Utility Systems Operator Job in Reno, NV

Vacancy No. CBSW-12716670-25-OS Department Veterans Health Administration
Salary $29.05 to $33.90 Grade 9 to 9
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 3/26/2025 Close Date 4/8/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Reno, NV


Summary

Operate and maintain the machinery that provides power for heating, cooling, and ventilation in the VA Medical Center. Starts and stops equipment and monitors meters and safety controls. Ensures that the systems operate safely and economically by regularly inspecting meters, gauges, values, and instruments. Adjusts equipment when needed. Keeps records of meter readings. Often uses hand or power tools to make minor repairs to machinery. May operate computerized controls to regulate the systems.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.

Duties

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.; Tour of duty subject to change to meet the needs of the Agency.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates.
Major duties include but not limited to:

  • Performs operator and repairer duties on a rotating shift basis.
  • Plants provide 24 hour-a-day, 7 day-a week, and year round production of steam in a plant with a capacity of 46,750 pounds per hour, and for the generation of chilled water in a plant with the capacity of 1350 tons of refrigeration.
  • 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 46,750 lbs./hr. steam each at 125 P.S.I.
  • duties also consist of the 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.
  • Operation and repair to the central air conditioning plant, equipment consisting of 1350 tons of electrically generated air conditioning capacity. Duties also consist of operation and repair of all equipment related to the air conditioning plant such as 3- 450-ton Trane Compressor Centrifugal chillers using R134A refrigerant, two Baltimore Air coil Series 3000 Industrial Cooling Towers, pumps, and motors up to 25 Horsepower (chilled water, condenser water, refrigerant, etc.), chemical injection system and all electrical and pneumatic controls.
  • Responsible for maintaining a pre-established chemical level in both chilled and condenser water, to maintain equipment and remove possibly fatal bacterial from the system. This will involve correct handling of hazardous/toxic chemicals.
  • Responsible for logging all hourly reading on all equipment and calculates the air conditioning plant efficiencies.
  • Operation of the Johnson METASYS Computer System which controls heat, ventilation, air conditioning (H.V.A.C.) throughout various locations of this station. The Utility System Operator has the primary responsibility for the METASYS computer system and is responsible for all alarms occurring on his/her shift.
  • 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.
  • Logs all critical failures and temperatures and notifies appropriate, personnel of any action taken due to unusual circumstances.
  • All minor and most major repairs preventative maintenance as well as all routine safety checks on all equipment located in both the Boiler and Air Conditioning Plants.
  • Responsible for relaying vital information to Reno City Fire Department and hospital police, sounding station disaster and all clear alarms.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
  • Subject to a background/suitability investigation
  • Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
  • May serve a probationary period
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
  • 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/08/2025.

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

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: 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. He/she 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.

Working Conditions: Most of the work is done inside, but the incumbent is frequently subject to sudden temperature changes when working on equipment. Occasionally subject to cuts, electrical shocks, abnormal heat, hazard of boiler burst, steam blow-backs, scalding water burns, toxic amounts of gas and hazardous/toxic chemicals that can be harmful to skin and clothing.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Specialized 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.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

  • 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.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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 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. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.

Required Documents

Documents Accepted:

  • Cover Letter
  • DD-214/ Statement of Service
  • Disability Letter (Schedule A)
  • Disability Letter (VA)
  • License
  • Other (1)
  • PCS Orders
  • Professional Certification
  • Proof of Marriage Status
  • Resume
  • Separation Notice (RIF)
  • SF-15
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • Transcript

Documents Required:
  • Resume

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 04/08/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12716670.

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.

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.

Agency contact information

Nicole Masters
Address
VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System
975 Kirman Avenue
Reno, NV 89502
US

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.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


© 2006-2025, exclusive of U. S. government job opportunity announcements