Boiler Plant Operator

at Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration in Hines, Illinois, United States

Job Description

Summary The position is located in the Boiler Plant Unit at the Edward Hines, Jr. Veteran’s Hospital, Hines, IL. The primary purpose of this position is to provide steam and hot water required for sanitation, infection control and a healthful environment for the delivery of health care and operated in a safe and economical manner recognizing its importance and the potential for pressure vessel and/or furnace explosion. Responsibilities The incumbent is responsible during their assigned tour of duty for the operation, adjustment and minor repair of four water tube combination oil and natural gas fired, high pressure steam boilers; potable water pumping and chlorinating equipment; softened water treatment, dealkalized water treatment facilities and boiler plant auxiliary equipment such as: water and oil pumps, steam turbines, air compressors, internal combustion engines, unit heaters, air handling units, hot water generator tanks, and fixed and portable gas analyzers. Each of the 4 high pressure steam boilers is rated at a steam capacity of 50,000 lbs. per hour at an operating pressure of 125 psig. Maximum steam demand conditions normally require operation of two boilers and occasionally three for generation of an average output of over 100,000 lbs. of steam per hour for an annual steam heating cycle. Maximum water demand conditions require pumping and chlorinating treatment of approximately 1,000,000 gallons of raw-water daily from outside sources, for delivery to one (1) underground and one (1) overhead storage tank. Work Schedule: Rotating shifts. Due to the mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the hospital must be manned continuously and cannot be closed. When a Federal holiday falls on a Monday or Friday, staff may be required to work on that holiday due to time constraints on projects or availability of the space. Staff will be required to work overtime on weekends, after hours on a duty day, and holidays when necessary to meet the needs of the VA mission. Occasionally, staff may be called back to the facility due to an emergency for overtime work. Position Description Title/PD#: Boiler Plant Operator/PD24172A Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 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 Interpret Instructions, Specifications (includes blueprint reading) Technical Practices Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment 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. Education This job does not have an education qualification requirement. Additional Information 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 (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM’s Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/. 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee’s credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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.