Biomedical Engineer

Veterans Health Administration • Long Beach, CA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Biomedical Engineer supports and advances patient care by applying biomedical engineering expertise to healthcare technology. The position provides professional services in technology assessment, acquisition, and implementation; management of complex networked medical devices, including security, connectivity, and interoperability; patient safety; medical equipment management; financial analysis; and infrastructure planning. The engineer assists clinical staff with selecting, deploying, and using medical equipment, and advises them on current and emerging technologies.

The role serves as project manager, technical expert, and biomedical subject matter expert for medical technology implementations, particularly high-cost and high-technology equipment. It collaborates with facility leadership, clinical program managers, stakeholders, Biomedical Engineers and managers across VISN and national organizations, and the Office of Information & Technology. Responsibilities include assessing site-preparation needs, coordinating project activities and schedules, and arranging training for equipment operators and maintenance staff.

The position contributes to clinical and administrative committees and patient-safety goals. It oversees the Medical Equipment Management Program (MEMP), including medical equipment recalls, hazard alerts, safety enhancements, and incident investigations. It helps ensure equipment is safe, reliable, clinically appropriate, and cost-effective, while supporting compliance with applicable patient-safety goals, standards, and regulations. The role analyzes maintenance strategies, including in-house versus outsourced support, and participates in procurement, service-contract administration and technical oversight, price negotiations, and annual budget preparation.

The engineer supports capital-asset and infrastructure planning for complex medical equipment through purchase, planning, design review, installation, and in-service training. Station-level work may include technology assessments, procurement specifications and evaluations, site preparation, pre-procurement planning, technical configurations, ongoing maintenance and support, and decommissioning. Infrastructure planning may range from conceptual design to detailed plans for projects such as catheterization laboratories, radiology suites, computer systems, minor construction, and turnkey designs. The role provides expertise in computer networks, network access, IT and cybersecurity, sanitization, computer-to-computer communication protocols such as HL-7, and VA medical-equipment-related IT policies. Other related duties may be assigned.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception when qualified U.S. citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Bachelor's degree or higher in an ABET-accredited engineering curriculum, in an accepted field such as biomedical, clinical, bioengineering, biomechanical, electrical, mechanical, or biochemical engineering; alternatively, Certified Clinical Engineer (CCE) certification and a bachelor's degree in another field.
• Applicants qualifying through education must submit transcripts; degrees must be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with transcripts.
• For GS-9, at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-7, or qualifying master's-level education or a bachelor's degree plus two years of progressively higher-level graduate education; applicants must also demonstrate the specified knowledge of biomedical engineering, regulations and standards, clinical operations, and technical communication.
• For GS-11, at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-9, or qualifying doctoral education or a bachelor's degree plus three years of progressively higher-level graduate education; applicants must also demonstrate the specified abilities in equipment-program compliance, continuing education, emerging technology, and project management.
• For GS-12, at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-11 or successful completion of a post-doctoral research fellowship in biomedical engineering; applicants must demonstrate the listed KSAs in program compliance, education, recalls and safety alerts, capital and infrastructure planning, technical subject-matter expertise, advising, information security, collaboration, and project management.
• Applicants must explicitly document required KSAs in their resume for experience to be credited.
• Meet applicable pre-employment conditions, including background/security investigation, required onboarding and identification documentation, and seasonal influenza vaccination requirements for VA Health Care Personnel.
• Applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing-designated position are subject to urinalysis for illegal drug use.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• A one- or two-year trial period may be required.

Nice To Haves

• At least two years of expertise in Medical Device Isolation Architecture (MDIA), Specialized Device Isolation Architecture (SDIA), networked systems such as VM servers and databases, cybersecurity, vulnerability management, backups, ACLs/firewalls, and EMR integration with medical devices.
• At least two years of experience in project management, service-contract management, and lifecycle management of high-cost, high-technology medical equipment and systems.

Responsibilities

• Support and advance patient care through biomedical engineering services for healthcare technology.
• Assess, acquire, implement, and manage medical devices and systems, including complex networked devices, security, connectivity, and interoperability.
• Assist clinical staff in selecting, deploying, and using medical equipment; advise them on current and emerging technologies.
• Serve as project manager, technical expert, and biomedical subject matter expert for medical technology implementations, including high-cost and high-technology equipment.
• Coordinate with facility leadership, clinical program managers, stakeholders, VISN and national Biomedical Engineers and managers, and the Office of Information & Technology on project activities.
• Assess site-preparation requirements, coordinate project activities and schedules, and provide or arrange training for equipment operators and maintenance staff.
• Contribute to clinical and administrative committees and to VHA, VISN, and facility patient-safety goals.
• Manage medical equipment recalls, hazard alerts, safety enhancements, and investigations of equipment-related incidents.
• Oversee the Medical Equipment Management Program and help ensure equipment is safe, reliably maintained, clinically appropriate, and cost-effective.
• Support MEMP compliance with patient-safety goals and applicable standards and regulations, including those of TJC, FDA, and NFPA.
• Analyze equipment maintenance strategies, including outsourced versus in-house support, and recommend appropriate approaches.
• Participate in medical technology management and procurement, including service-contract administration and technical oversight, and contribute to price negotiations.
• Provide input to the Supervisory Biomedical Engineer during annual budget preparation.
• Provide biomedical engineering and project-management support for capital-asset and infrastructure planning through purchase, planning, design review, installation, and in-service training.
• Perform station-level project functions, including technology assessments, procurement specifications, equipment evaluations, site preparation, pre-procurement planning, technical configurations, maintenance and support, and decommissioning.
• Collaborate with OI&T to secure IT resources and engagement for medical technology initiatives and equipment projects.
• Provide expertise in computer networks, network access, IT security, cybersecurity sanitization, communication protocols such as HL-7, and VA medical-equipment-related IT policies.
• Arrange site preparation for station-level, non-recurring maintenance, clinical initiative, minor construction, and turnkey projects; develop infrastructure plans from conceptual through detailed stages.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package; specific benefits depend on position type and eligibility.
• Prior federal or military service may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, subject to request and approval before appointment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level