Summary
This position is responsible for installing, modifying, repairing, maintaining, troubleshooting, and testing, new and existing electrical wires, circuits, systems and associated fixtures, controls, and equipment. This position must have a California Electrician's Certificate or equivalent.
Duties
The VA Palo Alto Healthcare System (VAPAHCS) is part of VA Sierra Pacific Network (VISN 21), which includes facilities in California, Nevada and Hawaii. VAPAHCS is a teaching hospital, providing a full range of patient care services, with state-of-the-art technology as well as education and research, Comprehensive health care is provided through primary, tertiary and long-term care in areas of medicine, surgery, psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, oncology, dentistry, geriatrics and extended care. The Research and Development Service excels as a leader in the Department of Veterans Affairs. The non-profit corporation, the Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research (PAVIR), has contributed to making VAPAHCS a leader in research.
VAPAHCS is affiliated with the Stanford University School of Medicine which provides a rich academic environment including medical training for physicians in virtually all specialties and subspecialties. Our Health Care System operates over 800 beds, including three nursing homes and a 100-bed homeless domiciliary - all to serve more than 67,000 enrolled Veterans.
To learn more visit: http://www.paloalto.va.gov/about/
Major duties and responsibilities include, but not limited to:
- Performs maintenance, installation, modifications, additions, repairs, troubleshooting, and testing of building electrical systems and equipment, such as distribution panels, circuit breakers, power supplies, rheostats, switches and outlets of all types, fluorescent and incandescent fixtures, lamps, fans, heating devices, appliances, buzzer and bell circuits, temperature and pressure controls, and regulators. Installs conduit, wiring and cable and completes splices and connections and tests circuits for continuity and safety.
- Performs routine maintenance, repair, service, and cleaning of high voltage distribution systems including switchgear, transformers, power supplies, constant voltage regulators and systems, and emergency and alternate power systems and circuits.
- Performs routine operation, maintenance, repair I and service of Emergency Powel' Generators(EPSS), both gasoline and diesel, Automatic Transfer Switches, and UST/AST fuel storage tanks.
- Repairs, services, maintains, installs, modifies, and troubleshoots electrical and pneumatic equipment such as automatic doors, kitchen and laundry equipment, and engineering shop equipment. Works with solid state circuits1 flexible wiring and conduit, switches, relays, contactors, photocells, and control panels.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Position Description Title/PD#: Electrician/PD01696A
Physical Requirements: Must pass a pre-employment physical examination as required by VA Handbook 5019. This examination is administered by VA Occupational Health. Makes repairs and installations from ladders, scaffolding, platforms, and other hard-to-reach places. Stands, stoops, bends, kneels, climbs, and works in tiring and uncomfortable positions. Frequently lifts and carries tools, equipment, and parts that weigh up to 20 pounds and, less often, up to 40 pounds. Occasionally, they lift or move with assistance moderately heavy objects weighing more than 40 pounds.
Working Conditions: The work is performed both inside and outside. Electricians are sometimes required to make repairs and installations in bad weather; in work areas that are noisy, dirty, dusty, and greasy; on scaffolding or cranes at heights of 30 feet or more; and in hard to reach areas. They are occasionally exposed to the possibility of injury from falling, electrical shock, burns, and rotary devices such as electrical motors. They are frequently exposed to the possibility of cuts and bruises.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
- Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
- All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
- Selective Services Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
- 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.
- Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
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
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:
- Electric Drawings
- Electrical Equipment
- Technical Practices
- Technical Practices (Electrical Electronic)
- Troubleshooting (Electrical)
- Use and Maintain Hand Tools (Electrical Work)
- Without more than normal supervision
SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR (SCREEN-OUT): A Selective Placement Factor (SPF) has been identified for this position. Selective Placement Factors (SPF) are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for the position. Applicants who do not meet the SPF are ineligible for further consideration.
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.
Education
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Required Documents
Documents Required:
- Professional Certification
- Resume
Documents Accepted:
- Cover Letter
- DD-214/ Statement of Service
- Disability Letter (VA)
- Other (1)
- Professional Certification
- Resume
- Separation Notice (RIF)
- SF-15
- SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application. Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).
You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.
Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.
Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.
How to Apply
All applicants are encouraged to apply online.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 10/17/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12810417.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
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.
Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume:
- Prioritize most relevant and recent experience
- Use concise, results focused language
- Align language from the job announcement
- Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies
- Remove outdated or unrelated experience
- Use the USAJOBS resume builder
Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at:
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click
Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Next steps
After the vacancy announcement closes, applicants are evaluated to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email.