Boiler Plant Operator

Summary

This position is assigned to the Facility Management Service within the Western NY Healthcare System VA located at the Buffalo site. The Boiler Plant operator will work along with the Utility Systems Operator supervisor and higher grade plant operators to perform the work operations of the boiler plant and all associated support equipment.

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Duties

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The Boiler Plant Operator utilizes manual and automatic controls to operate multiple utility systems on a continuing basis in accordance with State and Federal regulations and will function as a critical and integral part of the safe and efficient operation of the boiler plant and associated energy systems.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Oversee the areas of operations, maintenance, and repairs in a with minimal or no guidance from supervision.
• Maintaining boiler plant operations when transitioning from multiple fuel sources.
• Troubleshooting and adjusting plant and mechanical systems to ensure proper functioning.
• Maintaining repair equipment needed for routine maintenance.
• Reading gauges, meters, verifying steam pressure and recording maintenance data.
• Maintaining fuel tank levels in accordance with plant operating procedures
• Performing routine testing to determine proper pH balance, heavy metals and hazardous chemicals.
• Performing efficient and economical generation of steam producing systems.
• Performing operational repairs of limited to moderate complexity.
• Following instructions as provided by diagrams, drawings and operating manuals.
• Receiving fuel oil from tractor trailers and other suppliers while following all safety regulations
• Making judgments and decisions based on supervisory guidance and protocol.
• Maintaining boiler plant operations when transitioning from multiple fuel sources.
• Work from heights, confined spaces, tight spaces, from ladders and manlifts.
• Performs all other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: 0600 - 1800;1800-0600 four (4) week nights ; four (4) weeks day

Position Description Title/PD#: Boiler Plant Operator/PD09359A

Recruitment Incentive: Approved and terms will be discussed during interview.

Physical Requirements: The position requires a considerable amount of standing, stooping, bending, kneeling, climbing, lifting and working in tiring and/or uncomfortable positions. The person in this position may work from ladders and scaffolding. When operating equipment, the worker may be under a great deal of strain from constant reaching, bending, turning, and moving of hands, arms, feet, legs, and by the vibration and jerking of the equipment. The worker carries, lifts, and handles parts and equipment weighing up to 90 pounds. The work is performed inside and outside with exposure to all kinds of weather. The work area may be dirty, wet, dusty, and greasy, with inadequate lighting, heat, or ventilation. The worker is subject to cuts, abrasions, irritation of eyes, skin and respiratory tract, and the hazards of operating power tools and equipment. Discomfort may be encountered with wearing protective clothing, gloves, or eye goggles or while working in confined areas such as crawl spaces and attics.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; including Resume, Transcripts, etc. is required
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

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. 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.

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.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may 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.

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, 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:

• Dexterity and Safety
• Equipment Assembly, Installation, Repair
• Operation of Equipment/Machinery
• Without more than normal supervision

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

There is no educational requirement at this grade level.

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

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.