Healthcare Engineer-Senior Program Engineer

Summary

The Senior Program Engineer ensures a safe, reliable, and precisely controlled operating environment for direct patient care by leading planning, design oversight, technical compliance, and program management across capital projects, life-safety systems, critical utilities, and energy programs.

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Duties

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The Senior Program Engineer collaborates with the Chief of Engineering Service, executive leadership, clinical staff, and external partners regarding station-level engineering determinations and compliance with codes, standards, and regulations including those from the Joint Commission, NFPA, OSHA, EPA, and VA Technical Information Library (TIL).

Duties Include:

• Serves as the station technical authority for healthcare engineering, providing authoritative advice to leadership and clinical services on capital projects, codes, and standards.
• Leads technical oversight of construction and renovation projects at the medical center and CBOCs, ensuring compliance with accreditation and regulatory requirements.
• Functions as COR or technical expert for A/E and construction contracts, preparing scopes, IGEs, evaluations, and technical oversight while ensuring infection control and safety compliance.
• Supports facility resiliency and emergency preparedness by ensuring critical infrastructure systems are designed and maintained to withstand natural disasters and utility disruptions.
• Owns and manages critical station-level engineering programs such as medical gas, fire protection, water quality/Legionella, HVAC systems in surgical and isolation environments, and emergency power systems.
• Leads station-level asset management analytics, Facility Condition Index (FCI) assessments, backlog prioritization, and energy optimization initiatives.
• Utilizes advanced data analytics and performance metrics to evaluate system efficiency, identify deficiencies, and recommend improvements across engineering programs.
• Completes Annual National Handbook/Directive Compliance assessments. Recommends and initiates action plans to ensure full compliance to include developing policies and standards of practice, along with coordinating any training required.
• Collaborates with fiscal and leadership teams to develop and justify station capital investment priorities, integrating technical findings into executive decision-making.
• Serves as a subject matter expert in interpreting and applying national VA policies, codes, and directives; develops local policies and procedures to ensure compliance and operational excellence.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am to 4pm, Negotiable

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): 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: Available, Ad-hoc, Within policy allowances

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 82640F

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation/examination.
• 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:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• 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, Industrial Engineer, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Architecture and Architectural Engineering. Titles may vary from educational institutions & 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.

Grandfathering Provision. All individuals employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series performing the duties as described in the qualification standards on the effective date of this qualification standards, are considered to have met all the qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education that is part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements of this standards, but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to the position, the following provisions apply:

• (1) Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
• (2) Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels.
• (3) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standards may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standards.
• (4) Employees who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standards requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.
• (5) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.

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.

GRADE DETERMINATIONS. In addition to the basic requirements outlined above, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates

Healthcare Engineer, GS-13.

• Experience. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-12) .
• Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSAs). In addition to meeting the specialized experience requirement for the GS-12 grade level, the candidate must fully demonstrate the following KSAs:
  
  
  • Knowledge of current and evolving concepts and principles of general engineering to resolve novel or obscure problems; extend and modify techniques; develop new approaches that guide other engineers who solve a variety of technical problems; and/or apply new, innovative or experimental advanced engineering theories, developments or practices.
  • Skill in construction, capital planning and multiple healthcare system portfolio management inclusive of budget development and tracking.
  • Skill to collaborate with persons having diverse viewpoints, goals or objectives to achieve a common understanding of the problem and a satisfactory solution by justifying, defending, negotiating or settling controversial and far-reaching matters through active participation in conferences, meetings or presentations.
  • Ability to interpret broad guidelines and exercise considerable judgment and ingenuity in interpreting and adapting existing guides, developing new and improved hypotheses, concepts or approaches to previously tested or reported and/or in developing new policies that advance the organization.
  • Ability to coordinate and interact with regional facilities, national and corresponding staff for the implementation and coordination of policies and program plans to apply prioritization methodologies that align facilities' capital asset requests and develop infrastructure options that result in the efficacious use of regional level capital strategic plans.
  • Ability to adapt and apply trends in healthcare delivery systems that impact long-term capital assets (such as aging equipment and physical plants) for regionally integrated healthcare systems.
  • Ability to consult and collaborate with all organizational levels in a national healthcare organization, outside organizations and businesses regarding both strategic and financial activities of a regional healthcare organization.
  • Ability to implement and/or sustain a capital asset and construction program that meets healthcare facility related standards, codes, policies and regulations inclusive of state and local codes.

Preferred Experience: The FMS Healthcare Engineering Team is responsible for all Capital Investment Projects and program funding working directly with VISN CAM office for funding, prioritization, and execution of projects. Currently, the Project Team has oversight of all campuses within the Orlando VAHCS to include owned, leased, expansion projects and Non-reoccurring Maintenance (NRM) needed at Lake Nona; three primary outpatient clinics in Orlando, Brevard, and Daytona Beach; five CBOCs located in Kissimmee, Clermont, Deltona, Tavares, and Palm Bay; and annex facilities in both Daytona Beach and Orlando.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit ;br>
he full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.

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

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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

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

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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.

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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.