Department of Veterans Affairs

Utility Systems Repairer-Operator

Cincinnati, Ohio Full time

Utility Systems Repairer-Operator

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Cincinnati, Ohio

Salary Range: $32.27 - $37.79 Per Hour

Job Summary: The incumbent performs work that primarily involves repairing and operating several utility systems in the Cincinnati Medical Center facility.

Major Duties:

  • The Cincinnati VA Medical Center (CVAMC) is a two-division campus located in Cincinnati, OH and Fort Thomas, KY serving 15 counties in Southwest OH, Northern Kentucky, and Southeast Indiana with 6 Community Based Outpatient Clinics located in Bellevue, KY; Florence, KY; Lawrenceburg, IN; Hamilton, OH; Clermont County, OH, and Georgetown, OH. The CVAMC also supports two off main campus locations in the Cincinnati area via an Eye Center and Mental Health Outreach Community Division. MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The incumbent performs work that primarily involves repairing and operating several utility systems in the Cincinnati Medical Center facility. Start, stop, and regulate the utilities and their system components for optimum efficiency and to troubleshoot, maintain, and repair them. Preventive maintenance will be accomplished according to predetermined routine guidelines on various mechanical equipment and systems. Provides continuous coverage and engineering support to facilities included in the Cincinnati Division. Responsible for addressing, troubleshooting, and stabilizing, and/or resolve emergency situations requiring Engineering Service involvement. Determines the appropriate action(s), then initiate and coordinate the necessary action(s) to stabilize or fully resolve or repair the situation in question. Coordinates work with contracted vendors and/or notifying other Engineering Service employees of the need to report to the facility. Resolves non-routine situations, such as locksmith problems and medical equipment malfunctions. Maintains a detailed log/account of all shift activities including an explanation of his/her decision making involved in emergency situations. Routinely, the incumbent operates, troubleshoots, maintains, and repairs utility systems including but not limited to the following: Air Conditioning Systems - This includes (3 750 ton Carrier Chillers, 1000 ton York Chiller (2) 210 ton twin, (1) 25 ton, (2) 15 ton, and (2) 10 ton chillers in the medical center and a central chilled water A/C plant, numerous packaged units and associated controls, along with pumps, fans, and air handling units. The main control system includes computer terminals, printers, and numerous control and monitor points throughout the medical center. Pneumatic Tube System - This includes the computer operated and monitors system; also includes the air operating system and all terminals throughout the medical center. Medical Gas Systems - These systems include the liquid oxygen, medical air, and medical vacuum, nitrogen, and nitrous oxide systems with associated piping, controls, valves, and compressors. Steam Distribution System - This system includes all piping, valves, regulators, converters, and economizers associated with steam distribution and condensate return for heating, cooking, cleaning, and sterilization purposes. Water Distribution Systems - These systems include all components of the domestic cold and hot water systems, fire protection, deionizer water systems, and the sewage and wastewater disposal systems. Electrical Distribution System - This system includes all components of the electrical distribution system including incoming 13, 200 volt feeders, transformers, circuit breakers, receptacles, and (5) Emergency generators with KW's ranging from 225KW to 440KW at the medical center used for emergency power. Natural Gas Distribution System - This system includes all piping, valves, and booster pumps associated with natural gas used for heating and cooking. Vertical Transportation Systems - This includes dumbwaiters, and elevators and their controls. Also includes passenger rescue. Refrigeration Systems - This includes all refrigerator and freezer units and their components, such as compressors, condensers, and piping. Miscellaneous Communication Systems - This includes the master antenna television (MATV) system, overhead paging, nurse call systems, and fire alarm system. Work Schedule: Rotating Shift - Hours/Days discussed during Interview. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Utility Systems Repairer-Operator/PD05125A Physical Requirements: The incumbent must be in a satisfactory physical and mental condition and fit for duty at all times, excluding body maintenance items. He/she will be required to bend, stoop, crawl, walk, climb, jump, and lift heavy objects for moderate time durations. His/her efforts will vary depending on the task to be performed.

Qualifications: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/17/2025. 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 eligible are then rated against the remainder of the Job Elements: Ability to Do the Work of the Position without More Than Normal Supervision Equipment Assembly, Installation, Repair Interpret Instructions, Specifications (includes blueprint reading) Measuring Instruments Motor Vehicles Operation of Equipment/Machinery 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. Working Conditions: The incumbent is occasionally subject to very uncomfortable and possibly dangerous working conditions. His/her tours of duty are accomplished independently on a rotating shift plan. He/she is required to mix and handle chemicals for chilled water treatment. He/she will be required to work in varying degrees of temperature. He/she may be exposed to hazards such as electrical shock. He/she will be required to work on ladders, platforms, mechanical rooms, and carry heavy objects up and down stairs 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.

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 12/17/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12847978. 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. 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/ 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.

Application Deadline: 2025-12-17