Utility Systems Operator
Houston, MS - USA
Job Summary
This position is located within the Facilities Management Service Line at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC) in Houston TX and is responsible for the air conditioning and boiler plant operation and maintenance.
- Provide for the safe operation of the central heating plant which consists of three Keeler type DS high pressure boilers; 1374 horsepower oil/gas-powered boilers at 90 psi.
- Identify problems and provides solutions that will increase productivity reduce costs improve skills utilization and improve customer relationships.
- Assist in the operation inspections preventive/predictive maintenance and repair work as it applies to a wide range of high complex and critical utilities systems and associated building automation systems.
- Works closely with the USO Supervisor General Energy Manager Manager Engineering Section in all phases of energy usage energy savings and energy data inputting.
- Responsible for the air conditioning and boiler plant operation and maintenance.
- Performs minor repairs preventive maintenance and emergency repairs.
- Determines the nature and extent of the repair by checking for malfunctions voltage amperage and current of electronic equipment.
Work Schedule: 12 am-12pm or 12pm- 12am; rotating 12 hours shifts (subject to change based on facility needs)
Position Description Title/PD#: Utility Systems Operator/PD03390A
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Physical Requirements: Employees exert considerable physical effort by walking climbing stairs and ladders. May be required to carry objects of varying weights sizes and shapes. The position requires lifting carrying pulling/pushing and steadying adjustments or repairs and may require kneeling bending squatting reaching over under and into equipment while in cramped or awkward position. Incumbent works off ladders. scaffolds and platforms and must be able to carry items that weigh up to 50 pounds.
- 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 ( 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.
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.
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:
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.
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:
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.
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicants criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations Security and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) 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 OPMs Career Transition Resources website which can be found at 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 employees 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.
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 Experience:
IC