Summary This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Responsibilities The Biomedical Engineer analyzes maintenance strategies including review of out-sourcing versus in-house support and consolidation opportunities. The Biomedical Engineer reports directly to the network (VISN) Chief Biomedical Engineer. He/She receives administrative direction with assignments in terms of broadly defined missions and functions. He/She exercises authority to oversee the overall planning, designing and implementing programs, projects, studies and other work to support healthcare technology across the network. Successful execution of these responsibilities has major impact upon the outcome of patient care delivery. At the VISN Level, the Equipment planning Biomedical engineer will be responsible for oversight and coordination of facility Biomedical Engineering programs for equipment planning functions such as defining strong technical requirements, identifying procurement strategies and developing contract vehicles for medical equipment and clinical systems and the development of multi-year strategic equipment plans by Biomedical Engineering staff at the facility level. The Biomedical Engineer is responsible for establishing consistent methodologies, protocols, and procedures across VISN 02 in HTM including RTLS systems. The Biomedical Engineer contributes to VHA, VISN and facility patient safety goals. He/She assures that medical device recalls and hazard alerts are acted upon as appropriate and that equipment related safety enhancements are implemented in the network. The Biomedical Engineer consults on construction projects, information technology projects, space functional changes and associated planning with respect to medical technologies and clinical-related technologies. Participation in medical technology management and equipment procurement processes include market research opportunities such as vendor fairs, 'right-sizing' equipment functionality, actively participating in the development of technical specifications, evaluating technical proposals and contributing to price negotiations. The Biomedical engineer demonstrates interpersonal skills as an envoy for the VISN 2 HTM Service Line in order to facilitate better relationships and procedures within their Service and with other Services within their VAMC and among the VISN 2 Medical Centers. The Biomedical Engineer drafts and recommends VAMC policies related to medical equipment/clinical systems. He/she represents the HTM Service and in some cases the VA Medical Center in meetings and conferences. Other duties as assigned, VA Careers - Biomedical Engineer: https://youtube.com/embed/F571hsIKQUk Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Work Schedule: Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not available Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not available. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. 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) 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: Determined by agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 11979F Selected applicant must sit at one of the VISN 2 facilities listed above, there is 1 vacancy. 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. Must pass pre-employment evaluation. 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. Selected applicant must sit at one of the VISN 2 facilities listed above, there is 1 vacancy. 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. 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. Titles may vary from educational institutions and change over time. OR, (2) Certification as a Certified Clinical Engineer (CCE) and a bachelor's degree not listed in item 3.b.(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 (a) Experience. Completion of at least [one] year of experience equivalent to the next lower level, and must fully meet the KSAs at that level. (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities In addition to the experience above, the biomedical engineer (clinical) must demonstrate all of the following KSAs. i. Ability to apply advanced knowledge of relevant codes, regulations, guidelines, and standards associated with biomedical engineering to support the needs of multiple facilities. ii. Ability to effectively convey highly technical information to a wide variety of individuals, including technical and professional clinical staff, and senior level managers at the facility, VISN and/or national level. iii. Ability to manage a recall and safety alert program for medical devices, including medical device incident investigations to assure compliance with patient safety goals, SMDA, and TJC requirements for multiple facilities. iv. Ability to apply advanced knowledge of principles, theories, concepts, and practices of biomedical engineering. This would include the ability to keep abreast of changes in technology and utilize the information gained in the solution of biomedical engineering problems to meet operational needs of multiple facilities. v. Ability to directly support the most complex and specialized clinical technology including service, system administration, training, and quality assurance for multiple facilities. vi. Ability to work collaboratively with other disciplines, senior management, VHA Central Office, and VISN staff. vii. Ability to develop and implement healthcare technology management policies that are consistent with organizational objectives. Scope of organization spans from multiple facilities to national. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items. Selected applicant must sit at one of the VISN 2 facilities listed above, there is 1 vacancy. 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: 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. 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. 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. 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 accommodation process. 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.