, space planning and aesthetics, using specialized knowledge of interior construction, building systems and components, building codes, equipment, materials, and furnishings. Preparing drawings and documents relative to the design of interior spaces in order to enhance and protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. Coordinating and integrating the mechanical, electrical, and structural engineering disciplines within the interior context. Managing projects, developing cost estimates, evaluating bid proposals, reviewing construction documents, participating in on‑site construction visits, conducting pre‑and post‑occupancy evaluations, developing standards for efficient space management, etc. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience.

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree, or 3 full years of progressively hi