Role Overview
Provide strategic leadership, governance, and operational oversight for biomedical engineering and hospital infrastructure services to ensure the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of patient care equipment, utilities, and physical assets. The role is responsible for ensuring compliance with Quality standards, Regulatory requirements, Occupational Health and Safety requirements, environmental regulations, and applicable engineering codes while supporting the hospital’s clinical, operational, and patient safety objectives.
Duties and Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership, Planning and Governance
- Develop and implement the hospital’s biomedical engineering and infrastructure management strategy aligned with organizational goals, JCI standards, and regulatory requirements.
- Provide expert leadership and technical guidance on all matters relating to medical devices, engineering systems, healthcare technology management, and infrastructure development.
- Lead departmental planning, budgeting, workforce development, succession planning, and performance management.
- Establish departmental policies, procedures, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and guidelines to support safe and effective operations.
- Prepare departmental reports, KPIs, risk assessments, and performance dashboards for management review and accreditation requirements.
- Perform any other duties as assigned by management in support of hospital operations.
Biomedical Equipment and Medical Technology Management
- Serve as the hospital’s subject matter expert on medical devices, healthcare technology management, and associated regulatory requirements.
- Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive Medical Equipment Management Program in accordance with JCI standards.
- Ensure safe acquisition, installation, commissioning, testing, calibration, operation, maintenance, and disposal of medical equipment.
- Create, maintain, and continuously update a computerized inventory and asset management database for all biomedical equipment, including lifecycle tracking and replacement planning.
- Develop and implement equipment replacement and technology refresh plans based on clinical need, risk assessments, utilization, and lifecycle management principles.
- Conduct acceptance testing and commissioning of new equipment before clinical use.
- Coordinate equipment recalls, hazard notices, safety alerts, and field corrective actions from manufacturers and regulatory bodies.
- Investigate equipment-related incidents and contribute to root cause analyses and corrective action plans.
Maintenance Planning, Asset Reliability and Lifecycle Management
- Develop and oversee preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance programs for all biomedical equipment and engineering systems.
- Establish maintenance schedules and ensure adherence to manufacturer recommendations, regulatory requirements, and hospital policies.
- Supervise maintenance activities, repairs, installations, upgrades, and modifications of clinical and non-clinical equipment.
- Monitor equipment performance indicators, downtime, reliability trends, and maintenance costs.
- Utilize computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) and asset tracking technologies to optimize maintenance operations.
- Develop strategies to extend asset life while ensuring patient safety and operational efficiency.
Hospital Infrastructure and Utilities Management
- Oversee the operation, maintenance, and performance of hospital buildings and critical infrastructure systems, including electrical, HVAC, medical gas, plumbing and drainage, fire detection and suppression, water treatment, standby generators, elevators, and Building Management Systems (BMS).
- Conduct routine inspections and audits of facilities, utilities, and critical infrastructure.
- Ensure continuous functionality of essential systems supporting clinical and patient care services.
- Coordinate infrastructure upgrades, renovations, and capital projects to meet current and future operational demands.
Emergency Preparedness, Risk Management and Business Continuity
- Develop, implement, and periodically review emergency response plans and business continuity strategies for critical engineering and medical equipment systems.
- Establish contingency measures for utility failures, equipment breakdowns, disasters, and emergency situations.
- Participate in hospital disaster preparedness and emergency management programs.
- Conduct risk assessments for patient care equipment and engineering systems.
- Lead incident investigations related to equipment failures, utility interruptions, and infrastructure-related patient safety events.
- Ensure timely implementation of corrective and preventive actions.
Quality Improvement and Accreditation Compliance
- Lead biomedical engineering and infrastructure compliance programs in support of JCI accreditation and other regulatory requirements.
- Develop and monitor quality indicators, operational KPIs, and departmental performance metrics.
- Participate in hospital-wide quality improvement initiatives utilizing Lean, Kaizen, Six Sigma, and other continuous improvement methodologies.
- Conduct regular audits of maintenance records, equipment performance, safety compliance, and engineering operations.
- Support organizational readiness for internal and external accreditation surveys.
- Ensure proper documentation and record management consistent with quality management systems.
Compliance, Health, Safety and Environmental Management
- Ensure compliance with JCI Standards, Ministry of Health regulations, Occupational Health and Safety legislation, Environmental regulations (NEMA), building and electrical codes, plumbing and drainage standards, fire safety regulations, and medical device regulations.
- Develop and implement safety policies, procedures, and risk mitigation programs.
- Conduct safety inspections and environmental audits.
- Ensure safe handling, storage, operation, testing, and maintenance of equipment and infrastructure systems.
- Promote a culture of safety, environmental stewardship, and regulatory compliance throughout the organization.
Procurement, Capital Planning and Contract Management
- Lead technical evaluation and procurement of biomedical equipment, engineering systems, maintenance services, and capital projects.
- Develop technical specifications, scope of works, tender documents, and bid evaluation criteria.
- Participate in vendor selection, contract negotiations, and procurement committees.
- Evaluate vendor proposals, conduct technical assessments, and provide recommendations.
- Manage maintenance contracts, service level agreements (SLAs), and outsourced services.
- Coordinate equipment installation, commissioning, upgrades, disposals, and decommissioning activities.
- Ensure cost effectiveness, quality, and value for money in all procurement activities.
Financial Management and Resource Stewardship
- Develop and manage departmental operating and capital budgets.
- Monitor expenditure, maintenance costs, utility consumption, and contract performance.
- Prepare annual equipment replacement and capital investment plans.
- Implement cost optimization initiatives while maintaining quality and patient safety.
- Ensure efficient utilization of departmental resources, tools, inventories, and spare parts.
- Develop policies to reduce operational and energy costs while improving sustainability.
Training, Staff Development and Technical Competency
- Determine training needs for engineers, biomedical technologists, technicians, artisans, and support staff.
- Develop annual competency assessment and training programs.
- Coordinate certification, continuous professional development (CPD), refresher training, and specialized technical education.
- Ensure all technical personnel remain current with emerging healthcare technologies, engineering standards, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices.
- Develop and deliver equipment-specific training programs for clinical users to promote safe and effective use of patient care equipment.
- Establish competency assessment frameworks and maintain training records.
Clinical Engineering Support
- Provide expert technical support for all patient care equipment throughout the hospital.
- Participate in on-call support and emergency response for critical equipment failures.
- Conduct regular clinical rounds to identify equipment-related risks and opportunities for improvement.
- Collaborate closely with clinicians, nursing teams, infection prevention personnel, procurement teams, and hospital leadership to support clinical service delivery.
- Ensure equipment availability, reliability, and patient safety across all clinical areas.
Qualifications and Requirements
Education
- Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, or a related engineering discipline from a recognized university.
- Master’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering, Clinical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Healthcare Technology Management, or a related engineering field is an added advantage.
Professional Registration & Memberships
- Registered Engineer with the relevant Engineering Regulatory Body.
- Valid membership and practicing license in related field.
Experience & Certifications
- Minimum 8 years’ progressive experience in healthcare engineering, biomedical engineering, facilities management, or hospital infrastructure management.
- At least 3 years in a supervisory role within a hospital environment.
- Demonstrated experience supporting healthcare facilities accredited or working toward JCI, ISO, COHSASA, or equivalent quality standards is an added advantage.
- Professional Certifications (Highly Desirable): Certified Healthcare Technology Manager (CHTM), Certified Clinical Engineer (CCE), Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional (CMRP), NEBOSH or equivalent Occupational Health and Safety certification, ISO 9001 Internal Auditor Certification or Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher.
