Utility Systems Operator

Summary

The position is at the full performance level located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), at the Loma Linda, CA VA Medical Center (VAMC) in the Facility Management Service (FMS). The primary purpose of the Utility Systems Operator (USO) is to ensure the safe operation of the facility's centrally located boiler and chiller plant.

Duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to the following: Controls, operates and maintains efficient and reliable operation of the electrical emergency power generation. Manually runs emergency generator and perform manual operation of switchgears when necessary to maintain power supply to the hospital. Visually inspects boiler settings and refractory linings for signs of deterioration and failure due to heat stress resulting in flue gases escaping into the plant and endangering on-duty personnel. Controls, operates and maintains HVAC equipment inside the chiller plant and cooling tower yard. Responds to hot and cold calls by analyzing the chiller plant and air handling units' (AHU) performance and make necessary adjustments to bring the HVAC system within parameters. Analysis includes AHU set points, air filter condition, outside air supply temperature and humidity, damper/economizer positions, chilled water valve opening, humidifier percent opening, fan speed and its relationship to the static pressure. Perform necessary temporary adjustments to keep hospital or space at an acceptable HVAC condition. Write notes in the log book of all work performed and adjustments made to be reported to USO Supervisor and briefing HVAC technicians. Controls and operates two-domestic hot water heaters. Observes and documents information such as pressures, temperatures, water levels, and detectors to identify signs of trouble. Monitors and performs Plant's chemical water treatment including testing of water hardness coming from the tap and water softener. Monitors plant status with Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) computer system. Performs thorough housekeeping of boiler, electrical, chiller plants and cooling tower yard. Keeps the Plant in an orderly manner, painting, sweeping and mopping and dusting off Plant equipment. Operator makes independent decisions and judgments regarding troubleshooting techniques, and modification and repair procedures. Controls or operates a Supervisory Control Data Acquisition (SCADA) computer to control and operate life support equipment. Performs maintenance on plant equipment using blueprints, specifications, sketches, and from oral or written instructions. Balances electrical load between generators. Maintains circuit voltage and frequency constant when generators are added to or removed from the system. Responsible for monitoring the fire alarm system, medical gas alarm panel and elevator emergency call system for the entire facility. Adjusts equipment as necessary for efficient operation, including such equipment as alarm devices, proper size burner tips, automatic combustion controls, feed water deaerator, and heaters, chillers, internal chemical injection equipment, automatic stop valves, forced and induced draft fans, fuel and steam pressure control and relief valves, feedwater regulators and pumps. Perform operational testing of equipment and systems to determine their efficiencies. Works with engineering to determine performance parameters for reliable operation. Tests, adjusts, maintains, and repairs boiler safety devices such as flame safeguard systems, pressure switches, pressure differential safety switches, timers, water column safety devices, electric/electronic probes and sensors, steam safety valves, steam pressure reducing valves and automatic and manual fuel valves for preventing major pressure vessel failures and/or furnace explosions. Work Schedule: M-F 0600-1430 (confirm with supervisor) Position Description Title/PD#: Utility Systems Operator/PD10833A Relocation/Recruitment Incentive: Not AuthorizedAs 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.

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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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. 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.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. 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. 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 and evaluation

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.

How to apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/11/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13051797. 1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. 2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Required documents

Documents Accepted: DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (VA) Resume Separation Notice (RIF) 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.

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.