Interior Designer

Full Job Description

This position is located in the Engineering Service at The San Diego VA Healthcare System main campus.

The employee is responsible for implementation of the Interior Design Program in concert with other interior designers.

The VA San Diego Healthcare System covers approximately 1 million square feet of space at the main hospital campus and associated leased community based outpatient clinics and administrative spaces.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/08/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service.

An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials.

If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement.

In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.

Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education s described below: This position has Individual Occupational Requirement which is a basic requirement that must be met to qualify for entry into this job series.

To meet the basic requirement for the Interior Designer Occupational series, applicants must demonstrate one of the following: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- interior design or other field that included or was supplemented by at least 30 semester hours in interior design, interior architecture, or interior environmental design; or passage of the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) examination, OR, Specialized Experience: that required the performance of work concerned with the design and alteration of interior spaces to meet functional and aesthetic needs such as: Identifying, researching, and creatively solving problems pertaining to the function and quality of the interior environment.

Performing services relative to interior spaces, including programming, design analysis, space planning and aesthetics, using specialized knowledge of interior construction, building systems and components, building codes, equipment, materials, and furnishings.

Preparing drawings and documents relative to the design of interior spaces in order to enhance and protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public.

Coordinating and integrating the mechanical, electrical, and structural engineering disciplines within the interior context.

Managing projects, developing cost estimates, evaluating bid proposals, reviewing construction documents, participating in on-site construction visits, conducting pre- and post-occupancy evaluations, developing standards for efficient space management, etc.

Grade Determinations: GS-11, Interior Designer: In addition to the INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT above, candidates must meet the following grade requirements.

Specialized Experience (GS-11): You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled.

To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-09) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Qualifying specialized experience is: Experience that required the performance of work concerned with the design and alteration of interior spaces to meet functional and aesthetic needs such as: Identifying, researching, and creatively solving problems pertaining to the function and quality of the interior environment; Performing services relative to interior spaces, including programming, design analysis, space planning and aesthetics, using specialized knowledge of interior construction, building systems and components, building codes, equipment, materials, and furnishings; Preparing drawings and documents relative to the design of interior spaces in order to enhance and protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public; Coordinating and integrating the mechanical, electrical, and structural engineering disciplines within the interior context; Managing projects, developing cost estimates, evaluating bid proposals, reviewing construction documents, participating in on-site construction visits, conducting pre- and post-occupancy evaluations, developing standards for efficient space management, etc.

(CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.) OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience.

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have you must have a Ph.D.

or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree.

Major study must be interior design or other field that included or was supplemented by at least 30 semester hours in interior design, interior architecture, or interior environmental design, or passage of the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) examination.

OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.

You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the second year) in a related field and specialized experience directly related to the work of the Interior Designer position, which may be used to meet the experience requirements for the GS-11 grade level.

[(To compute, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond one year by 18. Add the two percentages.

The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.

[NOTE: coursework must have equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities described in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section of the announcement)].

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Design Oral Communication Project Management Technical Competence Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social).

Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.

You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week.

Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities.

Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: The employee will be conducting inspections and surveys of construction sites with a need for physical agility to access unfinished buildings and wear personal protective equipment (PPE).

The employee must have the ability to work within an environment of conflicting deadlines and shifting priorities.

The employee may be required to work evenings and weekends, depending upon the circumstances surrounding the project performance building management system operation.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Major Duties:

As an Interior Designer, the employee is assigned the multiple, complex and frequently urgent design projects undertaken by the Projects Section.

The employee works as a technical expert with technical independence under the general supervision of the Supervisor.

Full technical responsibility is mandated in achieving an aesthetically pleasing and therapeutic environment of care for patients, visitors and staff in the healthcare system.

Major duties include, but are not limited to the following: Establishes and periodically updates a resource library of furnishings, office furniture, draperies, wall coverings, floor coverings, finishes, colors, fabrics., etc., from vendors and suppliers.

Sources will include materials compliant with or support of Americans with Disability Act (ADA)guidelines, Occupational Safety and Health Program (OSHA) regulations or other ergonomic related issues.

Prepares and oversees the preparation of vendor sketches, perspectives or detailed plans to scale showing color schemes, furniture, furnishings, and wall decor for all projects requiring interior design services.

Selects all associated items including furniture, furnishings, wall decor, floor and wall finishes and signage. Employee ensure project related costs are maintained within budget.

Monitors, modifies and maintains an overall directional graphics and standardized signage system for the healthcare system, utilizing consultants, contractors, and personal expertise to meet the requirements of the Directional Graphics Manual for VA Medical Centers.

Provides scope and review to signage consultants as graphics relate to a hospital environment.

Inspects the physical installation of products in construction and renovation projects related to interior design to ensure contractual compliance.

Develops scopes, produces documentation, drawings, specifications, criteria and cost estimates necessary to procure services or products necessary to active program moves into new or renovated space.

Prepares the interior design budget request individually or in cooperation with other interior designers.

Prepares projects and cost estimate documents to be included in the five-year facility plan and for submissions to the Network and VACO for funding.

Serves as the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and administers contracted projects to insure contractor compliance with drawings, specifications, regulations, and policy.

Conducts site visits during construction, prepares pre- and post-occupancy evaluation of site.

Interact daily with all levels of management in developing detailed projects requirements for a variety of services, ranging from general administrative, to specialized clinical needs.

Routinely coordinates activities with such services as Environmental Management Service, Logistics, and Office of Information and Technology, and schedules both program moves and vendor services to minimize disruption to critical activities of the healthcare system.

Required for perform furniture layout and design related to both interior design service requests, for interior design project support, and for activation to make spaces usable to clients.

Uses the engineering work order system to manage requests from numerous services, ensures timely responses and documents completed actions.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:00am-3:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Interior Designer/PD11244A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Approved Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized