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.

Duties

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)

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 Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. 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.

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.

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.