U.S. Department of Energy

Summary

The position serves as Energy Manager and the resident expert for the assigned Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare Systems (HCSs) in support of VISN, VA Central Office (VACO) and Executive Office of the President execution of law, executive order or VA policy in which energy management is the primary concern.

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Duties

The incumbent functions as Energy Manager for at least one VAHCS comprised of one or more VA owned VA Medical Centers (VAMCs), Healthcare Centers (HCCs), Outpatient Clinics (OPCs) and smaller miscellaneous facilities as well as leased spaces including VA Clinics (formerly Community Based Outpatient Clinics [CBOCs]), warehouses and administrative offices operated by the VAHCS.

The Energy Manager will work in a collaborative effort with other Energy Managers within their VISN toward accomplishing VISN-wide and VHA energy goals. The incumbent works closely with the VISN Energy Manager and VISN Capital Assets Manager/Deputy Capital Assets Manager providing technical support for VISN and National initiatives or programs. In addition, the incumbent provides technical and program support for the energy conservation programs at local National Cemetery Administration (NCA), Veteran Benefit Administration (VBA), Vet Centers (Readjustment Counseling), and Joint Department of Defense (DOD)/VA sites.

Duties may include but are not limited to:

Energy Program Management

• The Energy Manager is the healthcare system(s) resident expert on VAs energy programs and is responsible for the energy management program at the VAHCS in support of VISN, VACO and/or Executive Office of the President goals and objectives.
• The incumbent evaluates energy conservation measures as they apply to the healthcare system's existing energy systems and makes recommendations for implementation.
• The incumbent stays abreast of conservation programs by regularly communicating with local utilities to take advantage of opportunities available to the Medical Center.
• The incumbent monitors the energy consumption of the VAHCS and is responsible for required national reports and leadership presentations relating to energy consumption.
• The incumbent makes decisions on acceptance or rejection of materials, methods, and workmanship as per contract drawing specifications and manufacturers' recommendations. Where inconsistencies between field conditions and drawings exist, or acceptance of the final project is precluded, written recommendations are made to appropriate authorities.
• The incumbent, as a healthcare engineer, is responsible for complete analysis, design and preparation of proposals, drawings, specifications, contract documents, cost estimates and written reports and recommendations.

Regionalized Support within VISN 8

• At the direction of the VISN Energy Manager or Capital Assets Manager/Deputy Capital Assets Manager, the incumbent will support all of the VAHCSs within the VISN as a delegated subject matter expert within the incumbent's specific task area(s) as described below. The incumbent may perform multi-site energy audits and review projects with energy related components at the planning, design, or implementation stages.
• At the direction of the VISN Energy Manager or Capital Assets Manager/Deputy Capital Assets Manager, the incumbent will support all the VAHCSs within the VISN as a subject matter expert on energy management.
• They must be a qualified healthcare engineer and should provide mechanical and electrical engineering focused support to the VAHCSs and will also support the VISN in their specific area of expertise. This may include project planning, design reviews, cost estimate development and/or review, or on-site inspection of construction work.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:00 am - 3:30 pm

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized

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: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: PD41688F

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

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Requirements

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.
• You may be required to serve a trial 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.
• 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).

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.
• Language Proficiency. Healthcare Engineer candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Education. 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, Industrial Engineer, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Architecture and Architectural Engineering. Titles may vary from educational institutions & change over time;
• OR-
• 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-
• 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.

Grandfathering Provision. All individuals employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series performing the duties as described in the qualification standards on the effective date of this qualification standards, are considered to have met all the qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education that is part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements of this standards, but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to the position, the following provisions apply:

• (1) Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
• (2) Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels.
• (3) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standards 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 standards.
• (4) Employees who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standards requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.
• (5) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.

Foreign Education. To be creditable, engineering, architecture or related education completed outside the U.S. must be submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to a Bachelor's degree as outlined in paragraph 3.b. of this appendix.

GRADE DETERMINATIONS. In addition to the basic requirements outlined above, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates

Healthcare Engineer, GS-13.

• Experience. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-12) .
• Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSAs). In addition to meeting the specialized experience requirement for the GS-12 grade level, the candidate must fully demonstrate the following KSAs:
  • Knowledge of current and evolving concepts and principles of general engineering to resolve novel or obscure problems; extend and modify techniques; develop new approaches that guide other engineers who solve a variety of technical problems; and/or apply new, innovative or experimental advanced engineering theories, developments or practices.
  • Skill in construction, capital planning and multiple healthcare system portfolio management inclusive of budget development and tracking.
  • Skill to collaborate with persons having diverse viewpoints, goals or objectives to achieve a common understanding of the problem and a satisfactory solution by justifying, defending, negotiating or settling controversial and far-reaching matters through active participation in conferences, meetings or presentations.
  • Ability to interpret broad guidelines and exercise considerable judgment and ingenuity in interpreting and adapting existing guides, developing new and improved hypotheses, concepts or approaches to previously tested or reported and/or in developing new policies that advance the organization.
  • Ability to coordinate and interact with regional facilities, national and corresponding staff for the implementation and coordination of policies and program plans to apply prioritization methodologies that align facilities' capital asset requests and develop infrastructure options that result in the efficacious use of regional level capital strategic plans.
  • Ability to adapt and apply trends in healthcare delivery systems that impact long-term capital assets (such as aging equipment and physical plants) for regionally integrated healthcare systems.
  • Ability to consult and collaborate with all organizational levels in a national healthcare organization, outside organizations and businesses regarding both strategic and financial activities of a regional healthcare organization.
  • Ability to implement and/or sustain a capital asset and construction program that meets healthcare facility related standards, codes, policies and regulations inclusive of state and local codes.

Preferred Experience: Previous Energy Manager Experience preferred. Healthcare facility utilities experience preferred.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/OHRM/QualificationStandards/HT38/0801-HealthcareEngineer.pdf

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements: The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, boiler rooms, mechanical rooms and facility maintenance shop areas. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. The incumbent must also work outdoors in all types of weather. There may be occasional exposure to moderate risks or discomforts in accessing boiler plants, chiller plants, cooling towers, roofs, Mechanical Rooms, basements, pipe chases and sub-basement crawl spaces.

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, drawing rolls, briefcases, test and balancing equipment, 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 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 is a Non-Bargaining Unit position.

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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• 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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.

2. All other VA Agency employees.

3. All Federal Employees from other Agencies

4. Current/Past VHA Health Professional Trainee (HPT) Graduates

5. All other applicants - This is a shortage occupation and Veterans Preference is WAIVED (does NOT apply).

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

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How to Apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 07/08/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12751144.

1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

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Agency contact information

Diana Dieringer

Phone

727-398-6661 X64162

Email

DIANA.DIERINGER@VA.GOV

Address

West Palm Beach VA Medical Center

7305 North Military Trail

West Palm Beach, FL 33410

US

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.

You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.

NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.

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