Boiler Plant Operator

About the role

The Facilities Management service at Samuel S. Stratton DVAMC, Albany NY is recruiting for one Boiler Plant Operator.

At the Journeymen level, operate and perform operational maintenance of single and multiple fuel water or fire tube boilers and associated auxiliary and pollution control equipment; extremely large capacity and flexibility high-pressure boilers and chillers; and a wide Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning Systems.

What you will do

• Steam Boiler Plant Systems - The incumbent starts, operates, adjusts, stops, maintains, and performs various operational repairs on single or multiple fuel power boilers and associated auxiliary and pollution control equipment.
• The boilers operated at this facility are dual fuel utilizing both oil and natural gas to produce the steam required to meet changing load demands.
• The boilers require constant attention to maintain efficiency and control the formation of pollutants.
• They maintain efficient combustion levels and ensure compliance with air pollution laws or regulations.
• Using both manual and automatic control systems, boiler plant operators monitor, adjust, and control all phases of boiler plant operations.
• Electrical Systems - The BPO has experience with various Electrical systems, AC, DC, single phase and 3 phase, Machinery Control Centers, control isolation and read circuit diagrams pertaining power supply, boiler controls, pump controls, Fan controls, DDC panels, UPS supplies, electric actuated control valve systems and various instrumentation.
• Incumbent will independently trouble shoot and repair electrical circuits, single phase and 3 phase motors, switches, starter circuits, Variable Frequency drives, and other process controls.
• Have knowledge of the NFPA Electrical code and electrical lock out tag out procedures.
• The Operators also work on electric motor driven pumps on feed water and condensate systems along with heating hot water and chilled water systems.
• BPOs have a working knowledge of electric driven centrifugal chillers.
• Plumbing Systems - The BPOs performs plumbing related duties which include planning, layout, and routing or piping systems.
• The operators must be able to work from sketches and blueprints or other technical data.
• The operator works on the installation and repair of different types of piping which include copper, galvanized steel, black iron, PVC, Carbon Steel, Plastic tubing, Stainless tubing as well as transition couplings and valves associated with these materials.
• All plumbing and piping must meet trade standards, Material specifications and codes for Water, Air, High pressure steam, Boiler Condensate, Fuel oil, and Natural gas.
• Other duties include repairing various pumps and general plumbing maintenance.
• Instrumentation Systems - The BPO works to troubleshoot, repair, modify, overhaul, test, calibrate and install a variety of multi- component industrial and precision instruments and system equipment as it relates to both the Boiler Plant and Chiller Plant.
• The equipment and systems normally serviced are interdependent electrical, mechanical, and Hydraulic devices which control and regulate flows, pressures, and levels.
• The operator will work using operating principles, blueprints, diagrams, technical manuals, test equipment trade tools.
• The position works with various machinery including reciprocating pumps, centrifugal pumps, gear pumps and electric motors.
• Air Conditioning Equipment Systems - The BPO operates a centralized, multiple zone system, checking temperature sensing points in the buildings, adjust controls, start, regulate, stop air handling equipment, and reset temperature controls and steam spray valves for humidity control.
• Operators log gauge readings, test water in cooling towers and record results of water condition tests, perform operator maintenance, and replace minor parts.
• Due to the size and complexity of the facility and end users (e.g., industrial, computer and telecommunications areas, hospital operating rooms, special research laboratories that contain sensitive measuring equipment, clinical laboratories, or intensive care wards) the incumbent requires a more extensive knowledge and skillset when compared to other facilities.
• The facilities chilling system, which has an extremely large capacity and flexibility, entails many components and auxiliary equipment with many controls and gauges to monitor and coordinate.
• Work Schedule: Shift Work, schedule to be discussed with hiring manager Position Description Title/PD#: Boiler Plant Operator/PD05716A Physical Requirements: The incumbent frequently works in confined areas in and around boilers and support equipment (i.e., auxiliary and pollution control equipment).
• Prolonged physical effort is not routine.
• The work requires moderate to strenuous effort and long periods of walking, standing, stooping, climbing, bending, crouching and work on ladders (occasionally over operating equipment).
• Workers frequently lift and carry boiler parts and chemical supplies weighing up to 50 pounds unassisted and occasionally items weighing over 50 pounds with assistance of other workers or weight handling equipment, such as chain hoists.

Requirements

• 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.
• 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

• Documents Accepted: Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (VA) Professional Certification Resume Separation Notice (RIF) SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript Documents Required: Resume 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

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. 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. 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.