Job Description

Summary

The incumbent is the Assistant Chief Biomedical Engineer, Healthcare Technology Management with responsibility for all matters related to medical equipment at the Hines VA Hospital. The incumbent works under the general supervision of the Chief, Healthcare Technology Management.

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Duties

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• Responsible for the development, implementation, daily oversight, and evaluation of the equipment management program that meets current Joint Commission (TJC) and NFPA requirements.
• Responsible for developing and implementing cost effective, appropriate maintenance strategies for healthcare equipment, and evaluating the effectiveness of those strategies.
• Conducts data analysis on medical equipment utilization, repairs and errors to support the Medical Equipment Management Plan.
• Manages a recall and safety alert program for medical devices, including medical device incident investigations to assure compliance with patient safety goals, FDA, Safe Medical Device Act (SMDA), and TJC requirements.
• He/she reviews FDA, VA, ECRI, manufacturer's letters, etc., implementing reviewed actions and documentation in equipment history and reports as needed to Hines Safety Committee, FDA and Manufacturer.
• Serves as lead on all recalls and hazard alert notices for Repairable Medical Devices.
• Responsible for advising clinical and administrative staff on medical technology including existing and emerging technology addressing viability, long-term suitability, compatibility, and/or safety while keeping abreast of changes in technology and utilizing information gained in the solution of biomedical engineering problems.
• Serves as member of Great Lakes Organization of Biomedical Engineers (GLOBE), and ad hoc committees as needed.
• Assists with capital asset and infrastructure planning for medical equipment throughout its entire life cycle.
• Responsible for evaluating complex medical equipment systems to determine the feasibility of installation, including utilities and space requirements and interconnectivity with existing equipment and systems.
• Responsible for evaluation of medical equipment as it reaches the end of its useful life and planning for appropriate replacement.
• Serves as institutional expert who directly supports the most complex and specialized clinical technology including service, system administration, training, and quality assurance.
• He/she functions as the subject matter expert in Biomedical Engineering and medical equipment.
• The incumbent is a recognized authority in all matters related to Biomedical Engineering at this hospital and operates independent of any technical supervision.
• He/she distributes the workload, assigns priorities, performs independent assessments and analyses, and recommends policy changes. Due to the nature of the work, no established guidelines exist. In such cases, the incumbent's decision may set precedents and help form policy.
• The incumbent is expected to analyze, organize, innovate, modify, and adapt as necessary to carry out program objectives. The incumbent's recommendations are accepted as professionally sound and authoritative, and his/her work is judged by the achievement of productive results

Work Schedule : Monday-Friday 700am to 300pm

Telework : Ad-hoc

Virtual: This is not a virtual position

Fi nancial Disclosure Report: Not required

Physical Demands: The work is sedentary. There may be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items.

Working Conditions: The work is performed in an office setting with adequate lighting and other facilities with no unusual health hazards. The incumbent observes normal safety precautions.

Requirements

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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 drg 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical 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.
• English Language Proficiency.
• Education and/or Experience: Possess a bachelor's degree in professional engineering from an accredited college or university. To be acceptable, the curriculum must (1) be in school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. Transcripts Required. OR
• Possess a combination of college level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. Transcripts Required. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

Professional Registration : current registration as a professional engineer by any State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States (e.g., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would not be rated eligible for biomedical engineering positions. Registration Required .

Written Test: Evidence of having successfully passed the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) examination, or the written test required for professional registration, which is administered by the Boards of Engineering Examiners of a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States (e.g., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia. Applicants who have passed the EIT examination may be rated eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their examination at the GS-5 grade level.

Specified Academic Courses : Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and in engineering that included the courses specified in the basic requirements. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum as described above (paragraph - Possess bachelor's degree).

Transcripts Required . Curriculum: Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field, e.g., physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily, there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. Transcripts Required .

In addition to meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met to qualify at the GS-13 grade level for this Biomedical Engineer position.

GRADE REQUIREMENTS :

Experience: Completion of at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower level (GS-12), and must fully meet the GS-12 KSAs at that level.

GS-12 Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 1) Ability to conduct an equipment management program that meets current JCAHO and NFPA requirements.2) Ability to develop a curriculum for a continuing education program that addresses the safe and effective use of medical equipment and/or technology.3) Ability to manage a recall and safety alert program for medical devices including medical device hazard investigations to assure compliance with patient safety goals, SMDA, and JCAHO requirements.4) Skill in advising clinical and administrative staff on medical engineering technology, including existing and emerging technology and which addresses viability, long-term suitability, compatibility, and/or safety.5) Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and recommend timely and economical solutions involving medical equipment spanning initial concept, installation, and effective implementation of complex medical equipment. GS-13

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following professional GS-13 KSAs and potential to acquire the assignment specific KSAs designated by an asterisk (*):*1) Ability to conduct capital asset and infrastructure planning for medical equipment spanning initial concept, installation, and effective implementation of complex medical equipment.*2) Knowledge of the most complex and specialized clinical technology including service, system administration, training, and quality assurance.3) Expert knowledge of, and the ability to interpret and apply, complex codes, regulations, guidelines, and standards associated with the biomedical engineering field.

References: VA Handbook 5005/15, Part II, Appendix G38, Biomedical Engineer Qualification Standards. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12

. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 located in the Human Resources Office.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: .

Additional information

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.

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