Architect
: Job Details :

Summary The non-supervisory General Engineer (Resident Engineer) is a member of on-the-ground team for a construction project, typically stationed on site though in some cases manages remotely with regular and recurring site visits, within the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), Office of Construction & Facilities Management (CFM), in New York City. Responsibilities The RE functions include supporting the Senior Resident Engineer (SRE) by participating in design management with the CFM Project Manager (PM) and VA Medical Center (MC) stakeholders; and when applicable, monitoring various ongoing construction activities and schedule for conformance with contract requirements. The major duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Overseeing civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, or architectural aspects of construction. Supporting processing of easements, pertinent deeds, local code requirements, and restrictions. Participating in the coordination of utility service tie-ins and outages to minimize disruption to ongoing operations. Interacting with the CFM PM and Schedule Consultant to help determinate recovery of lost time due to unanticipated events [e.g., weather, delays in material shipments, unanticipated site work problems, etc.]. Coordinating with local stakeholders and VA Central Office staff. Recommending solutions to resolve unusual or unique problems related to hospital design or unanticipated issues occurring during the actual construction of facilities. Identifying potential construction related issues to the SRE. Reviewing comments from other professionals in a formal response to Architect Engineer (A/E) firms when necessary. Interpreting drawings and specifications for the contractor. Administering on-site construction and monitoring coordination of work. Coordinating commissioning activities for their area of assignment. Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible Schedule: May be available Telework: May be Authorized on an Ad-Hoc basis at the discretion of the agency Remote/Virtual: This is NOT a virtual or remote position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Position Description Title/PD#: Architect / PD136480 Relocation Expenses: Authorized - The Department of Veterans Affairs offers Permanent Change of Station (PCS) relocation services. Permanent Change of Station is the relocation of a household due to government convenience in connection with a transfer between duty stations or facilities. For more information go to Permanent Change of Station (PCS) - FSC Direct (va.gov). Mobility Agreement: Required Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Physical Requirements: The work is partially sedentary with regular and recurring travel to proposed and ongoing construction sites for extensive walking, climbing, and crawling at times to inspect completed work. The work requires communication skills to obtain local permits, negotiate changes to contracts, and keep abreast of all activities and construction progress. The position also oversees safety requirements within the construction perimeter to assure patients, staff, and construction team safety. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/27/2024. 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-12 position you must have served at least 52 weeks at the GS-11 grade level. For the GS-13 position, you must have served at least 52 weeks at the GS-12 grade level. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. A 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 [e.g., within-grade increase, promotion with an effective date more than one year old, or SF-50s at the highest grade held with an effective date more than a year old]. [Note: Awards, General Adjustments, FEGLI, Change in Data Element, etc., SF50s do not support 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. Basic Requirements for Architect Degree: architecture; or related field that included 60 semester hours of course work in architecture or related disciplines of which at least (1) 30 semester hours were in architectural design, and (2) 6 semester hours were in each of the following: structural technology, properties of materials and methods of construction, and environmental control systems. OR Combination of education and experience: college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the arts and sciences underlying professional architecture, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the architectural principles, methods, and techniques and their applications to the design and construction or improvement of buildings. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by a related curriculum or experience that demonstrates the applicant has acquired a thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles and theories of professional architecture. You must also possess one year of specialized experience as described below: GS-12 Grade Level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. To qualify at the GS-12 level, applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in Federal Service. The specialized experience must demonstrate one year of full-time work experience, or the equivalent if part-time (for example, an employee working 20 hours per week for a 12-month period should be credited with 6 months of experience.) Experience may have been obtained in either the federal service or its equivalent with state or local government, the private sector, or nongovernmental organizations. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: supporting a lead planner, project manager, designer, or construction manager; construction manager on a major building system and/or commercial facility project; experience and knowledge of project management principles, methods, or tools for developing scheduling and managing a project; problem solving skills; preparing reports and documenting site conditions; initiate and execute processes involving negotiation, issuance, and administration of contract changes on construction contracts. GS-13 grade level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. To qualify at the GS-13 level, applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in Federal Service. The specialized experience must demonstrate one year of full-time work experience, or the equivalent if part-time (for example, an employee working 20 hours per week for a 12-month period should be credited with 6 months of experience.) Experience may have been obtained in either the federal service or its equivalent with state or local government, the private sector, or nongovernmental organizations. Examples of specialized experience include leading architect and has demonstrated team leadership as a planner, project manager, designer, or construction manager; construction manager on a major infrastructure and/or medical facility project; project management experience and knowledge of construction & project management principles, methods, or and tools for developing scheduling, coordinating and managing projects; critical thinking and problem solving skills; writing briefs and oral communication to include presentations; initiating and executing of processes involving negotiation, issuance, and administration of contract changes on construction contracts; authorized representative on Architect-Engineer Construction Period Services, Testing Lab, Commissioning, and associated contracts during the construction. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Architecture Building and Construction Planning and Evaluating Project Management Quality Management 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-12/13. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at Education There is no educational substitution for this position; however, you must meet the Basic Education requirement. 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: 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: Additional Information VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. 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. 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. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/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 (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at 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. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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. For more information on the Who may apply eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document. 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.