Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic

About the role

The incumbent will function as an Air Conditioning Mechanic, for the South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS) and is located within Engineering Service.

Incumbent is a highly qualified journeyman industrial/commercial air conditioning mechanic responsible for maintaining, repairing, modifying, testing, inspecting, analyzing for defects, troubleshooting and eliminating malfunctions on all the non-medical heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigerated equipment in the facility.

What you will do

• Incumbent has skill and experience in troubleshooting, calibrating, installing and repairing a wide variety of heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigerating equipment, which operate within critical tolerances and specifications.
• Incumbent use knowledge of the refrigeration cycle of a variety of commercial and industrial systems to locate and check elements such as those which control low side and high side pressure, the temperature of the cooling units, the temperatures of the liquid and suction lines, and the running time of the various mechanisms.
• Incumbent checks for the probability of leaks by visual and audible examination of equipment components; by applying prescribed test procedures and equipment; and by exploration of probable reasons for equipment failure.
• Incumbent know principles and theories of air conditioning and refrigeration such as the refrigeration cycle, heat transfer laws, the use of refrigerant tables, how to calculate airflow, and the pressure temperature characteristics for the different systems in order to locate and repair faulty equipment swiftly and to reduce inoperative time to a minimum.
• Incumbent has skill and knowledge to troubleshoot and locate trouble before dismantling, and to make repairs, which insure proper functioning after assembly.
• Incumbent has the skill and knowledge, to work on systems that include a variety of compressors such as gear, reciprocating, centrifugal, or rotary pump, and a variety of refrigerant controls such as those with low and high pressure side floats, automatic thermostatic expansion valves, capillary or choke types, and those based on volume or quantity changes.
• A variety of complicated motor controls are also used such as hermetically sealed motors and pressure controls, thermostatic motor controls (remote and double remote), full and semi-automatic defrosting controls, relays, and other controls to protect against overload or overheating.
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 0730-1600, 0800-1630 Position Description Title/PD#: Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic/PD01018A Physical Requirements: Incumbent must wear appropriate safety gear, including full-face and half-face respirators when accomplishing work on certain equipment.
• This protective gear can place additional effort on employee in accomplishing work.
• Incumbent works from ladders, scaffolding, platforms, motorized high-lift, etc. as well as other hard to reach places.
• Incumbent stands, stoops, bends, kneels, crawls, climbs and works in tiring and uncomfortable positions for extended periods of time.
• Because the equipment in the air handling system is usually larger and must be maneuvered into and out of specific locations while dismantling and reassembling, the incumbent frequently lifts and carries tools, parts, equipment and material that weigh up to 50 pounds and less often up to 40 pounds.
• Grade 10 mechanics frequently carry and set up parts and equipment that weigh up to 23 kilograms (50 pounds).
• Hoists, holders, and pulleys are operated when removing units such as large compressors, condensers, and chillers.
• Incumbent make repairs and installations from ladders, scaffolding and platforms where the parts of systems worked on are frequently in hard-to-reach places; therefore, stooping, stretching, bending, crawling and kneeling are frequently for long periods of time.
• Working Conditions: Incumbent is subject to be exposed to disagreeable fumes, work in oily or greasy areas, exposed to burns, cut, bruises, electrical shock and low environmental temperatures and possible exposure to live steam.
• They are occasionally required to work outside, on top of tall buildings, in hot or cold, cramped crawl spaces with low overheads.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.
• Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Services Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
• 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.

How you will be evaluated

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC.

WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.

Documents you must provide

• Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (Schedule A) Disability Letter (VA) License Other (1) PCS Orders Performance Appraisal Professional Certification Resume Separation Notice (RIF) SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application.
• Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).You will not be contacted for additional information.
• Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.
• Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply.
• Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.
• Applications are accepted online.
• Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.

What to expect next

After the vacancy announcement closes, applicants are evaluated to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email.

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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted.

HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties.

VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities.

HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities.

HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.

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.