Healthcare Engineer

About the Role

The position serves as a Project Engineer at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System located in Butler, PA. This role involves project planning, design production and management, construction management, and construction administration for Minor Construction Projects, Non-Recurring Maintenance (NRM) Projects, Station Level Projects, and Leases, covering all areas including architectural, electrical, life safety, mechanical, civil, and structural aspects.

Qualifications

Applicants pending completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but cannot be hired until all requirements are met.

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 from a school with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) or National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). Examples include Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Architecture, and Architectural Engineering.
• Alternative Qualifications:
  • Evidence of passing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination with a bachelor's degree.
  • Evidence of current professional registration or licensure as a Professional Engineer or Architect from any U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico.
• Grandfathering Provision: Current VHA employees in this occupational series or performing similar duties on the effective date of the qualification standard are considered to have met all requirements for the grade held.
• Foreign Education: Foreign education must be evaluated by a private organization to ensure equivalence to a U.S. Bachelor's degree.
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 for details.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English.

Grade Determinations: GS-12

• Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):
  • Knowledge of engineering/architectural principles and their applications in healthcare.
  • Knowledge of healthcare industry standards and regulations (e.g., The Joint Commission, OSHA, NFPA).
  • Knowledge of construction standards, methods, and techniques.
  • Skill in researching and analyzing information to make sound engineering recommendations.
  • Ability to plan and execute complex, multi-faceted projects and inspections.
  • Ability to lead multi-disciplinary task forces and collaborate with stakeholders.

Duties

• Serve as resident and program engineer for planning, design, and oversight of major healthcare system projects.
• Oversee Professional Architecture/Engineering (A/E) and Construction contracts to ensure compliance with regulations, codes, and schedules.
• Act as healthcare engineering advisor, consultant, designer, contract administrator, project manager, and instructor during project design and construction.
• Maintain construction specifications, drawings, and technical reference library of codes and standards (OSHA, NFPA, ANSI, etc.).
• Participate in planning and decision-making processes to meet strategic goals.
• Serve as Contracting Officer Representative (COR) for design and construction projects, ensuring COR certification is maintained.
• Conduct capital asset and infrastructure planning, design, and implementation for complex buildings, utilities, and medical support systems.
• Manage healthcare engineering project design and construction in accordance with VA policies and industry standards.
• Assist in providing continuing education programs for clinical and maintenance staff on building and utility systems.
• Develop and implement environment of care programs to meet regulatory requirements (Joint Commission, FDA, CAP, NFPA, VA).
• Evaluate programs and projects for compliance with environmental, safety, and security standards.
• Create and maintain project and lease applications in VA database systems (e.g., VSSC, Strategic Asset Management).

Work Schedule

Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm

Reference: For more information, visit VA Qualification Standards.