Summary

The position serves as the resident expert within the Medical Center at an assigned Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System in support of VISN, VACO, and Executive Office of the President execution of Law, Executive Order or VA Policy in which Energy Management is the primary concern.

Duties

Help

Energy, Sustainability, and Climate Change Adaptation Program Management

• Evaluate energy conservation measures as they apply to the health care system's existing energy systems and makes recommendations for implementation. Adhere to and upload data to national VA program office databases.
• Stay abreast of conservation programs of local utilities and take advantage of opportunities available to the Medical Center. Monitor the energy consumption of the Medical Center and is responsible for required national reports and leadership presentations relating to energy consumption.
• Resolve technical questions on energy conservation related issues. Make commitment and decisions on acceptance or rejection of materials, methods, and workmanship as per contract drawing specifications and manufacturers' recommendations.

Performs Healthcare Planning/Design Management

• Determine the requirements for healthcare projects in relation to the needs of the Healthcare System, inclusive of the parent site, as well as off-site locations under the auspice of the Healthcare System, whether VA owned or leased.
• Provide a broad review of all disciplines of Engineering when applied to a healthcare environment to support construction document reviews and preparation.
• Working knowledge of The Joint Commission (TJC) requirements, NFPA 101 the Life Safety Code and NFPA 99 Healthcare Facilities Code, in addition to VA design requirements is necessary to provide direction to Architectural/Engineering firms on complex healthcare designs to ensure compliance and regulatory requirements are met for the medical facility.

Manages Healthcare Design and Construction Administration

• Use independent seasoned engineering judgment in evaluating and performing scheduling and layout of operations, inspection, and surveillance of materials, methods, and equipment used in construction.
• Responsible for managing and dealing with constantly changing priorities and deadlines based on engineering workload.
• Responsible for training the facility maintenance staff on new equipment or complex utility systems to ensure the staff have the comprehensions, qualifications and understanding of the systems to maintain and operate.

Performs Healthcare Construction Management and Post Project Activities

• Provide direction and guidance to the contractor for construction within the facility.
• Provide training and guidance to the contractor to improve the contractor's ability to work within the medical facility requirements and confinements to better perform the scope of work.
• Responsible for working knowledge of Infection Control and the requirements to be followed included in Risk Assessments, their application in the health care environment, and methods necessary to retain separation of active construction from the healthcare environment.

Medical Infrastructure Planning

• Assist on the medical center construction projects, space functional changes, and associated planning with respect to medical technologies and medical-related technologies.

Regulatory Agencies

• Assist in monitoring and reporting on construction and utilities management program that allows the Veterans Health Administration to meet the requirements set by accrediting organizations such as TJC.

Network Security

• Share responsibility in ensuring that information security issues are managed effectively for engineering databases and building automation systems.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:00am-3:30pm

Compressed/Flexible:May be authorized after training (at supervisor's discretion)

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized

Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)

Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.

Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA

Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 000000

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Help

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.
• You may be required to serve a trial period.
• 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.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

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).

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.

GRADE DETERMINATIONS.

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

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:

(a) One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade;

OR

(b) Master of Engineering degree or Master of Architecture degree or Master of Science degree in Engineering or a related field of study as outlined above;

OR

(c) Bachelor's degree as outlined above 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:

(a) Knowledge of the principles, theories, concepts and practices of the engineering profession.

(b) Ability to interpret relevant codes, regulations, guidelines and standards to make recommendations to assure compliance with healthcare facility programs.

(c) Ability to understand the operational professional engineering needs of clinical services in the healthcare system.

(d) 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:

(a) One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade;

OR

(b) Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in Engineering or a related field of engineering as outlined above;

OR

(c) Master of Engineering degree, Master of Architecture degree, Master of Science degree in Engineering or a related field of study as outlined above, 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

(d) Bachelor's degree as outlined above 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:

(a) Knowledge of either mechanical, electrical, structural, civil or other engineering/architectural principles, practices and their applications in the healthcare environment.

(b) Knowledge of basic project management principles as applied to the healthcare setting.

(c) Ability to apply healthcare engineering related standards, codes, policies and regulations, inclusive of, state and local codes.

(d) Ability to communicate effective orally and in writing with internal and external customers with tact and diplomacy.

(e) Ability to develop material for clinical or administrative staff that addresses the principles and application of engineering technology and/or theory used in healthcare.

(f) 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.

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:

(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 (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.

(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.

Preferred Experience: Engineering degree.

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-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-7 to GS-12.

Physical Requirements: Light lifting & carrying (under 15 pounds), both hands required, walking (2 hours), standing (6 hours), climbing (use of legs and arms), both legs required, and depth perception.

Environment factors continued in education section...

Education

Environmental factors: Working outside and inside, excessive heat and cold, excessive noise (intermittent), dust, fumes, smoke, or gas, solvents (degreasing agents), working around machinery with moving parts, working around moving objects or vehicles, working on ladders or scaffolding, working below ground, working closely with others, working alone, and protracted or irregular hours of work.

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/.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Expand Hide additional information

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.