Clarification from the agency

First area of consideration: Current permanent facility employees of James J. Peters VAMC. Second area of consideration: T5 Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)

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Duties - Major duties and responsibilities include but not limited to:
The incumbent is responsible for a variety of work involving the painting and all covering trades. Work generally is performed in support of the Facility Management Service Center (FMSC), Interior Design functions and the carpentry and masonry functions of the Facility Management Service Center.
The work of the position consists primarily of the following:

• The painter performs work in all areas of the Medical Center, in other Medical Center structures, and in leased spaces outside of the physical limits of the Medical Center complex. The painter may also perform work in entryways, courtyards, and sidewalks in open temporary and permanent structures located on the grounds, roofs, and canopies, and in interstitial and mechanical spaces located within the Medical Center structures.
• Within the Medical Center work may take place in such areas as patient rooms and wards, specialized care areas such as intensive care units, recovery rooms, hemodialysis units, operating theaters and suites, laboratory and morgue areas, offices, storage and conference rooms, corridors, stairwells, elevators, vestibules, restrooms, clinic and rehabilitation areas, therapeutic pool and physical therapy areas, and all other areas which are painted or otherwise serviced either on a routine or intermittent basis by the FMSC.
• The incumbent must have an excellent working knowledge of the Painter's trade skills and practices. Must have skills in matching, tinting, toning, and blending color, varnishes, oils and thinner in their proper sequence. Skills in planning work, mixing paints and colors, and setting up scaffolding and ladders. Eye and hand coordination are necessary in performing varied painting and related tasks. Incumbent's experience must be sufficient in breadth and depth of content to have imparted knowledge of painting trade operations, practices, tools, equipment, and materials.
• The incumbent must have a good basic working knowledge of the plasterer's wall­covering installers, and sign maker's trade skills and practices. The incumbent must be able to fill holes and frame out around newly created openings in walls and ceilings. Must be able to install comer bead strips to complete repair work on walls and repair damaged wall comers and edges.
• Must be able to tape gypsum board joints and apply joint compound, sand, and feather edges of the joint compound so that, after drying and painting, the joint is not evident. Must be able to prepare damaged areas of plaster or gypsum board in such fashion that the repair material adheres to the area to be repaired and blends into the surrounding material undetectably after drying.
• Must be familiar with various types of fillers (e.g., plaster, spackle, and epoxy). Must be able to read blueprints, plans, and bills of materials to assure that repair work is to the specification of original work and to plan New York. Must have the ability to apply fire rating codes in the performance of wall and ceiling repair work to assure that the finished work meets minimal requirements for fire resistive properties and matches original work.
• The Painter must read and interpret labels, including cautionary and warning notices, material safety data sheets, spoken and written instructions and procedures, including schedules for accomplishing painting and other Facility Management Service Center tasks, signs and warning notices and emergency procedures. The Painter must be able to record responses to instructions, document work accomplishment and annotate to verify oral instructions.

Work Schedule: 8am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday
Position Description Title/PD#: Painter/PD55623A
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved
Relocation/Recruitment 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
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Pre-employment physical required
• 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 or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/04/2026.

EXPERIENCE: A specific length of training and experience is not required, but you must show evidence of training or experience of sufficient scope and quality of your ability to do the work of this position. Evidence which demonstrates you possess the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the duties of this position must be supported by detailed descriptions of such on your resume. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standards.

SCREEN-OUT ELEMENT: Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, which usually appears as question 1 in the on-line questionnaire. Those applicants who appear to possess at least the minimal acceptable qualification requirement are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated. The potential eligibles are then rated against the remainder of the Job Elements:

• Equipment Assembly, Installation, Repair
• Interpret Instructions, Specifications (includes blueprint reading)
• Technical Practices
• Textiles
• Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment
• Without more than normal supervision

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.

Physical Requirements: The Painter will constantly bend, stretch, stand, stoop, and kneel while performing the duties of a Painter. Considerable reaching above the head is required when painting high areas or overhead pipes and ceilings and when hanging wall covering. The Painter may be required to lift furniture and equipment weighing more than one hundred pounds while readying an area for painting or restoring it after painting is complete and will be required to frequently lift ladders, five-gallon pails of paint, and other painting materials and equipment weighing up to sixty pounds during Painter work. Work requires intermittent climbing up ladders and scaffolds while painting high interior and exterior areas; subject to sustained physical effort in paint scraping, sanding, and painting of ceilings, walls, and floors. Moderate manipulative ability will be required while paining, hanging wall coverings.

Working Conditions: Most Painter work is performed in clean, well-lighted areas, but there is the possibility that the painter may be required to work in any area of the Medical Center, on the grounds, or outside of the Medical Center complex when performing services in leased space, and he possibility does exist for exposure to poor ventilation, dust, dirt, high noise levels, cold, moisture, humidity and other adverse physical working conditions. The possibility exists for exposure to communicable diseases, and the Painter must be well versed in infection control procedures and techniques; universal precautions must be always observed by the painter. Incumbent is subject to falls while working on scaffolds and ladders. Incumbent is exposed to danger of cuts and bruises while working with powered equipment. A Painter works with a wide variety of commercial and industrial painting chemicals, some of which are toxic, caustic, or acidic. The Painter may be exposed to the fumes, splashes or residues of these chemicals while mixing, using, or disposing of these chemicals and may suffer burns, skin irritations or allergic reactions from such exposure. Personal protective equipment is provided for the Painter to use when dealing with infectious materials, sharps and chemical hazards, and safety training is also provided to the Painter.

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.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

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.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

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.

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.