Department: Department of Veterans Affairs
Location(s): Johnson City, Tennessee
Salary Range: $28.27 - $32.98 Per Hour
Job Summary: The Automotive Worker position is assigned to the Grounds and Transportation Unit within the Engineering Service. The incumbent performs a variety of tasks involved in the upkeep of diesel and gasoline operated vehicles, grounds maintenance equipment, heavy excavation equipment and shop and facilities industrial equipment.
Major Duties:
Qualifications: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/20/2026. 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. (Includes Blueprint Reading) Ability to Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment Knowledge of Equipment Assembly, Installation, and Repair, etc. Technical Practices (Theoretical, Precise, Artistic) Troubleshooting 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: Work in tiring, awkward and uncomfortable positions. Stand for long periods of time. Bend, stoop, crawl under vehicles and make repair in tight spaces. Frequently lifts, handles, and carries parts and equipment weighing up to 50 pounds. Occasionally moves moderately heavy items with assistance or with mechanical devices, including objects weighing over 50 pounds. Incumbent must exert moderate to arduous physical effort involving walking, standing, bending, stooping, lifting, working overhead and crawling. Incumbent must be able to climb ladders and scaffolding and operate bucket truck. Work performed is of a precise nature requiring prolonged concentration. Incumbent works at times under conditions of moderate stress and must be able to interact effectively with medical center patients, visitors and staff in a calm, analytical, professional manner. Working Conditions: Incumbent works primarily around and with hazardous mechanical and electrical equipment with the potential for serious injury and/or death. Physical agility and dexterity are required while working on and around equipment. Work is performed inside on concrete surfaces where there is exposure to drafts, noise and fumes from vehicles as well as outside under adverse weather conditions ranging from snow and ice removal during winter to peak-sun exposure during the growing season. Continually exposed to dirt, dust, and grease, and to the potential for burns, chemical irritations, shocks, bruises, cuts, and strains. Follows prescribed safety practices and uses safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, and respirators. Incumbent will sometimes be required to work in environments where the hazards of asbestos, burns, exposure to chemicals, radiation, and contagious diseases exist and will be exposed to various elements of weather when working outside. Incumbent must know and follow procedures for working in areas of fuels oil, grease, dust noise and fumes from vehicles, exposure to extreme hot and cold weather conditions when assisting gardeners and areas of infectious fluids, radiation, dirt, dust and asbestos when aiding facilities maintenance units. The Automotive Mechanic must use all appropriate safety devices, tools, clothing, and other personal protective equipment to protect self, other staff, patients, and visitors at all times.
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 03/20/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12911403. 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/ Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/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: 2026-03-20