Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. Only current, permanent employees of the Veterans Healthcare Administration are eligible to apply to this announcement. Eligible applicants will be referred in the following order: 1. NWI VAHCS employees; 2. All other VHA employees.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Engineering Program Management and Administration
Responsible for strengthening and enhancing healthcare facility engineering and operations. Key managerial advisor reporting directly to the Chief Engineer. Acts in the full authority and capacity of the Chief in his/her absence, and is relied on for authoritative advice on all aspects of engineering matters. Technical advisor in all or almost all significant management planning, policy, and decision-making actions of the Medical Center except those of a primarily medical nature. Involved with long and short-range planning, establishing policy, and budgeting for the Medical Center, as well as for all Engineering Service programs.

Budgeting/Financial Management Work
Provides for the budgeting and financial management for Engineering Service, including budget formulation, justification, and execution; financial management; and financial reporting. Identifies functional requirements for current and future programs inclusive of life-cycle costs. Provides advice to management and program personnel on budgetary and finance issues. Provides budget management for major, unstable programs. Exercises responsibility for budget formulation, presentation, and execution. Maintains awareness of and information about the overall status of financial resources for the office in order to react to changing situations with timely recommendations. Participates with management in defending the budget before senior level management. Interacts and negotiates on adjustments or reprogramming in support of major program changes or requirements.

Research and Analysis Work
Researches and/or analyzes problems, issues, or program requirements related to all areas of the facility and all facets of Engineering Service. Provides expert analysis and advice on complex program issues. Based on operations and changing program requirements, identifies relevant issues. Devises new analytical techniques to evaluate findings. Makes authoritative recommendations. Researches and provides technical recommendations pertaining to a wide-range of national codes and standards including but not limited to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), OSHA, TJC, EPA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Serves as the principal advisor to top management on all administrative management matters associated with programs and operation of the Medical Center Infrastructure. Actively participates in developing and implementing administrative management policies. Directs the personnel management program for the Engineering service, performing or overseeing the full range of human resources requirements. Directs the personnel management program for the service, including matters involving recruitment, promotions, awards, position classification, appraisal and merit pay programs. Develops long range plans for new and complex programs.

Performs Construction Administration Work
Responsible for development and implementation of the Medical Center's capital improvement program. Works with medical activities to identify additional space needs and needed renovations. Identified needs are individually transformed to engineering requirements, estimated, accomplished locally, or included as part of a comprehensive plan for agency funding. Coordinates and oversees scheduling and layout of operations, inspection and surveillance of materials, methods, and equipment used in construction and renovation managed by subordinate engineers and engineering technicians.

Work Schedule: 0800-1630 Monday- Friday
Telework: Ad-Hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 00000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Required

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• A current, valid state-issued Driver's License is required for this position.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following:

• Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• English Language Proficiency: Healthcare Engineer candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• 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.

GRADE DETERMINATIONS: In addition to the basic requirements outlined above, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Supervisory Healthcare Engineer (Deputy), GS-13.

• Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
  • Equivalent experience is demonstrated by: Independent work, under general supervision with wide latitude to exercise independent judgment. Intimate grasp of high order healthcare engineering and capital subject matter. Serving as institutional resource for healthcare delivery processes and systems, working extensively with clinical stakeholders, acquisition staff, contractors and executive leadership by leading healthcare engineering programs, technology assessments, integration planning and implementation of both current and emerging technologies. Supporting the delivery of healthcare to Veterans by contributing to the education of clinical staff, planners and leadership to ensure safe and efficient healthcare delivery. Planning, executing and documenting highly complex, multi-faceted healthcare facility construction projects and inspections while prioritizing resources against approved scopes of work, contract documents and budgets. Identifying problems and developing innovative solutions within the context of applicable rules, regulations and procedures, as it relates to the healthcare environment.
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to meeting the experience requirements for this grade level, the candidate must fully demonstrate the following KSAs:
  1. Knowledge of the management of overall healthcare system resources, (i.e., finances, space, equipment, supplies, schedules and staffing).
  2. Knowledge of mechanical, electrical, structural, civil and other engineering/architectural principles, practices and their applications as related to healthcare facilities.
  3. Skill in using effective communication in managing interpersonal relationships with internal and external customers, stakeholders, executive leadership, labor representatives and managers.
  4. Skill in balancing priorities, delegating tasks and meeting multiple competing deadlines.
  5. Skill in interpreting broad or general national policies and guidelines and adapting/applying them to specific compliant programs at the local healthcare system.
  6. Skill in recognizing and assessing evolving scenarios, utilizing initiative, self-direction and assigned resources to affect resolutions.
  7. Ability to analyze complex organizational problems and develop and implement effective solutions that result in efficient operations.
  8. Ability to anticipate, develop and implement strategies in meeting the healthcare system's short term and long-term strategic goals in a highly fluid environment.
  9. Ability to ensure compliance with healthcare industry standards and regulatory agency and organization (including but not limited to TJC, OSHA, NFPA, etc.), regulations, requirements, guides, policies, procedures, directives and general medical program requirements as they relate to healthcare engineering.
  10. Ability to interview candidates for positions, recommend appointments, advancements, or when appropriate, disciplinary actions; evaluate performance and identify continuing education and training needs.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
Healthcare Engineer Qualification Standard

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Clinical Resume/CV (can be greater than 2 pages). See "Special Note for Applications" above.
• RECOMMENDED: Write to the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) on a separate document - KSAs are found under qualification/grade requirements in the announcement
• Performance Appraisal
• Resume
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Next steps