The General Engineer is assigned to the Projects Section of the Engineering Service for the Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System (SAVAHCS). The incumbent is responsible to provide technical expertise and overall quality assurance, as well as professional engineering advices to clinical staff, consultative services to maintenance staff, and mentoring junior members of Engineering Service. The incumbent reports to the Assistant Chief of Engineering.
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. English Language Proficiency: Healthcare Engineer candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).3. Education: Healthcare Engineer candidates must meet one of the following education and/or registration/licensure requirements: (1) Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering or Architecture. To be acceptable, the curriculum must be from a school with at least one 3 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. Foreign Education. To be creditable, engineering, architecture or related education completed outside the U.S. must be submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to a Bachelor's degree as outlined in paragraph 3.b. of this appendix. Grandfathering Provision. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). GS-12: Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade, GS-11. 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. Ability to organize and lead multi-disciplinary task forces with members from different departments and divisions, as well as design and construction firms. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.
Duties include but are not limited to: Conducts compliance and training planning for the engineering service spanning initial strategic planning, concept development & design, effective implementation, and follow up to include recording and documenting. Manages healthcare engineering compliance program and training in accordance with VA policies and procedures, VA Design Guides, VA Design Manuals, VA Master Specifications and related industry codes and standards. Assists in the provision of a continuing education program for engineering staff and maintenance personnel addressing the applicable principles for utility systems in the health care environment. This requires skill to effectively communicate, both orally and in writing, with a wide variety of individuals, including technical and professional engineering staff. Assists in 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 safety and infection control. Provides a broad review of all disciplines of Engineering when applied to a healthcare environment to support construction document reviews and preparation. Work requires a broad knowledge of all Engineering disciplines, to include Architectural, Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Structural and Fire Protection.. Provide professional engineering advice to peers, subordinates or managers on process improvements. Resolve conflicts in designs and in the construction field to reduce and prevent large cost and time impacts for projects while ensuring the project VA standards and adopted codes. Provides information to the Chief of the service regarding various Capital Planning needs for the facility to include information on the status of all assigned ongoing project activities. Makes recommendations relating to energy conservation for feasibility and cost effectiveness and supports the facilities energy goals. Coordinates construction activities for a wide range and variety of interrelated systems and services. Work complexities require not only adaptation or modification of precedents but a versatile and innovative approach to solve problems where serious conflicts exist between management requirements and engineering principles. Performs an array of pre-planning activities that include coordinating cross-departmental planning meetings, developing Scopes of Work, conceptual project designs, and government cost estimates, and ensures project documents are produced in accordance with VA Contracting and Information Security requirements. Preferred Experience: Experience with management, control, coordination, and execution of assigned construction programs and projects to include space utilization and capital asset improvement. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized