Healthcare Engineer

Summary

The position serves as a Project Engineer at an assigned Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System, planning, designs and overseeing of healthcare system projects. This position manages construction and provides construction administration at an assigned medical center and associated Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC)'s.

Duties

Healthcare Engineers work in the Medical Center. Works independently to design complex multidiscipline systems and subsystems. Provides expert professional guidance and directs the work of consulting engineering firms. Makes systems decisions and performs cost/benefit analysis of engineering firms' proposals.Duties Include: Prepares preliminary sketches, concepts, and layouts for complex projects. Designs or controls the design of multidiscipline projects; this includes: engineering disciplines of electrical, mechanical, structural and architectural fields. Writes and edits specifications for mechanical equipment, electronic/electrical equipment and systems redesign. Investigates floor loading capacities, electrical power, and cooling requirements for new equipment. Prepares detailed cost estimates and develops justification and other items required for project submission for VISN and VACO review and approval. Assists section Chief in developing weighting factors to use in establishing priorities. Prepares input data, assists in prioritization and finalizing items for the Five-Year Facility Development Plan. Assists Supply Service's Contracting Officers in evaluating cost proposals from design firms by use of personal knowledge of the scope of the project. Assists in direct cost negotiations with contractors when requested by the Contracting Officers. Writes the Scope of Work and the General Requirements for the Architect/Engineer contracts. Develops the time frame for A/E submissions to meet project design schedules. Serves as the Contracting Officer's Technical Representative for Station Level, NRM and Construction Projects. Inspects work progress during the construction phase, ensuring proper methods and materials are being used. Resolves design errors or differing site conditions by evaluating the problem and applying sound engineering judgment to make any necessary changes. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00AM- 4:30PM Position Description Title/PD#: Healthcare Engineer/PD72207F

Qualifications

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 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;(Transcripts must be included in your application documents) 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. In addition to the basic requirements, the following criteria must be met for Healthcare Engineer, GS-12. (1) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade. (Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to healthcare engineering experience at the next lower grade level of the position being filled. Duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.) (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: (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 (T JC), 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. (3) Assignment. Employees at this level serve as Healthcare Engineers at the full performance level. They work independently, under general supervision with wide latitude to exercise independent judgment. Healthcare Engineers demonstrate intimate grasp of high order healthcare engineering and capital subject matter. Physical Requirements: The work requires periods of walking, climbing, and inspections in cramped spaces. At times incumbent is exposed to high places and scaffolding. Work at times in "hard hat" areas. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.