Laborer

About the role

The Laborer position is located in the Facilities Management Service of the VA Boston Healthcare System. This position is located in the West Roxbury, MA campus. This position is full-time at 40 hours per week.

What you will do

• The incumbent performs duties which involve grounds and maintenance work, including moving materials, assisting other type journeymen due to urgency of work to be accomplished, gardener's helper, policing grounds, moving furniture, truck driver's helper, loading and unloading trucks and other various duties.
• Incumbent follows general instructions to perform work that requires moderately heavy physical effort and may involve a number of successive steps or processes and perform tasks that require prior work experience or training, and some degree of manual skill and involves very heavy physical effort.
• Incumbent is required to use common hand tools and simple power equipment such as hatchets, hand saws, clippers, buffers, grinders, screwdrivers, weed trimmers, low- pressure sprayers, powered push lawn mowers, and powered pavement vacuums.
• Use shovels to dig ditches where grading and sloping is required; fill holes with dirt and level bumps using shovels, hand tampers, and rakes; and dig holes for plants and posts.
• They use simple powered push lawn mowers, edgers and trimmers, water grounds, lay sod, and clear small trees and bushes using hand tools.
• Perform grounds maintenance on grades or slopes; dig ditches and trenches with picks and shovels where dirt is hard and compact.
• Operate large, walking-type power mowers and simple riding-type mowers with limited adjustments.
• Manually adjust blades for cutting height, prepare gasoline/oil mixtures for powered equipment, and clean and lubricate mowers.
• Performs limited roads maintenance work.
• They use concrete, gravel, and/or asphalt to fill and level holes in damaged roads.
• May be required to break up pavement using jackhammers and clear sidewalks using large, industrial-type, powered snow blowers.
• Cut trees, using axes or chain saws.
• May be required to wash buildings using a high-pressure sprayer; separate, stack, carry, and load/unload materials, supplies, and packages.
• Also does snow work with shovels.
• Gains job specific expertise through various sources (e.g. on-the-job training, trade publications, vendor publications and manuals, etc.) to become proficient in the identified primary field.
• Attends Engineering Monthly Staff Meetings to obtain and information and participate in discussions on appropriate resolutions to problems.
• The incumbent is required to wear safety equipment and clothing when appropriate and may be required to work at any division of the VA Boston Healthcare System.
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. EST Position Description Title/PD#: Laborer/PD523-00655-A Physical Requirements: Work requires very heavy physical effort in operating large, riding mowers on grades and in areas with bushes, trees, and other visible obstacles that require significant maneuvering and lever control.
• Frequently lift and move equipment and components weighing over 50 pounds.
• Work is performed mainly outside in varying weather temperatures and in dry, humid, and/or damp conditions.
• Work area may be cramped, dirty, noisy, dusty, etc. May be exposed to fumes, smoke, or gases and may work with solvents, grease, and oils.
• Work around machinery and moving parts and around moving objects or vehicles.
• The equipment, tools, and tasks involved at this level frequently require extreme care and use of safety gloves, ear plugs, safety glasses, or respirators to avoid severe injuries.
• Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year).
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement).
• Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
• Notification: This is an open continuous announcement until 09/30/2026.
• Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available.
• This position is in the Competitive Service.
• This position is not a Bargaining Unit position.

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 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. Skill and Knowledge Required by the Position Have knowledge and skill in the operation, control, and cleaning of heavy, power equipment (power lawn mowers, chain saws, jackhammers, sidewalk snow plows). They also know how to work safely with heavy tools (axes, picks, tampers, chain saws, etc.).

Able to perform routine maintenance and adjusting power mowers, snow blowers, additional equipment assigned. The nature of the duties and the kind of equipment used also require continual care and attention both to avoid accidents and to complete work according to established schedules.

Prior job experience or on-the-job training is normally required to gain this level of manual skill. Complete assignments involving several familiar processes which require reading, writing, and remembering directions and/or sequences.

Documents you must provide

• Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (VA) Other (1) 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.