Supervisory Biomedical Engineer - Recruitment/Relocation Incentive Authorized

Summary
Supports/advances patient care by applying engineering & managerial skills to healthcare technology. Directs a medical equipment management program meeting requirements. Supervises Biomedical Engineers & Biomedical Equipment Support Specialists. Instructs physicians, clinicians & others in correct equipment application/operator-level maintenance of medical equipment.
This vacancy will remain open until filled. First cut-off date is 3/20/2024. Additional applications will be referred as needed.
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
This announcement is open to permanent employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs and other current, permanent Federal employees and the public.
Although hybrid title 38 occupations follow title 5 Veterans' preference rules, 38 U.S.C. § 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference to external applicants applying for this position as identified by VHA until 09/30/2024 as outlined in OCHCO Bulletin dated 10/03/2023.
Videos
Duties
Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf
Healthcare Engineer: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-General-Engineer-Career-Flyer.pdf
Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Responsible for the hospital-wide Biomedical Engineering Program serving all Services throughout the multi-campus VCB VA Healthcare System and outpatient clinics.
• Serving as Chief Biomedical Engineer and is administratively under the Associate Director
• Directly consulting with the Medical and Administrative staff on principles and practices which relate to Biomedical Engineering
• Directing HTM Service in engineering principles and good manufacturing practices
• Providing the Medical Center and its medical and engineering school affiliations with professional level of Biomedical Engineering support
• Directing HTM interactions with the Department of Veteran's Affairs Centralized Biomedical Engineering programs
• May represent the Medical Centers in meetings and conferences
• Providing highly technical and professional services that directly impact the delivery of healthcare affecting large complex services that encompass the Harlingen, south Texas area as well as Medical Centers throughout the VISN.
• Initiating, planning, organizing and implementing new networked medical device programs and projects that affect the department
• Extensively involved in Quality Assurance and Continuous Quality Management
• Facilitating CQI proposals from the staff level to the clinical staff level
• Often required to justify the purchase of highly complex medical systems
• Overseeing development of technical data estimates, statistics and other information used by upper management to determine goals and objectives emphasizing the management of technology and the delivery of health care services
• Providing a wide range of technical input and oversight when analyzing benefits and costs of accomplishing work in-house vs. contracts
• Recommending whether to contract, providing technical requirements and descriptions of work to be accomplished
• Planning and establishing work schedules, deadlines and standards of acceptable work
• Coordinating and integrating contractor work with others
• Tracking quality and performance and arranging required inspections
• Deciding on the acceptability, rejection or correction of work products or services that effect payment of the contractor
• Organizing projects of broad scope and objectives that affect many levels of medical and administrative staff
• Responsible for developing and constantly improving complex medical equipment systems by developing performance specifications, technically administering contracts and establishing installation, maintenance and functional elements. Through constant failure analysis he/she obtains the most efficient and effective system needed.
• Making recommendations in the creation of internal and external program policy issues affecting the overall organization that involve technological factors
• Involved in determining the optimum mix of reduced operating costs and assurance of program effectiveness
• Involved in the introduction of labor- saving devices, automated processes and methods of improvements

Work Schedule: Fulltime, Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Recruitment: Authorized for highly qualified external applicants
Relocation Incentive: Authorized for highly qualified internal applicants
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of existing pay, 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: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 00000
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:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Education and/or Experience: The individual must meet either item (1) or (2) below to meet this requirement:
  
  • Bachelor's Degree or Higher in Engineering. To be creditable, the curriculum must be from a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), as a professional engineering curriculum. Examples of acceptable engineering degrees include: Biomedical Engineering, Clinical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biomechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Biochemical Engineering. Titles may vary from educational institutions and change over time. OR
  • Certification as a Certified Clinical Engineer (CCE) and a bachelor's degree not listed above.
• Grandfathering Provision: All persons employed in VHA in this occupation, 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, and/or certification/registration that are 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 in an occupation that does not require a certification/registration, may be reassigned, promoted, or demoted within the occupation.
  • Employees 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.
  • Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or certification/registration, that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard, must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
  • If an employee, who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3) under this provision, leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status, and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.
• English Language Proficiency: Biomedical Engineers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.

Grade Determinations:
Supervisory Biomedical Engineer (Clinical), GS-13
Experience. Completion of at least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower level, and must fully meet the KSAs at that level.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of the management of overall department resources, i.e., finances, space, equipment, supplies, and staffing at the local level.
• Ability to draft and/or recommend local policies and/or directives related to healthcare technology management.
• Ability to balance multiple responsibilities, set priorities, delegate tasks, meet multiple deadlines, analyze organizational problems, and develop and implement effective solutions.
• Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems to develop and implement solutions that result in efficient operations, and use data effectively to manage workload, quality, performance, and productivity within the area of responsibility.
• Skill in interpersonal relationships in leading and dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers, both within and outside the Biomedical Engineering program, to include conflict management, dispute resolution, mediation, or reasonable accommodations.

Assignment. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), range of variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. At this level, employees are supervisors and are at the facility level. The Supervisory Biomedical Engineer (clinical) is responsible for the professional and administrative management of a facility Biomedical Engineering program. Such individuals have responsibility supervising technical staff, including lower level engineers, Biomedical Engineering technicians, and other staff. The range of supervisory responsibility includes development of performance standards and performance evaluations; recommendations for appointments, awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary actions; and identification of continuing training needs etc. The Supervisory Biomedical Engineer (clinical) is responsible for financial management of budget resources allocated to support quality assurance and maintenance activities necessary to assure the facility's medical equipment is available for patient care activities. The Supervisory Biomedical Engineer (clinical) is responsible for compliance and reporting of medical device cyber security and isolation for facilities under their management oversight.
Preferred Experience:

• Three to ten years demonstrated ability, experience and subject matter expertise managing a 2 complexity or similar hospital Biomedical Engineering department, to include development and sustainment of a medical equipment management plan, encompassing technology assessment, strategic planning, acquisition support, implementation, coordination, equipment management, and ongoing maintenance support.
• Demonstrated superior administrative skills, including a thorough understanding of the current HT38 staff requirements for 1601 and 0858 job series, HR processes and procedures (to include MSS/HR Smart, disciplinary actions, EEO procedures, performance appraisals, etc.).
• Subject matter expert knowledge of current The Joint Commission (TJC), National Fire Protection Agency, OSHA, MDPP, MDIA (cyber security compliance) and other applicable industry and VA regulatory requirements.
• Knowledge of the recall and safety alert program for medical devices, including medical device incident investig...