Biomedical Engineer

Summary

The Biomedical Engineer will serve as the medical technology consultant and facility medical and hospital equipment planner for the Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) program at the VA Puget Sound Medical Center, a large, 1A complexity, medical center providing primary, secondary and tertiary services.

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Duties

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Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday 8:00am-4:30pm

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 : AD-HOC

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

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 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination, driving requirement.
• 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 :

Citizenship. [Be] a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with [VA Handbook 5005, Part II,] chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3.g.)

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).

Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA in this occupation, on the effective date of this qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education, and/or certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:

• (1) Such employees in an occupation that does not require a certification/registration, may be reassigned, promoted, or demoted within the occupation.
• (2) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis, prior to the effective date of the qualification standard, may not have their temporary appointment extended, or be reappointed on a temporary, or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
• (3) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or certification/registration, that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard, must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
• (4) If an employee, who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3) 4. BASIC REQUIREMENTS. 4 under this provision, leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status, and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.

English Language Proficiency: Biomedical Engineers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.

Grade Determinations : In addition to the basic requirements for employment listed above, the following education and experience criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:

Biomedical Engineer 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 in paragraph 3.b.(1).
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: None beyond the basic requirements.

Biomedical Engineer 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, OR, 5 ii. Bachelor's degree, as outlined in paragraph 3.b.(1), plus two full years of progressively higher level graduate education in a related field of study, that demonstrates the KSAs for the GS-9 level assignment.

AND

• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
  • 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.

Biomedical Engineer 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, OR, Bachelor's degree, plus three full years of progressively higher level graduate education in a related field of study.

AND

• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
  • Ability to implement and/or sustain an equipment management or biomedical research 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.

See Additional Information for the GS-12 Full Performance Level.

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

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.

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

Biomedical Engineer 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.

AND

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to conduct a medical equipment management [or biomedical research 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 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.

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.

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