Department of the Interior

Utility Systems Repairer-Operator

Oneida, Tennessee Full time

Utility Systems Repairer-Operator

Department: Department of the Interior

Location(s): Oneida, Tennessee

Salary Range: $27.51 - $32.1 Per Hour

Job Summary: A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. Open to the first 100 applicants or until 05/18/2026 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Major Duties:

  • Serve as the primary operator for the extended aeration plant(s) with tertiary sand filters and disinfected by liquid chlorination. Responsibilities require the performance and documentation of laboratory tests on influent, effluent, and mixed liquids for such things as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), suspended solids (SS), chlorine residuals; settle ability and other parameters, and adjusting pumps, return flow rates, and other process controls. Determine the seriousness of breakdowns and malfunctions and make decision on shutting down operations or not. Must be able to identify what repairs are required and if plan can be operated manually until repairs are complete. May perform repairs within abilities. Perform inspections and servicing daily, weekly, and monthly on mechanical equipment and collection systems of wastewater and sewage lines, force mains, and lift stations. Inspect water treatment plant operations to ensure compliance with Federal and State Environmental Protection Agency regulations. Performs periodic inspections and servicing of pumps, chlorinators, and electrical control mechanisms on outlying water systems with hypo chlorinators. Required to check chlorine residual of potable water and adjusts chlorine feed rate to keep it within tolerable limits. Must be able to disassemble, clean, overhaul, and reassemble chlorinators as required. Trouble shoots (traces and locates defects) and tests existing electrical lines, circuits, fixtures controls, and equipment.

Qualifications: Requirements Continued... You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 2 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. Government Charge Card: You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. The following Conditions of Employment are also required for this position: If you do not possess a State of Tennessee Water Treatment Grade 2 and State of Tennessee Distribution Grade 1 certification at the time of appointment, you must be able to obtain a State of Tennessee Water Treatment Grade 2 and State of Tennessee Distribution Grade 1 certification by transferring your current Water Treatment and Water Distribution Certification to the state of Tennessee within 120 days of Entrance on Duty. You must maintain a Tennessee Water Treatment Grade 2 and State of Tennessee Distribution Grade 1 certification for the duration of employment. Obtain and maintain a Tennessee Natural Biological Sewage Treatment or higher license within 24 months of entrance on duty. You must maintain a Tennessee Sewage Treatment license for the duration of employment. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will 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. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary period, such appointments are terminated. 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, you must have sufficient knowledge and ability in the following job-related factors: Ability To Do The Work Of The Position Without More Than Normal Supervision (SCREEN OUT) Ability To Interpret Instructions, Specification, etc. (includes blueprints reading) Ability To Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment Knowledge of Equipment Assembly, Installation Repair, etc. Knowledge of materials Technical Practices (theoretical precise, artistic) Use of Measuring Instructions SELECTIVE FACTOR: This position performs duties as a Water Treatment Operator to distribute and treat water. Applicants must possess ALL of the following licenses to qualify: Possession of a current Tennessee Water Treatment Grade 2 and State of Tennessee Distribution Grade 1 or comparable transferable state issued water treatment and distribution certification. Applicants must submit documentation of their current Tennessee Water Treatment Grade 2 and State of Tennessee Distribution Grade 1 Certification or comparable transferable state issued water treatment and distribution certification at the time of application in order to receive consideration. Those not submitting documentation of holding a current Tennessee Water Treatment Grade 2 and State of Tennessee Distribution Grade 1 or comparable transferable state issued water treatment and distribution certification at the time of application will receive no further consideration. If your knowledge and ability in the SCREEN OUT factor above is not sufficient, you will receive no further consideration. In preparing your application, describe in detail the experience and training which you have had that specifically prepared you for this job and to perform the duties described for this job. Experience should be clearly described and documented in your resume. The qualifications reviewer will not assume performance of such duties by Job Titles alone. Address your knowledge, skills and/or abilities in the areas shown in the job-related factors. Volunteer Experience: 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. Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001).

How to Apply: To apply for this position: You must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To receive consideration, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 05/18/2026.You must provide documentation to support your claim for each eligibility selected. Please review the required documentation listed in the eligibilities language to ensure you submit the appropriate information. Note: You will only be marked eligible for those eligibilities that you selected and provided the appropriate supporting documentation. WE DO NOT ACCEPT HARD-COPY OR E-MAIL APPLICATION PACKAGES. Select Apply. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to login or create an account. Prompted to Start the Application Process by selecting "Start Application." Click here for USAJobs Help with "How to create an application" To PREVIEW the application questionnaire, select the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12947483 Select or add the resume you want to use for this application. Click here on how to build a resume in USAJOBS. Select documents you want included in this application. Review package to acknowledge your documents were reviewed. Select if you want to include your demographic information. After reading and certifying the application is true and submitted in good faith, select "Continue to Agency Site." Follow onscreen prompts and instructions to complete your application. Add the supporting documents by indexing your documents with the dropdown. Upload any missing required documents or optional documents. Review and Submit Application. While logged in, you can check the status of your application by selecting "+" next to the job title for this position. You can review or revise your application at any point during the open period of the announcement. To update an application, you should log into your USAJOBS account and select "+" next to the job title for this position. Select "Update Application" for this job. Note: When you click Update Application, you will be prompted to re-select your documents from USAJOBS. Documents submitted with the first application will no longer be associated with the applicant record. So it is important that you select all documents you want to use in the re-application.

Application Deadline: 2026-05-18