Engineering Technician

Summary

This position is located at Birmingham VA Medical Center. The incumbent will works in the Projects Section of the Engineering Service, under direct supervision of the Supervisory Project Engineer.

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Duties

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Works in the Projects Section of the Engineering Service, under direct supervision of the Supervisory Project Engineer. at the Birmingham VA Medical Center.

Incumbent makes technical recommendations to the Senior Project Engineers in writing, providing justification and offering technical advice. He/she visits the construction sites daily to check work performance in compliance with the contract, and monitor schedule of work progress versus reported performance which may affect financial status, personnel, or labor difficulties. He/she must verify the number and types of workers in comparison with reported payrolls to insure compliance or discover irregularities.

Incumbent will assist the Senior Project Engineer with safety inspections for the construction contract. He/she is responsible for evaluating unsafe working conditions, and initiates corrective action through the Senior Engineer. The incumbent is certified and licensed by the Occupational and Health Administration (OSHA) with 40 hours of training. Ingenuity.

n addition he/she will have considerable freedom for planning, designing, specifying, and coordinating small station level project activities. Significant multi-tasking is required on a daily basis to attend to numerous projects being conducted simultaneously in various stages of design and/or construction, all with a high degree of complexity, various issues, and related engineering requirements. Initiative, resourcefulness, and sound judgment is required to make sound engineering compromises and decisions through a continuing requirement for contract work, using ingenuity and creative thinking to devise new ways of accomplishing objectives, and/or adapting existing equipment and current techniques to new uses.

The incumbent is also responsible for maintaining the drawing library and CAD files. The drawings must be maintained in a systematic manner, numerically and chronologically. In addition, the incumbent will coordinate with Indus Systems regarding maintenance of the Space file so that it is current with space requests and changes based on Space committee minutes, Resource Management Committee minutes, local Project team construction and other documented changes. He/she conducts research of existing plans and assists M&O personnel and other pertinent individuals in locating existing utilities.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:00 am - 3:30 pm

Compressed/Flexible: No

Telework: This position is not authorized for telework.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Engineering Technician/PD000000

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: No

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• 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)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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 probationary period period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/01/2026.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

• Specialized Experience: YApplicants 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-09. 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.
• OR,
• Education: Successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or three (3) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M. if related, that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. .
• OR,
• Combination: Equivalent combination of successfully completed education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. Only education in excess of a master's or equivalent graduate education may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-11 level. NOTE: One (1) 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.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at ;br>
Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: ;br>
Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at ;br>
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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.