Supervisory biomedical engineer (clinical)

Summary

The incumbent serves as Chief of Healthcare Technology Management Service and is responsible for the Healthcare Technology Program at the Columbia VA Health Care System (CVAHCS). CVAHCS is currently a 1b complexity facility. The incumbent is vested with complete responsibility and authority to implement the Healthcare Technology Management program in a facility with a complexity equal to a tertiary care and/or university-affiliated facility.

Duties

Duties include, but not limited to:

• Provides management support and technical expert consultation to Executive Leadership for all issues related to the areas listed above.
• Has final decision-making authority, responsibility and accountability on issues affecting the Healthcare Technology Management Service.
• Has full administrative and managerial responsibilities for planning, staffing, budgeting, developing, and effectively managing the total Healthcare Technology Management Program.
• Determines organizational changes in key positions within the Service.
• Ensures internal personnel-related programs are dealt with in a timely and efficient manner.
• Communicates agency and local policies and priorities to all employees within the Service.
• Delegates to each section supervisor the authority and responsibility to carry out assigned tasks.
• Follows progress of each and recommends improvement to be made where warranted.
• Ensures labor/management relations are maintained in accordance with Medical Center policy and procedures and that other requirements such as effective use of performance standards, EEO policies, and other personnel-related rules and regulations are effectively enforced.
• Acts as a consultant to the Medical Center regarding Healthcare Technology Management.
• Develops new methods or proposes new policies as required for other professional engineers at the facility and/or professional engineers in the VISN.
• Serves on standing committees of the facility as assigned by the Leadership team.
• Develops long-range plans for new and complex programs.
• Makes best use of present resources, plans for future needs and implementation of new resources.
• Assists with the coordination of all requests for additional resources, working closely with others to pull together comprehensive short-range and long-range plans.
• Conducts an equipment management program that meets current requirements from The Joint Commission (TJC) and NFPA, including planning, selection, consultation, installation, application, and maintenance.
• Manages a recall and safety alert program for equipment, including medical device incident investigations to ensure compliance with patient safety goals, SMDA, and TJC requirements.
• Takes a lead role in the coordination of purchase, planning, construction, installation, and in-service training stages of major Healthcare Technology Management.
• Chairs the Technology Operations Oversight Board, which provides the Medical Center with guidance regarding Technology Purchases and acts as a resource for Technology related issues.
• Demonstrates the ability to be resourceful in devising alternative methods to accomplish the objectives of Healthcare Technology Management when technical guidelines are not always prescriptive, economic conflicts are present, and other factors contribute to the complexity of decision making.
• Assesses situations that are complicated by conflicting or insufficient data that must be analyzed to determine the applicability, efficiency, and effectiveness of established and/or innovative methods.
• Works with the Medical Center Leadership, Service Chiefs, employees and their representatives, outside contracting agencies, engineers, architects, public sector department heads, engineers and managers at other VAMCs, VISN personnel, VACO personnel, CEOSH personnel, other federal agencies, members of academia and industry, and members of the private sector.
• Supervises biomedical engineers, biomedical equipment support specialists, and administrative staff.
• Assigns work, evaluates performance, identifies staff development and training needs, and ensures performance plans are communicated and routinely reviewed.
• Addresses training requirements, recommends awards and advancements, and takes disciplinary action when appropriate.
• Manages funds that support quality assurance, maintenance, and operational activities necessary to ensure the facility's medical equipment inventory remains fully available for patient care.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm

Telework: Available, Ad-hoc

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 62612F

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

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. 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). 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.

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.
• English Language Proficiency: Dental hygienists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
• Education and/or Experience. The individual must meet either item (1) or (2) below to meet this requirement:
• (1) 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.
• OR, (2) Certification as a Certified Clinical Engineer (CCE) and a bachelor's degree not listed in item (1) above. 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).

Grade Determinations:

GS-14 Supervisory Biomedical Engineer (Clinical) (a) Experience: Completion of at least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower level (GS-13) and must fully meet the KSAs at that level.

GS-13 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (must be clearly demonstrated in your resume): 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.

(b) GS-14 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (must be clearly demonstrated in your resume). In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to manage overall department resources, i.e., finance, space, equipment, supplies, and staffing at a highly complex medical center or at the VISN level. Ability to develop local or VISN policies and/or draft directives related to healthcare technology management. Skill in balancing multiple responsibilities, setting priorities, delegating tasks and projects, meeting multiple deadlines, analyzing organizational problems, and developing and implementing effective solutions. Ability to analyze complex 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 leading and dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers, within and outside the biomedical engineering program, to include conflict management, dispute resolution, mediation, or reasonable accommodations.

Preferred Experience: Experience leading engineering teams in large, complex, multi-state or multi-facility environments. Track record managing legacy system modernization/migration. Vendor and contractor management experience.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit here.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements:

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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 here.

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.

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. 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.

Learn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits 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.