Summary

The incumbent serves as a Utility Systems Repairer/ Operator (Operator-In-Charge) performing tasks involved in the operation, maintenance, and repair of the Washington, D.C. VAMC Utility Plants. The Operator-In-Charge is assigned full shift responsibility during shifts assigned. Incumbent will work under the supervision of the Utility Systems Supervisor, with second level direction provided by the Maintenance and Operations General Foreman.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

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

Duties include, but may not be limited to the following:

Perform hourly rounds on equipment and records readings in accordance with policies and procedures.
Maintain Plant logbooks and records and provide proper shift turnover to oncoming Operator.
Perform troubleshooting and diagnostics on all equipment as assigned and make repairs as necessary and required.
Perform routine scheduled preventive maintenance. Maintain logs of scheduled and daily operations. Write, complete, and close work orders as required.
Ability to read and interpret blueprints, schematics, and diagrams.
Ability to select and use hand tools, power tools, and test equipment in the course of assignments and repairs.
Perform repairs, i.e. rebuilding pumps, replacing items such as mechanical seals, bearings, valves, pipefitting's, and motors. Repairing insulation, re-packing valves and re-piping systems is also required along with various other repairs as determined by the Plant Supervisor.
Occasionally install new equipment and systems that fall within the scope of journeyman level work as determined by Operations General Foreman and Plant Supervisors.
Monitor and communicate with appropriate persons per medical center policy concerning station fire alarms, disaster notification and various other alarms systems.
Perform all operations in a safe and efficient manner. Equipment must be started and stopped to match load and to maintain maximum efficiency.
Perform various housekeeping functions within the assigned Plant and other duties, as assigned, as they relate to the overall mission of FMS and the Washington, DC VAMC.
Incumbent ensures that all steam heat exchangers, coils and associated equipment are operated IAW manufacturer recommendations and VA Heating Plant Operations policies.
Operate and I or monitor graphic control systems and various metering systems for the chiller plant, and Medical Center HVAC systems.
Routinely collect samples in the Chiller Plants, condensate, and makeup water systems.
Perform and analyze chemical tests on collected samples and chemically treats water systems to maintain proper chemical levels.
Operate, maintain, and repair a Chilled Water Plant that consists of two (2) 1200 ton, one (1) 1500 ton, two (2) 400 ton and two (2) 600 ton hermetic centrifugal chillers, four (4) cooling towers, and associated equipment.
Operate and I or monitor graphic control systems and various metering systems for the Chiller Plant, and Medical Center HVAC systems.
Routinely collect treated water, chilled water loops, cooling tower, and heating loops samples from the Chiller Plant. Perform and analyze chemical tests on collected samples and chemically treat water systems to maintain proper chemical levels.
Perform repairs to large air handling units, rebuild pumps, replace items such as mechanical seals, bearings, valves, pipefitting's, and motors. Repairing insulation, re-packing valves and re-piping systems is also required along with various other repairs as determined by the Operations Foreman.
Perform diagnostics and repairs to both DOC and pneumatic controls and control systems.
Incumbent shall wear a half face or full-face respirator when required to operations and repairs.
The operator-in-charge performs duties which are more responsible and require a slightly higher -level of skill and knowledge than the full performance level operators who are on duty where a supervisor is available. This includes a thorough knowledge of the entire utility systems and the user requirements to locate problems and initiate immediate corrective action.
The operator follows written instructions supplied by a supervisor or by the operator-in-charge on the previous shift.

Work Schedule: Various Shifts.
Position Description Title/PD#: Utility Systems Repairer-Operator - Air Conditioning Equipment Operator/PD688-20037-A
Physical Requirements: Incumbent is required to work with large, heavy hand tools and large pieces of equipment. Must stoop, bend, crawl above the ceiling and the crawl space and climb ladders.

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
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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for 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.

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:

Equipment Assembly, Installation, Repair
Interpret Instructions, Specifications (includes blueprint reading)
Technical Practices
Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment
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.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

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.

Whole Health is an approach to health care that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their life to the fullest. The VA is committed to Whole Health and values Veteran and Employee health and wellbeing. As a VA employee, you will practice Whole Health in an environment that supports personalized and proactive care.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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 (VA)
Performance Appraisal
Resume
Separation Notice (RIF)
SF-15
SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

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 04/13/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12930716.

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

Miranda Walker

Phone: 1-678-924-5700 X573329
Email: Miranda.Walker1@va.gov

Address: Washington VA Medical Center
50 Irving Street, Northwest
Washington, DC 20422
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.

Utility Systems Repairer-Operator - Air Conditioning Equipment Operator Job in Washington, DC