Supervisory Healthcare Engineer

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; California; On-site; USD 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a Supervisory Healthcare Engineer, GS-14, to lead engineering services for a large healthcare facility in California. You will supervise staff, manage complex projects, and ensure the environment of care meets all regulatory standards.

You will apply broad engineering knowledge across mechanical, electrical, civil systems and capital programs, while coordinating with executives, clinicians, and external agencies to maintain safe, efficient operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering or Architecture.
• Evidence of passing the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination with a bachelor's degree or PE licensure.
• Current professional registration or licensure as a Professional Engineer or Architect.

Responsibilities

• Oversee engineering service and facility operations for a healthcare environment.
• Ensure compliance with VA and regulatory standards.
• Lead staff and develop performance standards.
• Coordinate with executive leadership and clinical staff.

Skills

Engineering principles

Healthcare facilities

Supervisory leadership

Regulatory compliance

Budget management

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering or Architecture

Evidence of passing the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination

Evidence of current professional registration or licensure as a PE or Architect

Job description

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.
• 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 Bachelor's degree as outlined in paragraph 3.b. of this appendix.

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

Supervisory Healthcare Engineer, GS-14:

• 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:
  • Knowledge of mechanical, electrical, structural, civil and other engineering/architectural principles, practices and their applications as related to healthcare facilities.
  • Knowledge related to the management of overall healthcare system resources, (i.e., finances, space, equipment, supplies, schedules and staffing).
  • Skill in using effective communication in managing interpersonal relationships with internal and external customers, stakeholders, executive leadership, labor representatives and managers.
  • Skill in balancing multiple responsibilities, setting priorities, delegating tasks and projects, meeting multiple deadlines, analyzing complex organizational problems and developing and implementing effective solutions that result in efficient operations.
  • Skill in applying considerable independent judgment to interpret broad or general national policies and guidelines and adapt/apply them to specific compliant programs at the local healthcare system.
  • Skill in recognizing and assessing evolving scenarios, utilizing initiative, and self-directing and assigning resources to affect resolutions.
  • Skill in complying with national internal and outside regulatory agency and organization (including, but not limited to TJC, OSHA, NFPA, etc.) regulations, requirements, guides, policies, procedures, directives, standards and general medical program requirements as they relate to healthcare engineering.
  • Ability to anticipate, develop and implement strategies in meeting the healthcare system's short-tem and long-term strategic goals in a highly fluid environment.
  • Ability to interview candidates for positions, recommend appointments, advancements, or when appropriate, disciplinary actions; evaluate performance and identify continuing education and training needs.
• Assignment: For all supervisory assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity, difficulty, range of variety and be performed by the incumbent as a major duty at least 25% of the time. The incumbent must supervise staff for at least 25% of the time, administratively and technically at the full performance grade level or below. This Supervisory Healthcare Engineer, GS-14 position is the Chief Engineer. Chief Engineers supervise engineering service, including subordinate the Supervisory Healthcare Engineer(s) at the GS-13 level, to ensure compliance with VA, TJC and a variety of other prevailing codes and standards. In addition to Chief Engineers' integral role in providing capability and capacity for the primary medical mission, they ensure the availability of facilities for complex medical research and participate in community partnerships and supports Department of Defense contingency planning. Chief Engineers supervise the engineering staff to accomplish the operations of the service. As Chief Engineers, they exercise the full range of supervisory responsibility to include but not limited to development of performance standards and performance evaluations; recommendations for appointment, awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary actions and identification of continuing training needs.
  • Chief Engineers provide for a safe, reliable and precisely controlled operating environment for direct patient care. Chief Engineers serve 16 as experts in the design, sustainment and improvement of the medical care environment, including all hospital building features, automated building management and environmental control systems, critical utility systems and medical equipment technology. They collaborate directly with executive leadership, medical staff, nursing staff and other clinical personnel regarding the design and operation of the environment for medical care. They manage capital asset programs and construction projects.
  • Chief Engineers educate and advise clinical staff on the safe use of critical building features, utility systems and fire prevention systems as they relate to the environment of care. They educate and advise clinical staff on medical equipment technology including selection, operation, safety and security. They ensure the healthcare system complies with a multitude of accreditation and regulatory requirements including, but not limited to, those issued by TJC, OSHA and EPA.
  • Chief Engineers apply engineering concepts and methodologies to enhance the delivery of healthcare by providing a technologically advanced, safe and reliable healthcare environment. They are responsible for the planning, organizing, directing, evaluating and management process for service line programs, which include setting qualitative and quantitative standards. They develop and provide the Executive Leadership Team and the clinical staff information on the methods, techniques and procedures necessary to integrate the engineering, maintenance, biomedical, capital management and other engineering programs into the mission of the medical center. They oversee the TJC, Environment of Care Programs for Utility Systems Management, Safety, Life Safety and Medical Equipment Management for both the assigned medical center and all CBOCs.

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-14. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-14.

Physical Requirements

See VA Handbook 5019

English Language Proficiency

Healthcare Engineer candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).