Summary The Engineering Technician assists the Service in the administration of the projects and construction program, and will assist with ancillary functions relating to record drawings, Facility Planning, Project Design, Cost Estimating, Preparation of Plans and Specification for contracting documents, Project Management, Preparation of New Project Applications, Plans Review, Energy Management and Station Level Projects. Responsibilities Duties may include but are not limited to: Finding the facts and solutions for any deviations as they arise and preparing the necessary design modifications, doing an estimate of probable costs and preparing a request to the Contracting Officer for additional services, if necessary. Independently prepares engineering estimates for construction projects and equipment installation projects, and prepares documents for Pre-Bid Conferences. Chairs pre-construction and pre-bid conferences for construction projects for Leasing and Engineering Service. Serves as the Contracting Officer's technical representative on construction projects as assigned. Makes extensive contacts with other medical center personnel, engineers and contractors, to devise solutions when complex problems arise during the design and construction phase. Inspects and evaluates assigned construction projects to ensure contractor compliance with plans, specifications and phasing. Provides for complete coordination of assigned construction projects between facility and construction activities. Prepares electrical, plumbing, hvac, utility systems, mechanical, pneumatic, civil, and structural designs and layouts complete with specifications, scope of work and cost estimates using the latest VA Estimating DATA. Makes on-site investigations, has conferences with appropriate personnel on design requirements to collect data needed for independent design. Shows ingenuity and creative thinking in revising existing systems for different functions as required for new applications, and designing new systems. Convey instructions clearly and concisely to others. Reviews the technical submissions from consultant engineers for compliance with the project mission. Technically monitors contractors and consultant engineers, for large and small projects, moving from project to project in the course of the day to ensure that all services contracted for by the government are properly carried out and that construction work does not interfere with the day to day operation of the Medical Center and outlying CBOCs. Prepares broad and complex architectural, electrical, civil, plumbing, heating and air conditioning drawings to constitute a legal contract for construction work. Researches the latest Dept. Of Veterans Affairs Construction Standards and specifications that will efficiently, effectively and economically satisfy design requirements. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00a.m. to 4:30p.m. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Engineering Technician/PD03523A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. 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) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period 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 probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/09/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-08. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Individual Occupational Requirements Basic Requirements: Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 or equivalent and above): Examples of qualifying specialized experience include technical work in: drafting, surveying construction estimating, physical science, mathematics, aerospace, architecture, chemicals, electrical or mechanical systems, mining, petroleum, or nuclear systems. Experience in a trade or craft may be credited as specialized experience when the work provided intensive knowledge of engineering principles, techniques, methods, and precedents. Examples are trade positions with substantial developmental, test, or design responsibilities such as: Planner and estimator who analyzed designs for production purposes. Instrument maker or model maker who performed design or development work on devices fabricated. or Certification: Engineering technicians may be certified by the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies, an organization sponsored by the National Society of Professional Engineers. (CERTIFICATE REQUIRED) You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-08 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Operating automatic data systems including the ability to acquire a working knowledge of engineering software packages; Detailed understanding of automated drawing file management and principles of automated drafting and engineering design management; Measuring and using various measuring devices; Prepare reports, write specifications; Knowledge of the principles and practices of engineering disciplines related to building construction and industrial plant maintenance; Interpret, select, adopt and apply numerous guidelines applicable to engineering design and the building trades; Knowledge of general construction techniques and practices. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have (2) full years of graduate education (36 semester hours) or a master's degree (education MUST be directly related to the work of the position). (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first year of graduate level education (18 semester hours) directly related to the work of the position to qualify for the education portion of the combination qualification. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Physical Requirements: While much of the work is accomplished in an office setting there is a considerable amount of walking, stooping, crawling, climbing and standing required during site surveys to gather information for the design of new projects, site visits for projects that are under construction, final inspections and all other inspections. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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/. NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application. Additional Information 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. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. Receiving Service Credit for 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.
