Healthcare Engineer- Project

Summary

This position performs project development - produces concepts and 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 power and systems - life safety - mechanical - civil - plumbing - etc.) at The Lexington VA Healthcare System and associated Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC's).

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
• Education: 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- 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- 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
• NOTE: Direct health care experience is not required to qualify for a GS-801 Healthcare Engineer
• Candidates with Engineering experience in a hospital or healthcare system should be able to address the knowledge skills and abilities as it applies to the position
• Engineers that may not have worked in a hospital or healthcare system should ensure it is clear in their application how their non-healthcare related knowledge - skill or ability can be applied to the assignment and to the healthcare engineering occupation
• Grandfather Provision
• A Healthcare Engineer employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (3/18/2022) who did not meet all the basic requirements in this standard may not be promoted beyond the full performance level (GS-0801-12) or be newly placed in supervisory or managerial positions until meeting the full qualification requirements
• 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: 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 as outlined in paragraph 3.b.(1)
• OR 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: 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
• 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 as outlined in paragraph 3.b.(1)
• OR 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 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: 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
• ( Full- Performance Level) 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 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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS12
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS7 to GS12
• Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary - although daily physical effort shall be required - e.g. - walking - standing - climbing ladders and steps - crouching - crawling - kneeling - and carrying items such as ladders - construction drawings/specifications - manuals - equipment cases - and driving or traveling by motor vehicle.
  
  

Duties

• Duties of the Healthcare Engineer include but are not limited to: Determines the requirements for healthcare projects in relation to the needs of the medical center - including the parent site and associated off-site locations - whether VA owned - contracted or leased
• 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
• Evaluates how to accomplish the requirements of the project - determines the associated risks within the healthcare facility and identifies ways to mitigate project risk
• Responsible for determining the impact of temporary means and methods necessary to reduce risk to patients and staff - while a standard of medical care is met for all patients
• Evaluating programs and projects to ensure compliance with environmental - safety - and security standards
• Coordinates project work and helps to develop construction phasing in order to minimize the risk and impact to medical center patients and patient care operations
• Provides a broad review of engineering disciplines when applied to a healthcare environment to support construction document reviews and preparation
• Provides in-depth reviews of design submissions - including healthcare code compliance and referenced regulations within the documents
• Develops initial concept documents - creates applications and maintains project information in multiple VA database systems - such as the Veterans Support Service Center (VSSC) - Project Tracking Reports (PTR) - Strategic Capital Investment Planning (SCIP) tool - and tracks and manages the status - changes - and updates to projects
• Performs other duties assigned
• Work Schedule: Monday through Friday
• 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 30040F- Healthcare Engineer- Project