Department of Veterans Affairs

Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic

Lexington, Kentucky Full time

Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Lexington, Kentucky

Salary Range: $37.48 - $43.81 Per Hour

Job Summary: The incumbent is employed as an air conditioning mechanic at the two divisions Veterans Administration Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky. Incumbent is normally assigned to one division, but is subject to work at the other division at any given time, should the need arise.

Major Duties:

  • The Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic covers nonsupervisory work that is performed to repair and modify a variety of equipment and systems that achieve regulated climatic conditions. This work requires knowledge of principles of air conditioning, the ability to recognize and determine the best method for correcting malfunctions and the skill to make repairs to a variety of air conditioning and cooling unit systems. The position requires knowledge of principles and theories of air conditioning systems to diagnose, repair and make alterations to existing and new systems at the VAMC. The extensive amount of installation and repair work required, and sufficient knowledge and skill requirements places the position in the 5306 series. Major Duties include, but not limited to: Calculates the cubic feet of an area and measuring air flow in order to determine air changes per hour for clean sterile rooms, procedure rooms to ensure compliance with VA design guide. Performs the installation on all air conditioning equipment systems and components in accordance with manufacturer's recommendations to produce efficient cooling and heating according to VA design guide. Works in cramped positions quite frequently in both hot and cold locations; and it frequently is necessary that he move from one area to the other. Keeps accurate records where required while maintaining the HVAC equipment working independently and at times with others. Expose to dust, grease and dirt. Cold and Hot conditions. Extreme noise and vibrations, poor lighting, etc. independently or with others. Assists employees of allied trades (plumbers, maintenance mechanics, electricians and general mechanics) whenever their workload demands assistance and incumbent's workload allows it. Diagnoses and repairs related systems such as air duct system, chilled water system, pumps, refrigeration, condensate water system, air conditioning controls, makeup water system, condensate drain system, cooling tower facilities. Possesses basic computer skills in order to operate a building management system, monitoring and controlling all types of Utility Systems. Operates electrical metering equipment in order to troubleshoot controls and HVAC equipment. Repairs and performs maintenance on all air handling units and fan coils including VAV (variable air volume) systems. Notifies his supervisor about any major operational or maintenance problems encountered while performing these duties. Working knowledge of refrigeration systems and all related components and the tools of the trade including compound gauges, vacuum pumps, recovery machines, oxygen/acetylene torches etc. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday; 8:00am-4:30pm Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Position Description Title/PD#: Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic/PD30344A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized

Qualifications: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/12/2026. 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: Problem Solving Quality Management Teamwork Technical Competence 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. Physical Requirements/Working Conditions: Moderate to heavy physical effort is required due to the size and location of the equipment. The employee frequently lifts, carries sets up parts and equipment weighing up to 50 pounds. Occasionally heavier weights. The incumbent frequently has to bend, stoop, reach and hold awkward positions due to the cramped spaces with a lot of equipment and pipes, or ducts in the way. Works in high areas due to equipment that is placed on the roof and sometimes not easily accessible. Makes repairs and installations from ladders, scaffolding and platforms where the parts of systems worked on are frequently in hard-to-reach places; therefore, stooping, stretching, bending and kneeling are frequently for long periods of time. Must have good color perception and eye and hand coordination. The incumbent works indoors and outside. While outside the employee is subject to all sorts of climatic conditions. The employee has to exhibit care in his/her practices due to the occupational hazards from variety of machinery such as motors, pumps, fans, hot or cold areas, falls, high voltage areas, falls, etc. Wears appropriate safety equipment and follows safety policies and procedures., The employee will occasionally be required to work outside on top of buildings, in drafty attic spaces, and in cramped areas with low overheads. Subject to cuts, burns, electrical shocks and respiratory ailments. Employee uses/wears any safety equipment or other items required and provided by the employer.

How to Apply: All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 03/12/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12900421. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. 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. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. 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. If initial application submission is updated and resubmitted with a new resume, only the most current resume will be reviewed for consideration. 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. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/ The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified, you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Application Deadline: 2026-03-12