Duties
Incumbent performs maintenance and repair, alterations, installation and inspections to all piping distribution lines, systems and equipment necessary for operating the Medical Center. This work involves installing new piping and insulations, cleaning and repair of steam coils, traps and regulators, repacking and replacing steam, water and other fluid valves. Must have extensive knowledge of standard plumbing methods and techniques. For example, he/she must know how to measure, cut; bend pipe and tile, and how to caulk and seal such things as elbows, union joints, tile pipe, faucets, and shower drains. They must have the skill needed to remove, clean, reinstall, or replace joints and fixtures; for example, traps, k faucets, and unions. He/she must also have the skill needed to hook up equipment, (for example, water heaters and disposal units) to installed systems, and replace sections of pipe and tile by following previously used routes, hangers, and levels. Must have the ability to add, subtract, multiply, divide, and work with simple fractions. Must have skill in the use of tools and equipment such as tapes, rules, hacksaws, hand and power pipe threads and cutters, packing and caulking irons, and pipe wrenches.
Performs all work on steam equipment necessary for maintaining established temperature, pressures and water level. Performs plumbing and steam fitting work on utility systems.
Incumbent must also have the knowledge of various supply, disposal and utility systems and equipment, such as water and gas systems, fire sprinkler equipment and water closets are installed and operate. Must have the ability to plan and layout the installation' and maintenance of various systems and equipment for routing, openings, slant, level of gas and water lines, and the location and arrangement of water closets, sinks, and fire sprinkler equipment. Must have the ability to interpret and apply building plans and blueprints, use shop mathematics, and lay out such things as angles, arcs and circles. Must have skill in the use of any of the accepted trade methods and techniques, such as wiping and pouring lead joints, seating equipment and installing any combinations of couplings, unions and joints needed for the proper operation of the systems. Must be skilled in the use of tools and equipment such as plumb bobs, mercury gauges, dividers, closet augers, hydrostatic pumps and lad pots.
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 3:30pm - 12:00pm
Position Description Title/PD#: Plumber/PD00347A
Physical Requirements: The duties require considerable movement around the hospital and involve bending, lifting, working from ladders and scaffolding and platforms, both in the outside buildings, and crawling through restrictive areas. The incumbent must occasionally lift equipment or materials weighing fifty pounds or more with proper equipment. Assignments may require him/her to stand, stoop, kneel, climb and work in tiring and uncomfortable positions.
Working Conditions: Work conditions vary based on the location in which work is performed. Work areas are frequently hot, humid and dirty. There is often exposure to live steam lines and other utility lines which makes work hazardous. Work is occasionally required from ladders, scaffolds, staging, catwalks, etc. The incumbent is exposed to extremes of heat and cold, dust dirt, noise, grease, bad smelling fumes, moisture, as well as outside the normal indoor environment of the hospital. The work environment includes crawl spaces and interstitial spaces. He/she may occasionally be exposed to disease, bad weather, and danger from flying splinters and chips, respiratory ailments. He/she has frequent exposure to the possibility of scrapes, bums, infections, cuts, and bruises. Occasionally, he/she may be required to wear protective equipment and clothing that are sometimes heavy ·and uncomfortable. He/she shall be required to follow proper procedures and wear proper protective equipment to minimize risk.
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
- Selective Services Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
- Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
- 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:
- Interpret Instructions, Specifications (includes blueprint reading)
- Measuring Instruments
- Physical Strength and Agility
- Shop Practices
- Use Hand Tools - Machine Shop
- Without more than normal supervision
- Work Practices
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.
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 10/15/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12809307.
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.