Summary Serve as a Motor Vehicle Operator for the Ground and Transportation Section, Environmental Services Department, for Veterans Affairs Western New York Health Care, Buffalo Division. Responsible for transporting patients to medical appointments using vans, wheelchair vans, sedans, and other authorized vehicles. Also operates a heavy-duty front-end loader (tractor) for snow-removal operations. Responsibilities Duties: Major duties and responsibilities include: Operates platform, van, stake and dump trucks, passenger shuttle, and cargo vans which have a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 10,000 pounds and up to 26,000 pounds. Safely loads, secures, and unloads passengers who may or may not have a disability, their belongings, and any passengers' durable medical equipment, if necessary. Driving assignments are conducted in a safe, courteous manner and are completed in a timely fashion He/she prepares trip tickets, maintenance service records and reports of accidents if necessary. The vehicle is driven on government properties and over public roads and highways, including improved/unimproved roads or terrain that is not paved and through congested areas, in all weather and environmental conditions. Responsible for: monitoring the vehicle maintenance needs of their assigned vehicle, maintaining its interior and exterior cleanliness, making daily safety inspections of each vehicle used, and notifying the supervisor of any defects in its operation and condition. May be required to change a flat tire, if necessary. Driving assignments are conducted in a safe, courteous manner and are completed in a timely fashion with very few route or destination mistakes. Operates vehicles with a power take off device for transferring engine power to special-purpose accessory equipment, such as winches, power lifts, skid-steers, tractors, heavy-duty front end loaders, and plows and spreaders. Operates hydraulic dumping mechanisms to unload or spread materials in a dump bed. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Tuesday-Saturday or Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized DESIGNATED DRUG-TESTING POSITION: Applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Pre-employment physical required Subject to background/security investigation 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. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) 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 PHYSICAL EFFORT AND WORK CONDITIONS: Physical effort is needed to maneuver long and heavy vehicles, especially when backing these vehicles. Frequent stooping and bending may be required when helping with passengers. The incumbent will be required to lift, push or pull moderate to heavy items on a daily basis. Vehicles and equipment are operated in all @types of traffic and weather conditions on public roads, at highway speeds over complicated road and interchange systems; there is exposure to the danger of serious accidents. Outside work may involve extreme cold or hot working conditions as well as rain, snow and ice. Protective clothing as protection from the outside elements is required. Minor personal accidents, such as cuts or bruises while loading and unloading the vehicle are also possible Driver's License Requirement: Must possess a valid state issued driver's license to operate a motor vehicle. (Please do not submit a copy of your license with your application package. You will be required to show your valid driver's license at the time of your interview.) Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualifications. For this position, the job element method is used to match what you, the applicant, can do against what the work calls for. Your knowledge, skills and abilities will be compared to the knowledge, skills and abilities (called job elements) needed for success. Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element (WG-2 and higher only; screen-outs are not applicable to WG-1). Applicants who appear to meet the screen out element are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated from consideration. The potential eligibles are rated against the remainder of the job elements. While a specific length of training and experience is not required, your responses to the questionnaire must be supported by detailed descriptions of your experience on your resume. You will be rated on the following Job Elements as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Drive Safely Interpret Instructions, Specifications (mobile equipment operations) Motor Vehicles Operate Safely (Non-Motor Vehicle) Reliability And Dependability Without more than normal supervision Work Practices IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Education Additional Information 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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. 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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
