Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (Geographical Regional Technical Specialist)

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. Experience and Education: Associates degree in Biomedical Electronics Technology, Biomedical Equipment Technology or Biomedical Engineering Technology or in a related technical field such as Electronic Technology or Information Technology and two years of experience as a Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist, Biomedical Equipment Technician, Field Service Engineer, Medical Equipment Repairer, or Information Technology Specialist. OR, Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering Technology or in a related field such as Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) or Information Technology. OR, Completion of a military training program in biomedical equipment and two years of experience as a Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist or Biomedical Equipment Technician, Field Service Engineer, Medical Equipment Repairer or Information Technology Specialist. English Language Proficiency: Candidates will not be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English. See Chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. 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: Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (Geographical Regional Technical Specialist) Experience. At least one year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Certification as a Project Manager highly desired but not required. Experience at this level includes, but is not limited to: Distributes and prioritizes workload among employees in accordance with established workflow and/or job specializations. Revises work schedules to meet anticipated and unanticipated changes in the workload. Assigns daily work to staff, establishing priorities based on workload related to BESS. Prepares estimates and reports on expected time of completion of work. Reviews progress of work assignments and modifies as needed and checks completed work for accuracy. Ensures SOPs and mandates are followed during the performance of workflow. Instructs employees on work- related activities, policies, procedures and goals. Implements the Biomedical Section training program, in- house cross training, and vendor training, to ensure that technicians are kept abreast of the changing technology as effectively as possible within the available resources. Participate in VISN wide projects to provide their expertise in a particular technology. Provide input to the VISN High-Cost/High-Tech Committee and capital investment proposals, and may serve as a VISN technical resource. Provides information to management officials concerning performance issues, assignment changes and task completion. Responds and supports resolution of customer service concerns. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Ability to effectively communicate with professionals of varying levels of technical knowledge within multiple levels of the VHA organization. (b) Ability to coordinate work across multiple settings, e.g., medical centers, VISNs. (c) Knowledge of the codes and standards of VA, TJC, NFPA, AAMI, FDA, and AHA as they apply to the safety and operation of medical instrumentation. (d) Knowledge related to the characteristics, capabilities, installation, and configuration of medical equipment and their associated networks. (e) Ability to analyze regional technical issues and develop timely and economical solutions. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position.
The position serves as a senior level Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (BESS) that consults on the lifecycle management of medical technology(s) regionally within assigned VISN(s) within VHA. The BESS is an expert for a specific medical technology (s) and serves as a liaison between Biomedical Engineering staff at VHA, VISN, and facility levels.