Utility Systems Operator

***This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT until September 30 2026. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available.***

Major duties include but are not limited to:

• Operation and repair of two 500 h.p. and one 350 h.p. Nebraska D type water tube multi-fuel gas/oil-fired high-pressure boilers which are capable of producing 46750 lbs./hr. steam each at 125 P.S.I.
• Operation and repair of all equipment relevant to the operation of these boilers. This includes feed water pumps fuel oil feed pumps fuel oil transfer pumps feedwater pumps condensate make up/feed transfer pumps values regulating valves reducing stations unit heaters emergencies repair of air compressor systems all piping condensate return tank blow down tank D.A. tank and pollution control equipment.
• Maintaining the water softeners and regenerating as necessary.
• Operation and repair to the central air conditioning plant equipment consisting of 1350 tons of electrically generated air conditioning capacity.
• Operation of the Johnson METASYS Computer System which controls heat ventilation air conditioning (H.V.A.C.) throughout various locations of this station.
• Operation and monitoring of the fire alarm panel phone police radio elevator alarms medical gas alarms emergency generators all plant logs and responsible for calculation of the VA Medical Center emergency needs during the shift and running procedures for emergency call back and emergency preparedness plans.
• Inspect main water and natural gas supplies to ensure there is no damage or signs of leakage.
• other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Rotating shifts
Position Description Title/PD#: Utility Systems Operator/PD03236A
Physical Requirements: There can be a great deal of physical effort involved with this position as the equipment is large and must be maneuvered into and out of specific locations while dismantling and reassembling. The incumbent frequently carries and sets up parts and equipment that could weight up to 100 pounds. Incumbent makes repairs and installations from ladders scaffolding and platforms where the parts of systems worked on are frequently in hard-to-reach places therefore stooping bending and kneeling maybe required for long periods of time. He/she needs to be familiar with lifting dynamics and heavy object handling and must pass an annual physical for plant operators.

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; including Resume Transcripts etc. is 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 ( May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

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 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.

To qualify for this position applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

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 (other than blueprint reading)
• Measuring Instruments
• Operation of Equipment/Machinery
• Technical Practices
• 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.

Beginning September 27 2025 Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge skills abilities and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed.

Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement.

Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF JPG JPEG PNG RTF TXT PDF ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato if available. Other widely available options are Calibri Helvetica Arial Verdana Open San Source Sans Pro Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.