Healthcare Engineer- Project Engineer

Full Job Description

The position serves as a Project Engineer at an assigned Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System.

This position assists with project planning, design development, and construction management/administration at an assigned medical center and associated Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC)'s.

Basic Requirements: 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. 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.

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).

Grade Determinations: GS-07 Healthcare Engineer (Developmental): Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. Assignment.

At the entry level, Healthcare Engineers serve in a career development position, performing under close supervision of a supervisor or qualified individual who reviews and ensures the employee meets competency requirements.

At the entry level, they perform general healthcare engineering assignments to gain knowledge and experience necessary to support engineering operations, project management and compliance.

Developmental assignments include, but are not limited to, assessing healthcare facility programs and making recommendations to assure compliance with relevant regulations, guidelines and standards; applying engineering and code related knowledge to support the operational engineering requirements of the healthcare system; and preparing material on current technical topics and trends for presentation to the supervisor.

GS-09 Healthcare Engineer (Developmental) Experience/Education Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-09 you meet one of the following: at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7) (Example of GS-07 experience: Perform general healthcare engineering assignments to gain knowledge and experience necessary to support engineering operations, project management and compliance.) OR a Master of Engineering degree or Master of Architecture degree or Master of Science degree in Engineering or a related field of study.

OR possess a Bachelor's degree, 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: 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.

Assignment. At the developmental level 1, Healthcare Engineers receive guidance from more experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision.

Employees complete technical assignments in the engineering field as assigned by senior Healthcare Engineers and may be required to rotate through, and participate in, the operations of other hospital services.

At the GS-9 grade level, employees function in a developmental capacity with oversight by a supervisor for more complex assignments.

GS-11 Healthcare Engineer (Developmental) Experience/Education Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-11 you meet one of the following: at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-9) (Example of GS-09 experience: Employees function in a developmental capacity with oversight by a supervisor for more complex assignments.) OR possess a Ph.D.

or equivalent doctoral degree in Engineering or a related field of engineering.

OR a Master of Engineering degree, Master of Architecture degree, Master of Science degree in Engineering or a related field of study, 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 a Bachelor's degree, 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 (KSAs).

In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of either mechanical, electrical, structural, civil or other engineering/architectural principles, practices and their applications in the healthcare environment.

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

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.

Assignment. At developmental level 2, Healthcare Engineers function on a semi-independent basis with limited oversight by senior Healthcare Engineers.

They conduct audits and inspections of worksites to assure compliance, prepare reports and findings, devise solutions and implement corrective actions with limited oversight.

They perform project management related to the healthcare setting with limited oversight Major Duties:

Washington DC VA Medical Center is filling one or more vacancies for a Healthcare Engineer- Project Engineer, GS-0801-7/9/11/12.

Opening Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2026 Closing Date: Tuesday, April 22, 2026 The cut-dates are: February 4, 2026, February 18, 2026, March 4, 2026, March 18, 2026, April 22, 2026.

The cut-off date will be used to evaluate candidates for the initial available vacancies.

Duties include but are not limited to: Performs Healthcare Planning/Design Management Develops skillsets encompassing a wide range of engineering fields including, but not limited to identifying and defining assigned problems dealing with structures, mechanical, HVAC, sprinkler, fire and life safety, architectural, and electrical systems.

Reviews A/E documents for the medical center for various Non-Recurring Maintenance (NRM), Leased projects and other construction projects related to submissions of reports, drawings, specifications and literature consisting of adequacy of content, correctness, consistency with VA standards and goals, design principles and guidelines, cost effectiveness, compliance to healthcare codes and VA standards, and professional appearance.

Manages Healthcare Design and Construction Administration Gathers and applies knowledge of Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and VA Acquisition Regulations (V AAR), as well as VA mandated set-aside requirements to effectively provide procurement support to the Contracting Officer.

Participates in the development of the independent government estimate (IGE) and negotiations with A/Es to develop professional engineer design products.

Performs Healthcare Construction Management and Post Project Activities Develops a knowledge of Infection Control and the requirements to be followed included in the Risk Assessments, their application in the health care environment, and methods necessary to retain separation of active construction from the healthcare environment.

Conducts investigations to obtain factual information pertaining to a variety of issues.

Explores background information (literature, reports, and discussions with others having specialized knowledge of the issue) including code reference checks (National Fire Protection Act, International Building Code), and multiple other related jurisdictional codes.

Medical Infrastructure Planning Assists with medical center construction projects and associated planning with respect to medical technologies and medical-related technologies.

Assists clinical staff and the Biomedical Engineering staff in the planning of construction of clinical spaces, specification development, and design reviews, sometimes entailing visits to other facilities to research current design trends for medical space.

Regulatory Agencies Assists 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 T JC.

Assists by presenting details regarding the facility Construction Management Program to the accreditation bodies.

Network Security Shares responsibility in ensuring that information security issues are managed effectively for engineering databases and building automation systems.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm 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)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.

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 #: GS-07,688-26248-F; GS-09,688-26249-F; GS-11 688-26250-F;GS-12, 688-26155-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional