General Engineer

About the role

Serves as a senior-level engineer with technical ability in the full facility lifecycle & handle managing construction, renovation & maintenance projects within a healthcare environment. Ensures compliance with statutory & accreditation standards from organizations & directly supervises two non-supervisory General Engineers & one supervisory General Engineer.

Reports to Director of Facilities Management. A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021).

What you will do

• Plan and assign work to subordinates, set priorities, establish work unit goals and objectives; and plan and establish work schedules for completion of work.
• Plan, direct, appraise, manage, and evaluate the Area Facilities Management program which includes Real Property and Biomedical programs.
• Provide professional engineering and technical consultation services to Area and Service Unit management as well as Tribal leadership in matters relating to health care facilities and staff Quarters maintenance, repair, planning and construction.
• Assess facility needs through surveys, investigations, studies, and by reviews and inspections based on The Joint Commission, Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care standards.
• Initiate, supervise, review, and/or approve engineering designs, site surveys, construction plans and specifications, engineering studies, and completed work for conformance to accepted engineering, public health, public safety, and administration practices and policies.

Requirements

• Selectee may be subject to a probationary period U.S. Citizenship is required Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 A one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period may be required upon selection/placement.
• IHS Selectees whose duties and responsibilities require them to work permanently, temporarily, or occasionally in an IHS healthcare facility must comply with the IHS Employee Immunization Policy related to vaccine-preventable diseases, consistent with recommendations for healthcare workers.
• Vaccine exemption requests may be available, as outlined in the IHS Employee Immunization Policy and facility guidance.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check.
• To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit ***
• You will need to set up direct deposit so we can pay you.
• Background Investigation: If you are selected for this vacancy, you must undergo a pre-employment fingerprint check and background investigation.
• Fingerprint results and background investigation documentation must be cleared prior to hire.
• After you begin your employment, your continued employment is contingent upon the outcome of a complete background investigation as determined by the sensitivity level of your position.
• The investigation must find that you are suitable for Federal employment in your position.
• If you are found not suitable, you will be terminated after you begin work.
• If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be fired after you begin work; or subject to possible criminal charges.
• You may be subject to a credit check as a part of the background investigation process.
• Prior to the appointment, candidates must present two valid forms of identification.
• If one of the documents is a state-issued ID or driver's license, it must be REAL ID-compliant.

Education

This position has an education requirement. You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed, and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package.

Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education may be credited. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: ***

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 ***

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Once the application process is complete, the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications.

Structured Resume Review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required competencies. SMEs will review ONLY the first two (2) pages of your resume. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume).

Once the announcement closes, we will conduct a review of your application package to verify your eligibility and qualifications. If you are found qualified, your application will move forward to additional phases of the review process. To ensure a fair and consistent hiring process, IHS uses a multi-hurdle assessment process.

Each "hurdle" must be passed before moving to the next step. This helps us evaluate applicants based on job-related qualifications, competencies, and experience. Below is what applicants can expect: ________________________________________ 1.

Minimum Qualifications Review - Hurdle 1 HR reviews your resume to confirm you meet the eligibility and minimum qualifications for the position (education and/or licensure (if applicable), listed above). Note: the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the minimum qualifications.

If you meet eligibility and minimum qualifications, you move to the next hurdle. 2. Technical Assessment (Subject Matter Expert Resume Review) - Hurdle 2 A panel of subject matter experts (SME) will review your resume to determine whether you clearly show the required specialized experience listed below.

Experience applying engineering principles, concepts, and practices to solve practical engineering problems with sound engineering judgment, resourcefulness, and intuitive planning.

Experience in overseeing a diverse workforce including developing goals and objectives of a facility management program such as preparing policies, procedures, and guidelines for implementing preventative and operations maintenance. Experience in serving as project manager for sustainability activities.

Experience in reviewing architectural and engineering drawings for new building construction. Experience in performing administrative activities to effectively conduct a facilities management program. Note: SMEs will review ONLY the first two (2) pages of your resume.

SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume). This assessment is Pass/Fail. Applicants who demonstrate the required experience will advance.

Demonstration of these specialized experience statements ascertain your competency in the following: Oral Communication Planning and Evaluating Technical Competence Click here to view vacancy questions: *** All documents above MUST be received by 11:59 (Eastern Standard Time) of the closing date of, 09/21/2026, to be considered.

Documents you must provide

• Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement.
• By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) at HHS.
• Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS.
• This position will be filled through the Office of Personnel Management's Direct Hire Authority.
• Category rating and Veterans' Preference will not be considered in evaluating applicants.
• For more information on Direct Hire Authority, please see OPM Direct Hire Fact Sheet.
• Your application (resume and supporting documentation) will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required as listed on the announcement under qualification requirements.
• To be considered well qualified for the purposes of the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) and the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must substantively exceed the basic qualifications and meet all eligibility, physical, medical, suitability, and any other requirements.
• USAJOBS Help Center - Update your resume now so it meets new resume requirements Resume: You are highly encouraged to visit the USAJOBS Help Center before submitting a resume.
• USAJOBS Help Center - Update your resume now so it meets new resume requirements Required as applicable for the purposes of specific eligibility and appointment claim(s), and position requirements: Indian Preference Applicants: If claiming Indian preference, applicants must provide a completed copy of the Form BIA-4432, "Verification of Indian Preference for Employment in the BIA and IHS Only." Indian preference will not be given unless a properly signed and dated form is submitted with your application, including any verification by an authorized Tribal Representative or BIA Official of tribal enrollment records.
• For detailed instructions, see form BIA-4432.
• Refer to BIA-4432 link: Verification of Indian Preference for Employment in the BIA and IHS Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP, follow the instructions below: ***
• Transcripts: You are encouraged to submit copies of transcripts (official or unofficial) although not required at the time of application.
• You must list your courses including titles, credit hours completed, and grades.
• Official transcripts will be required after tentative selection and prior to issuing an official job offer.
• Licensure, Certifications: Applicants should list their license/certifications on their resume, along with the expiration date, if applicable.
• Certification of licensure/certification will be required after tentative selection and prior to issuing an official job offer.

What to expect next

Stay Updated with Text Alerts You can choose to receive text message notifications about your application status. To enable this feature: Log in to your USAJOBS account. Go to your Account Settings and select Notification Preferences.

Check the option to receive SMS/Text Messages. Text message updates are optional and provided in addition to email notifications. Standard messaging rates may apply.

You can track the progress of your application package via your USAJOBS account. You will receive an acknowledgement from USAJOBS that your submission was successful once we have received your on-line eligibility questionnaire, resume, and any supporting documentation.

You will be notified of the status of your application via your USAJOBS Account after we conduct a qualification review of your complete application package. You will be contacted if further evaluation or interviews are required. Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempt to conceal information may disqualify you for employment consideration.

We may verify all information you provide in your resume and questionnaire responses, through reference and/or background check, and/or verification of your education. If you are selected, you will be contacted personally by the human resources office posting this announcement. If all required documentation is not submitted with your application you will lose consideration.

It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information and documents entered, uploaded, or faxed are received, legible and accurate.

Additional information

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. IHS may offer newly-appointed Federal employees credit for their directly related previous 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. This position is ineligible for the Bargaining Unit. Recruitment or relocation incentives may be authorized.

At least a 6 month service agreement will be required. You will be evaluated for this position in accordance with the OPM Merit Hiring Plan. As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide short essay responses (200 words or less each) to the following four questions.

How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role?

How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Your responses are optional and will not be scored. However, they may be reviewed by hiring managers and agency leadership (or designees) during the evaluation process.

You will be asked to certify that your responses are written in your own words and that you did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) tool (such as ChatGPT or Copilot).