Healthcare Engineer

Summary

The Project Engineer serves within Facilities Management Service at the VA Portland Health Care System. The position plans, designs, and manages construction and maintenance projects from development through completion, including Minor Construction, NRM, Station-Level, and lease projects. Responsibilities encompass architectural, electrical, mechanical, civil, structural, and life-safety disciplines across VA Portland facilities and associated Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs).

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Plans and manages healthcare construction projects from initial concept and scope development through design, construction, activation, closeout, and warranty, while minimizing impacts to patient care and facility operations.
• Develops project requirements, scopes of work, conceptual designs, cost estimates, and project documentation and conducts or oversees site investigations and evaluations of existing facilities and utility systems.
• Reviews architectural and engineering designs, drawings, specifications, calculations, and other technical submissions for completeness, constructability, cost effectiveness, and compliance with VA requirements and applicable healthcare codes and standards.
• Administers A/E and construction contracts, including reviewing contractor submittals and change-order requests, monitoring schedules, inspecting construction, evaluating progress, reviewing payments, and preparing project closeout documentation.
• Serves as a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and provides technical oversight of contractors, inspectors, and A/E firms to ensure work conforms to contract requirements.
• Leads Integrated Project Teams (IPTs) and multidisciplinary project teams, coordinates stakeholders, chairs project meetings, and communicates with facility leadership, clinical services, contractors, consultants, and outside agencies.
• Manages construction activities in an operating healthcare environment, addressing infection control, fire and life safety, dust, noise, vibration, hazardous materials, utility interruptions, and other risks to patients, staff, and ongoing healthcare operations.
• Provides project management for specialized medical spaces and equipment installations, such as operating rooms, cardiac catheterization laboratories, pharmacy compounding suites, sterile processing facilities, radiology suites, and associated infrastructure.
• Applies healthcare engineering codes, regulations, and standards, including VA requirements, TJC, NFPA, OSHA, and other applicable federal, state, and local requirements.
• Independently resolves complex engineering and construction problems, develops technical recommendations and solutions, prioritizes competing project requirements, and exercises substantial engineering judgment with general supervisory oversight.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 000000

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

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

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:

Healthcare Engineer, GS-07.

• Experience. None beyond the basic requirements.

Healthcare Engineer, GS-09.

• Experience or Education. Candidates at this level must meet one of the following:
• (a) One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade;
• OR
• (b) 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 paragraph 3.b.(1);
• OR
• (c) Bachelor's degree as outlined in paragraph 3.b.(1) 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.

Healthcare Engineer, GS-11.

• Experience or Education. Candidates at this level must meet one of the following:
• (a) One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade;
• OR
• (b) Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in Engineering or a related field of engineering as outlined in paragraph 3.b.(1);
• OR
• (c) Master of Engineering degree, Master of Architecture degree, Master of Science degree in Engineering or a related field of study as outlined in paragraph 3.b.(1), 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
• (d) Bachelor's degree as outlined in paragraph 3.b.(1) 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 (KSA). 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.

Healthcare Engineer, GS-12.