Summary

The Hudson Valley Healthcare System is seeking a full-time Chief of Engineering(Supervisory Healthcare Engineer) for the Montrose and Castle Point campuses. This senior leader oversees engineering operations, capital projects, infrastructure, critical utilities, plant services, and regulatory compliance to ensure a safe, reliable environment that supports high-quality patient care.

Duties

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The Healthcare Engineer provides a safe, reliable, and precisely controlled operating environment for direct patient care. Healthcare Engineers serve as experts in the design, sustainment, and improvement of the medical care environment, including all hospital building features, automated building management and environmental control systems, and critical utility systems. Healthcare Engineers collaborate directly with executive leadership, medical staff, nursing staff, biomedical engineering, and other clinical personnel on the design and operation of the medical care environment. They manage capital asset programs and construction projects, and they educate and advise clinical staff on the safe use of critical building features, utility systems, and fire prevention systems as they relate to the environment of care. They ensure that the Healthcare System complies with a multitude of accreditation and regulatory requirements, including but not limited to those promulgated by the Joint Commission (TJC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In summary, Healthcare Engineers apply engineering concepts and methodologies to enhance the delivery of healthcare by providing a technologically advanced, safe, and reliable medical care environment.

This position serves as the Chief of Engineering Service with responsibility for the professional engineering programs such as Maintenance and Repair, Utility Plant Operations, the Energy Management and Conservation Program, Safety, Fire Prevention, Industrial Hygiene, Disaster Preparedness, Green Environmental Management, Vehicle Fleet, Grounds, Capital Planning, and the Construction Project Management section at a multi-faceted and affiliated VA Medical Center, including outlying Community Based Outpatient Clinics.

This position requires competency in many aspects of managing VHA Healthcare Facility Engineering Programs, including interdisciplinary engineering coordination and integration; facility maintenance and operations management; construction development, management, and oversight; healthcare facility engineering program administration; healthcare regulatory, safety, and accreditation compliance; strategic planning; technical personnel supervision; and VA inter-administration stakeholder collaboration.

This position is responsible for the planning, organizing, directing, evaluating, and management of Service Line programs, which includes setting qualitative and quantitative standards. The position develops and provides the Executive Leadership Team and clinical staff with information on the methods, techniques, and procedures necessary to integrate the Engineering, Maintenance, Capital Management, and other engineering programs into the mission of the Medical Center. This position also oversees the Joint Commission (JC) Environment of Care Programs for Utility Systems Management, Safety, Life Safety, and Medical Equipment Management for both the Medical Center and all Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs).

The VA Medical Center has numerous affiliation agreements with academic institutions across the region. Active medical school affiliations, combined with the influx of medical students and residents, along with consulting and attending physicians who supervise them, create additional challenges in personnel and resource management. The rapid turnover of medical school affiliates and their unfamiliarity with government hospital operations make it especially critical for the Chief Engineer to support top management's efforts to establish stable and effective management systems that integrate these affiliates into the healthcare organization and its patient care programs.

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

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position

Functional Statement #: 25605F

Recruitment Incentive approved for Highly qualified applicants

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.

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)

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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. 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;
• 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.
• Education. (1) Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering or Architecture. To be acceptable, the curriculum must be from a school with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Engineering Accreditation Commission (excludes engineering technology) or National Council of Architectural Registration Boards curriculum. Examples of acceptable engineering and architectural degrees include, but are not limited to: Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Architecture and Architectural Engineering.

OR

• (2) Evidence of passing the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination with a bachelor's degree. Evidence can be in the form of an Engineering in Training certificate issued from any State, the District of Columbia, Guam or Puerto Rico, or test results from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) identifying a passing score. OR (3) Evidence of current professional registration or licensure as a Professional Engineer or Architect. Evidence of current professional registration or licensure can be from any State, the District of Columbia, Guam or Puerto Rico.

OR

• (3) Evidence of current professional registration or licensure as a Professional Engineer or Architect. Evidence of current professional registration or licensure can be from any State, the District of Columbia, Guam or Puerto Rico.

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: In addition to the basic requirements outlined above, the following criteria must be met for appointment to the GS14 grade level.

Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-13).

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to meeting the experience requirements for this grade level, the candidate must fully demonstrate the following KSAs:

(a) Knowledge of mechanical, electrical, structural, civil and other engineering/architectural principles, practices and their applications as related to healthcare facilities.

(b) Knowledge related to the management of overall healthcare system resources, (i.e., finances, space, equipment, supplies, schedules and staffing).

(c) Skill in using effective communication in managing interpersonal relationships with internal and external customers, stakeholders, executive leadership, labor representatives and managers.

(d) Skill in balancing multiple responsibilities, setting priorities, delegating tasks and projects, meeting multiple deadlines, analyzing complex organizational problems and developing and implementing effective solutions that result in efficient operations.

(e) Skill in applying considerable independent judgment to interpret broad or general national policies and guidelines and adapt/apply them to specific compliant programs at the local healthcare system.

(f) Skill in recognizing and assessing evolving scenarios, utilizing initiative, and self-directing and assigning resources to affect resolutions.

(g) Skill in complying with national internal and outside regulatory agency and organization (including, but not limited to TJC, OSHA, NFPA, etc.) regulations, requirements, guides, policies, procedures, directives, standards and general medical program requirements as they relate to healthcare engineering.

(h) Ability to anticipate, develop and implement strategies in meeting the healthcare system's short-term and long-term strategic goals in a highly fluid environment.

(i) Ability to interview candidates for positions, recommend appointments, advancements, or when appropriate, disciplinary actions; evaluate performance and identify continuing education and training needs.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience directing the maintenance, safety, and operation of a medical center's physical infrastructure; managing engineering, operations, and maintenance programs within healthcare facilities, including HVAC, utility plants, building automation, and critical medical environments
• 10+ years of progressive experience in building operations, mechanical systems, or plant engineering
• 5+ years working directly inside a complex medical center environment.
• 5+ years in a managerial capacity. Proven track record of supervising skilled union trades (e.g., electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, boiler operators), managing shift schedules, and handling performance reviews
• Understand specialized healthcare nuances like negative pressure isolation rooms, medical gas delivery, and infection control during construction.
• Experience leading capital planning, construction project management, and Strategic Capital Investment Planning (SCIP) in compliance with federal standards
• Experience ensuring compliance with regulatory bodies and standards such as Joint Commission, OSHA, NFPA, EPA, ADA, ASHRAE, USP 797/800, CDC, and NIOSH
• Experience collaborating with clinical leadership, biomedical engineering, and academic affiliates in healthcare systems. Implementing safety, industrial hygiene, fire prevention, environmental stewardship, and GEMS programs
• Professional engineering licensure (PE, Architect, or FE/EIT exam completion)
• Experience creating, justifying, and managing multi-million dollar operational budgets and capital expenditure (CapEx) accounts
• A history of successfully negotiating contracts and overseeing third-party specialized contractors

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, training rooms, and libraries. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. The Chief Engineer must also work outdoors in all types of weather. There may be occasional exposure to moderate risks or discomforts in storage areas or hazardous waste sites.

The work is primarily sedentary, although some physical effort may be required, e.g., walking, standing, climbing ladders, stooping, kneeling, and carrying light items such as manuals or briefcases, or driving or traveling by motor vehicle.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions