Healthcare Engineer

About the role

Serves as a Project Engineer at an assigned Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System at Memphis Tennessee. This position performs project planning - produces designs - manages designs - manages construction - and provides construction administration for Minor Construction Projects - Non-Recurring Maintenance (NRM) Projects - Station Level Projects - and Leases at an assigned medical center and associated Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC)'s.

Responsibilities

• Serves as resident and program engineer consisting of the planning - design - and overseeing of major healthcare system projects
• Oversees Professional Architecture/Engineering (A/E) and Construction contracts to ensure the contractor is in compliance with all contractual requirements - healthcare regulations and codes - specifications and schedules are met in accordance with the government's requirements for VA owned and leased facilities
• Provides engineering support to the assigned healthcare system and is responsible for maintaining construction specifications and drawings - maintaining technical reference library of codes - standards - and other regulations which are applicable to the engineering construction industries
• Serves as the Integrated Project Team (IPT) Chairperson - comprised of diverse and multi-discipline professional team members - consisting of internal and external stakeholders - and is a recognized expert in project management
• Conducts capital asset and infrastructure planning and design for the medical facility spanning initial strategic planning - concept development - design - construction - and effective implementation of complex buildings - utilities - and medical support systems
• Manages healthcare engineering project design and administers construction in accordance with VA policies and procedures - VA Design Guides - VA Design Manuals - VA Master Specifications and related industry codes and standards
• Performs healthcare engineering project construction management and post project activities while ensuring continuity of building and utility services for medical facility operations
• Affords engineering support to the assigned healthcare system and is responsible for maintaining construction specifications and drawings - maintains technical reference library of codes - standards - and other regulations which are applicable to the engineering construction industries
• Assists in the provision of a continuing education program for clinical staff and maintenance personnel addressing the principles and application of building and utility systems in the delivery of health care
• This includes a curriculum that addresses the safe and effective use of medical gases - emergency power - ventilation - and other healthcare infrastructure related technology
• This requires skill to effectively communicate - both orally and in writing - with a wide variety of individuals - including technical and professional clinical staff - to communicate technical information
• Affords assistance in the development and implementation of the environment of care program that meets current Joint Commission - Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - College of American Pathologists (CAP) - NFPA - and VA requirements - particularly as it relates to construction safety and infection control

Requirements

• Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: You must be a citizen of the United States
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates will not be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74 - to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English
• Education/Experience: Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering or Architecture: 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
• Evidence of passing the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination with a bachelor's degree 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
• Evidence of current professional registration or licensure as a Professional Engineer or Architect from any State - the District of Columbia - Guam or Puerto Rico
• GS-07 Healthcare Engineer (Entry Level Developmental): No additional requirements beyond the basic requirements
• GS-09 Healthcare Engineer (Developmental): Experience/Education Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements - to qualify for the GS-09 you must meet one of the following: You must have at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7) 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 basic requirementsOR Bachelor's degree as outlined in paragraph basic requirements 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
• GS-11 Healthcare Engineer (Developmental): Experience Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements - to qualify for the GS-11 you must possess at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-9) OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in Engineering or a related field of engineering as outlined in basic requirementsOR Master of Engineering degree - Master of Architecture degree - Master of Science degree in Engineering or a related field of study as outlined in basic requirements - 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 assignmentOR Bachelor's degree as outlined in basic requirements 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
• GS-12 Healthcare Engineer (Full Performance Level): Experience Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements - to qualify for the GS-12 you must possess at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11)

Qualifications

• 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
• Knowledge of either mechanical - electrical - structural - civil or other engineering/architectural principles - practices and their applications in the healthcare environment
• 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