Biomedical Engineer

Summary

The Biomedical Engineer conducts the overall operations of the Biomedical Engineering program at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (SAVAHCS). Incumbent provides engineering review, guidance, and development of the Medical Equipment Management Program encompassing professional engineering consulting with medical staff in all areas involving medical instrumentation.

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Duties

Duties include but not limited to:

• Develop material for continuing education program for clinical staff, that addresses the principles and application of medical technology, and/or biomedical theory to solve biomedical engineering problems.
• Support the clinical mission by contributing to the continuing education program for clinical staff and develop a curriculum for a continuing education program that addresses the safe and effective use of medical technology.
• Responsible for having knowledge of the principles, theories, concepts, and practices of the biomedical engineering profession.
• Recommends updates to policies and procedures to comply with these frequently conflicting requirements while minimizing adverse impact to patient care.
• Execute, monitor, and report facility information and status of national HTM programs, performance monitors, procedures, and regulations.
• Responsible for obtaining and maintaining Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), Level II certification.
• Responsible for the capital asset and infrastructure planning to promote the cost-effective maintenance and safety of the facility's medical equipment inventory including complex medical instrumentation.
• Assists the Biomedical Engineering and administrative staff in the most effective expenditure of funds allocated for initial concept, installation, effective implementation, and replacement of medical equipment and systems.
• Actively promotes the viability of SAVAHCS by supporting strategic planning, working with executive, clinical and administrative staff as well as Engineering Service management to plan, implement, and design solutions to address Biomedical Engineering needs and the operational needs of clinical services.
  
  

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 0000

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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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. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification 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).
• 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.
  
  

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 Determination: GS-7 (Entry Level)

• Experience. None beyond the basic requirements.
• Education. Bachelor's degree or CCE certification with at least a bachelor's degree not listed above.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. None beyond the basic requirements.
  
  

Grade Determination: GS-9 (Developmental Level 1)

• Experience. At least [one] year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower level. OR,
• Education Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering, or a related field of study, as outlined in the basic requirement section OR, Bachelor's degree, as outlined in basic requirement section, plus two full years of progressively higher level graduate education in a related field of study, provided the applicant's total background demonstrates the KSAs for the GS-9 level assignment.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
• Knowledge of the principles, theories, concepts, and practices of the Biomedical Engineering profession
• Ability to interpret relevant codes, regulations, guidelines, and standards, and make recommendations to ensure compliance with medical center programs.
• Ability to understand the operational needs of clinical services in the health care system.
• Ability to prepare material on current technical topics and trends, for presentation to other technical staff and mid-level hospital management, and the ability to keep abreast of changes in technology.

Grade Determination GS-11 (Developmental Level 2)

• Experience. At least [one] year of experience equivalent to the next lower level, [and must fully meet the KSAs at that level.] OR,
• Education. [Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree in Biomedical Engineering, or a related field of engineering, as outlined in the basic requirements OR Bachelor's degree, plus three full years of progressively higher level graduate education in a related field of study, as outlined in the basic requirements.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
• Ability to implement and/or sustain an equipment management or biomedical engineering program that meets The Joint Commission (TJC), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), or other applicable regulatory requirements.
• Ability to develop material for a continuing education program for clinical or research staff, that address the principles and application of medical technology, and/or biomedical theory used in healthcare.
• Ability to advise staff on emerging medical technology, or research procedures, while keeping abreast of changes in such technology, and utilizing the information to solve biomedical engineering problems.
• Knowledge of basic project management principles, as applied to the healthcare setting and medical equipment, and information system implementation

Grade Determination: GS-12 (Full Performance Level)

• Experience: Completion of at least [one] year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower level; OR completion of a post-doctoral research fellowship in the field of biomedical engineering, and must fully meet the KSAs at that level. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Ability to conduct a medical equipment management [or biomedical engineering program that is compliant with applicable healthcare standards and regulatory agencies.
• Ability to develop a curriculum for a continuing education program, that address the safe and effective use of medical technology, and/or research devices.
• 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 [TJC] requirements.
• Ability to conduct capital asset and infrastructure planning for medical equipment spanning initial concept, installation, and effective implementation of complex medical equipment.
• Ability to function as the subject matter expert in the field of biomedical engineering, directly supporting specialized clinical technology, including service, system administration, training, quality assurance, and life-cycle management.
• Ability to effectively advise clinical and administrative staff on medical technology, including existing and emerging technology, which addresses viability, long-term suitability, compatibility, and/or safety.
• Knowledge of concepts related to computer based medical systems, networking protocols, and information security as it applies to medical technology within VHA.
• Skill in communicating and working collaboratively with key stakeholders, including technical and professional staff at various levels of the organization.
• Ability to apply project management principles to deployment of medical equipment and health information technologies.

References: VA Handbook 5005/104 Part II Appendix G38 Biomedical Engineer.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-07 to GS-12.



Physical Requirements: Work of the position is mainly sedentary.

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.

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