Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist - Lead

Summary
The Lead Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (BESS) works in support of the Biomedical Engineering Department by managing workload among assigned employees. Additionally, the Lead BESS provides clinical and administrative support to staff, patients, and administrators for all matters of concern relating to the facility wide lifecycle management of medical equipment.
This job is open to

• Federal employees - Competitive service
  Current or former competitive service federal employees.
• Federal employees - Excepted service
  Current excepted service federal employees.
• Internal to an agency
  Current federal employees of this agency.
• The public
  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency
Applicants will be referred in the following order:
FIRST - Current, permanent employees of the St. Cloud VAHCS (including satellites) SECOND - Veterans Health Administration current, permanent employees
THIRD - Department of Veterans Affairs current, permanent employees
FOURTH - Other Federal employees, and the public (Veterans Preference applies).
Videos
Duties

• Lifecycle management of any and all medical systems such as imaging, life support, dialysis, and monitoring to include physical and network support. Completes both routine and complex assignments involved in the installation, maintenance, modification, troubleshooting, repair and calibration of these complex therapeutic, diagnostic and life support medical devices and systems. Coordinates and works effectively with other facility support departments including but not limited to Facilities Management Service (FMS), Office of Information Technology (OIT), Sterile Processing Service (SPS), and Environmental Management Service (EMS). Specific tasks include but are not limited to incoming inspections, regular and unscheduled maintenance, and planning for end of life replacement in conjunction with clinical services. Utilizes common test equipment including, but not limited to, electrical safety analyzers, oscilloscopes, patient simulators, pulse generators, network analyzers, and multimeters.
• Identifies, distributes and prioritizes workload among employees in accordance with established workflow and/or job specializations. Revises work schedules to meet anticipated and unanticipated changes in the workload. Assigns daily work to staff, establishing priorities based on workload related to BESS and ensures that each employee has an integral role in developing the final team product.
• Provides information on behalf of the team to inform the supervisor of performance management issues/problems and to recommend/request related actions, such as: assignments, reassignments, promotions, tour of duty changes, peer reviews and performance appraisals.
• Performs advanced testing and troubleshooting of medical devices and systems involving their interfaces and connections to information systems either directly or through the facility's hardwired and wireless networks.
• Maintains functional knowledge of relevant safety codes and standards of regulatory bodies including but not limited to The Joint Commission (TJC), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMl).
• Documents all work performed in the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS). This documentation is completed in accordance with regulatory body requirements, Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) Documentation of Services guidelines and other organizational requirements.
• Serves as coach, facilitator and/or negotiator in coordinating team initiatives and in consensus building activities among team members;
• As assigned, functions as a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and keeps appropriate certification levels. Collaborates with Logistics and Contracting to procure parts and services; functions as a purchase card holder, as required.
• Investigates, remediates and documents recalls and safety alerts within established timeframes. Participates in local safety improvement processes such as Root Cause Analysis (RCA), safety work groups, and Environment of Care Rounds. Identifies hazards during routine job performance and takes action to ensure they are addressed and corrected.
• Maintains knowledge of the state of the art in medical technology, including scientific advances, network protocols, and vendor changes. Focuses on professional development in all areas of medical technology lifecycle management including technical skills. Knowledge and training is obtained from formal (conference, classes) or informal (magazines, articles, peer training) means.
• Provides training and education as appropriate to medical technology end users and clinical staff.
• Provides mentoring and technical training to peers and development graded BESS.
• May be tasked with leading and managing installation or upgrade projects for medical devices and systems. This includes but is not limited to pre-implementation planning and coordination with end users, vendors, and other onsite support staff (OIT, Informatics, SPS, etc.)
• Additional duties are performed as assigned by supervisor related to maintenance, remediation, and tracking of medical systems (action items, special projects, etc.) to meet mission critical requirements. May be asked to assist in other administrative duties as well, including participating in hiring panels.
• Represents Biomedical/Clinical Engineering department on committees and in meetings as delegated by supervisor.

Work Schedule: 0800-1630 Monday-Friday
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 00000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Requirements
Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this 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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications
Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. After a determination is made that it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens, necessary personnel may be appointed on a temporary basis under authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 without regard to the citizenship requirements of 38 U.S.C. 7402 or any other law prohibiting the employment of or payment of compensation to a person who is not a citizen of the United States. Candidates must meet all other requirements for the grade and position concerned.
• Experience and Education.
  
  1. Associates degree in Biomedical Electronics Technology, Biomedical Equipment Technology or Biomedical Engineering Technology or in a related technical field such as Electronic Technology or Information Technology and two years of experience as a Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist, Biomedical Equipment Technician, Field Service Engineer, Medical Equipment Repairer, or Information Technology Specialist. Or,
  2. Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering Technology or in a related field such as Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) or Information Technology. Or,
  3. Completion of a military training program in Biomedical Equipment and two years of experience as a Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist or Biomedical Equipment Technician, Field Service Engineer, Medical Equipment Repairer or Information Technology Specialist.
• Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates will not be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English. See Chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.

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).

• Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA as a BESS on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and 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 in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:
  
  • Such employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journeyman) 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. The journeyman level for a BESS is GS-11.
  • BESSs who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard 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 standard.
  • BESSs initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
  • Employees who are retained as a BESS under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry as a BESS.

Grade Determinations:
Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist, GS-12

• Experience. At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  
  1. Knowledge of VA, NFPA, FDA, NRC, The Joint Commission, and other relevant safety and radiation safety standards.
  2. Ability to lead biomedical staff and work on medical equipment if needed to maintain compliant workflow.
  3. Knowledge of project management principles required to effectively and efficiently manage multiple, concurrent projects.
  4. Skill in communication to interact with clinical, technical and managerial staff.
  5. Ability to instruct staff, lead individuals, manage priorities, and schedule work assignments.

References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G49.
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.
Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.
Education
IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application.
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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
Additional information
Receiving Service Credit or 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.
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.
Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable a...