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This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of WG-06. At the WG-05 grade level, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of WG-06. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher-level work, and availability of funds.

The Sewing Machine Operator is responsible for receiving patient clothing for storage or uniforms to be either repaired or stored in the Autovalet system; maintaining working area and equipment in a clean, orderly condition; performing routine sewing duties independently using appropriate procedures used in sewing items in need of mending. Major duties and responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Complying with health, safety, and environmental rules and procedures and performing work in a manner that enhances the safety of the work environment
• Fabricating items which cannot be purchased or cost becomes prohibitive
• Incorporating advances in medical technology requires linens to be specially adapted and customized
• Altering lined/unlined linen and clothing as needed to accommodate patients and staff needs including repair or replacement of zippers, buttons and snaps
• Hand stitching special items such as mattresses and mattress covers
• Salvaging linen or uniforms that can't be repaired on an economical basis
• Using a heat seal stamping machine, sealing clothing labels with employee identification labels and VA Property labels on linen and uniforms
• Inventorying and labeling patient clothing for 3N and ECU utilizing generated label machine and heat seal machine
• Responsible for the timely collection, organized storage and authorized signatures for safekeeping and control of patient belongings
• Ensuring all services adhere to published policies with respect to the handling of patient belongings and uniforms
• Getting all uniforms for the station delivered to their area where they places the hung items on the employee's assigned hanger location in the automated uniform dispenser machine
• Assisting in verifying listing of employees receiving a uniform or a uniform allowance

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday; 07:00 a.m. to 03:30 p.m.
Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

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

PHYSICAL EFFORT: Incumbent is required to sit and bend over sewing machines or heat seal machine for long periods of time with continual movement of hands, arms and fingers in placing items in position and sewing. Some items such as the ironed wax cloth and scraper cloths are very large in size and are made of stiff canvas material. These cloths are approximately 15 feet long and 15 feet wide. These items require a very physical effort to work with when being sewn for the size and the weight of the canvas used to make these. Another item that needs repair that is very difficult to handle because of the size is the surgical drapes. These drapes are approximately 10 feet by 15 feet in size. These items are very slippery to handle due to the nature of the Compel linen used to make these. Incumbent also goes on ward rounds to pick up veteran's clothing that were admitted after hours. The incumbent has to push a rack to hang these items on, and this rack can become very heavy with clothes and is awkward to push down the hallways when the racks become full. This is done throughout the hospital daily and requires a considerable amount of walking. Incumbent is required to do heavy lifting of items onto the shelves in the clothing room of boxes and suitcases belonging to veterans. This is also a strenuous task when removing them from the shelves to deliver to the veteran. Incumbent must have good eyesight to do recordkeeping and to do the sewing. Incumbent is required to hang uniforms in the valet system that requires long periods of hanging clothes on an overhead rail system. This too can be quite strenuous to the arms, neck and back of the person doing this work.

WORK CONDITIONS: Incumbent's work is performed under generally adequate conditions as to heat, light and ventilation. Incumbent may be exposed to hostile veterans, veteran's families and employees. Incumbent may be exposed to contagious organisms and possible infections. Incumbent is subject to punctures and/or cuts from needles, pins, scissors, thread nippers, seam rippers, thread cuts, needle breaks on the machine while operating and foreign objects found in patient clothing

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:

• Equipment Assembly, Installation, Repair
• Interpret Instructions, Specifications (other than blueprint reading)
• Materials
• Measurement and Layout
• Technical Practices
• Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment
• 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.