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The Utility Management Center consists of two plants and their related equipment: 55,000 pounds per hour Central Steam Plant eight (8) million British Thermal Units (BTUs) condensing water boilers and a 2,795 ton Central Chiller Plant and after hour's operation and maintenance of the complete facility.

Major duties consist of but not limited to:

• Consists of a broad variety of duties requiring many different and unrelated processes and methods to ensure that the mission of environmental care is carried out in an efficient and economical manner.
• Works with limited guidance and often after much consideration must make many independent judgments.
• Ensures the responsibility for the safe operation and maintenance of the central steam plant consisting of both water-tube and fire-tube (1) boilers with the capacity of producing 1,700 horsepower (HP) at 55,000 pounds of steam per hour.
• Manages the operation and maintenance of four (4) condensing water boilers and boiler plant uses of natural gas as primary fuel with diesel as an alternate fuel with propane gas as an alternative pilot gas.
• Inspects baffles, piping, and tubes for wear and scaling.
• Inspects fire box for refractory ass and tube wear on the outside of tubes.
• Oversees responsibility for the safe operation, sequencing and maintenance of the central chiller plant consisting of four (4) 500 ton centrifugal chillers, one (1) 200 ton screw type heat pump chiller four (4) 100 horsepower (HP) secondary chill water pumps, four (4) 100 HP condensing water pumps and four (4) 100 HP primary chill water pumps that operate in a chill water loop.
• Performs yearly inspections on chillers, pumps, and towers.
• Operates and maintains all support equipment: deaerator tank, condensate tank, condensate pumps, feed water pumps, forced draft blowers, air compressors and fuel oil pumps.
• Monitors the Simplex based fire alarm system and the initiating the facility's fire alarm procedure, which includes contacting local fire department if necessary.
• Performs other duties assigned

Work Schedule: Full time, 12 hour shifts of 7:00am-7:00pm and 7:00pm-7:00am, rotating day and night shift to include some weekends and holidays. To be discussed during interview process.

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Pre-employment physical 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 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

(Screen-Out): Ability to perform the duties of the Utility Systems Operator without more than normal supervision. Related experience includes: operating and performing maintenance and repair on boiler plant equipment, steam boilers, water tube and fire tube boilers, condensing water boilers, electrical generators, and associated equipment and systems (e.g. gasifier, natural gas burner system, steam turbine generator, etc.) ; starting, operating, stopping, adjusting, maintaining and performing operational repairs on single or multiple high-pressure fuel power boilers and associated auxiliary and pollution control equipment; knowledge and training of centrifugal and screw type chillers.; maintaining an adjusting boiler efficiency, controlling the formation of pollutants, and ensuring efficient combustion levels and compliance with air pollution laws or regulations; monitoring, adjusting, and controlling all phases of boiler plant operations through the use of automatic or microprocessor controls or control systems. Note: Your experience must be detailed in your resume. Resume must clearly support the responses to the online questionnaire to receive credit.


PHYSICAL EFFORT AND WORK CONDITIONS: The Utility Systems Repairer/Operator (USRO) exerts considerable effort by walking, climbing stairs and ladders, and crawling in confined spaces. They may be required to work and exert force using hand or power tools with their arms overhead or in awkward positions. They may be required to carry objects of varying weights, sizes, and shapes. Lifting and carrying of items weighing up to forty (40) pounds on a frequent basis. Lifting and carrying of items in excess of forty (40) pounds on an infrequent, intermittent basis. They must have good eyesight with or without corrective lenses and not be color blind.

The work conditions require the selected employee to,

• Be exposed to temperature and weather extremes. Incumbent must stand, kneel, squat or bend for extended periods while working in damp, humid spaces. Utility Systems Repairer/Operator (USRO) will, at times, be required to work in standing water.
• Be exposed to noise, gases, fumes, dust, grease, and vibration. At times, due to elements of their job their clothing is soiled beyond repair.
• Perform miscellaneous functions that helps maintain a safe and efficient operation of both
• Work rotating shifts, working holidays, working double shifts, working overtime, and subject to twenty-four-hour calls

Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualifications. For this position, the job element method is used to match what you, the applicant, can do against what the work calls for. Your knowledge, skills and abilities will be compared to the knowledge, skills and abilities (called job elements) needed for success. Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element (WG-2 and higher only; screen-outs are not applicable to WG-1). Applicants who appear to meet the screen out element are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated from consideration. The potential eligibles are rated against the remainder of the job elements. While a specific length of training and experience is not required, your responses to the questionnaire must be supported by detailed descriptions of your experience on your resume.

You will be rated on the following Job Elements as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

• Dexterity and Safety
• Equipment Assembly, Installation, Repair
• Inspect
• Without more than normal supervision

IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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.

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; religious; 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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Your responses to the assessment questionnaire will be reviewed along with the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation to determine if you are qualified for the position. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered and/or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

Candidates who apply under All U.S. Citizens announcements will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

Application of Veterans' Preference: Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants that meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

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.