Summary The purpose of the position is to perform a wide variety operational tasks on high pressure boilers and their corresponding ancillary equipment. The work performed includes consistent monitoring, data collection, and required maintenance and repairs when necessary. The position is assigned to the Plant Operations section, Maintenance and Operations, Facilities Management Service, in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Cheyenne VA Medical Center. Responsibilities Major duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following: Operates boiler plants with capacity of 3,450 to 14,000 pounds of steam per hour and assists in the operation and operational maintenance of gas or oil-fired steam boilers, along with the auxiliary equipment, both manual or automatic controls to produce saturated or superheated steam or high temperature hot water. Operates dampers, induced and forced draft fans, bottom and fly ash removal equipment, heat exchangers, fuel and air heaters, pumps, fuel pressure, control valves, fuel strainers, relief valves, water softeners, and other similar equipment. Regulates the fuel feed and water levels, while maintaining required steam pressure and temperatures. Replenishes chemical feed tanks and monitors feed water conditioning equipment to control or remove impurities and any entrapped gases. Assists in more difficult repairs and maintenance. Runs steam boilers fired at high levels by oil or gas boilers and high temperature hot water boilers required to meet challenging load demands. The operator maintains efficient combustion levels and ensures compliance with air pollution laws and regulations. The operator uses electronic, hydraulic, and pneumatic controls, along with zone charts in conjunction with meters, gauges, and computer-generated data to determine adjustments or corrections necessary for proper boiler operations or changing load requirements. Adjusts fuel feeds, the volume and velocity of draft and other fire box variables to achieve maximum combustion efficiency with changing load demands or variations in fuel quality. Uses independent judgment and decisions in performing boiler plant operations and maintenance work as the sole operator on assigned work shift. Work Schedule: Rotating shifts Position Description Title/PD#: Boiler Plant Operator/PD11737A Physical Requirements: The work requires physical effort, e.g., walking, standing, carrying light items up to 50 pounds, and driving or traveling by motor vehicle. Inspections of completed work may take place in high spaces, subject to crawling into small spaces, kneeling, squatting, bending, reaching above the shoulder, etc. Emergency situations will require employees to work in extremely hot, cold, stressful, light, or dark. Employees may be evacuating patients, repairing utility systems, shoveling snow, running the incident command, or managing the employee response area. 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. 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: Equipment Assembly, Installation, Repair Problem Solving Technical Problem Solving 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 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 following will be communicated to applicants for VA employment in a testing designated position and will also be included in all VA vacancy announcements for such positions: All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drugs use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. 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.
