Summary This Utility Systems Operator position is in Facility Management services at the VA Bedford Healthcare System, located at the Bedford, Massachusetts location. This position is a full time at 40 hours per week. The incumbent may be required to work any shift as facility is in operation 24 hours, 7 days per week. You will be required to drive facility vehicles. DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation. Responsibilities The incumbent is the first responder that is responsible for maintaining and operating all utilities and building service equipment during normal hours, off tours including nights, weekends and holidays. They are proficient at the mechanic journeyman level in a variety of trade functions such as but not limited to: electrical, plumbing, pipefitting, HVAC, and fire alarms. The incumbent is fully responsible for operating, inspecting and repairing all complex utility systems and equipment. These systems and equipment include but are not limited to: emergency generators, gas supply, HY AC, heating controls, fire alarms, elevators, etc. As well as all support equipment related to these utilities and systems including the steam distribution system, condensate return system, water supply storage and distribution systems, swimming pool operations, sewerage and waste disposal systems, air, vacuum, medical gas, gasoline and fuel oil systems, etc. The incumbent shall keep equipment and utility systems in operation by troubleshooting, performing and making emergency repairs anywhere on station on other than normal duty hours including the ability to start, stop and regulate complex utility systems and equipment for optimum efficiency. In addition to the above responsibilities, the incumbent will also be required to: Be qualified to operate and monitor boilers located outside the boiler plant. The incumbent will be the only qualified person on shift for these boilers. In addition, the incumbent shall relieve the Boiler Plant Operator as required. He/she is responsible to keep the Boiler Plant and support systems operating under normal and emergency conditions with minimal supervision or help. Maintain full shift responsibility and be the engineering representative for all immediate decisions made during off tour hours. The USO holds responsibility to make the best decision with the information given at any time, and initiate recall of staff for emergency situations. Use test instruments, such as volt meters, PH meters, pool test kits, etc. Start, stop and operate emergency generators. Read and change out charts and operate chart recorders. Independently operate the low pressure boiler plant located in building 70; operating, testing, adjusting and evaluating the need for repairs of all equipment and systems he shall be responsible for. Read prints and trade manuals with the ability to interpret complex technical data. Must also be capable of using a wide variety of electrical and mechanical tools and testing equipment. Put reports in the proper format and checked for accuracy. Ensure that all tools and equipment are kept clean and in safe working condition at all times. Determines the @type and extent of repair work required, the methods to be used, and the results expected. Physical Requirements: The incumbent must have good eyesight ( corrective eye ware is acceptable) and normal coordination of hands, arms, legs and feet. He/she must be able to work in confined spaces which would involve working from the bending, kneeling, standing, squatting or prone position. Must be able to work from and climb ladders and stairs. The incumbent will be expected to lift and handle more than 50 pounds and occasionally lift and carry objects over 50 pounds. Working conditions are sometimes difficult-working with grease, in extreme heat and cold, unventilated areas, near steam and hot water lines, in rain, high winds, snow and ice, etc. Work Schedule: Various 8 hour rotating shifts including weekends, nights and holidays. Position Description Title/PD#: Utility Systems Operator/PD00232A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Notifications: This position is in the Competitive Service. Current and former Federal employees may submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and @type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted. This position is a not in a Bargaining Unit position. Veterans preference does not apply to this announcement. This position is subject to review and possible re-classification in accordance with government wide Office of Personnel Management (OPM) standards. Reviews could result in a change to lower grade. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job Subject to a background/suitability investigation. Selective Service 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). Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Selectee must have a valid unrestricted driving license. 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 As a condition of employment - 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. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement03/30/2026. 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: Ability to Do the Work of the Position without More Than Normal Supervision Ability to Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. (Other Than Blueprint Reading) Dexterity and Safety Knowledge of Equipment Assembly, Installation, and Repair, etc. Operation of Job Family Specify Equipment, Machinery, etc. Technical Practices (Theoretical, Precise, Artistic) Use of Measuring Instruments 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 Additional Information 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.
