Utility Systems Operator

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs within the VA Pittsburgh Health Care System seeks a Utility Systems Operator to operate and maintain the hospital's boiler and air conditioning plants, ensuring a steady supply of steam and chilled water for the medical center.

The role covers monitoring energy systems, coordinating repairs with FMS trades, and applying strictly controlled start/stop procedures to protect patients and equipment on rotating shifts.

Qualifications

• Experience showing training or experience sufficient to perform utility systems work; positions rated by OPM standards.

Responsibilities

• Operate boiler and air conditioning plants and related equipment to maintain steam and chilled water supply.
• Monitor and control air handlers, water systems, pumps, and fans via energy management systems.
• Serve as central contact for PCC during off-hours and weekends for urgent repairs.
• Maintain boiler plant control systems, tank level systems, pumps, valves, and related equipment.
• Monitor temperature and humidity control in critical areas (computer rooms, ORs, labs, MRI/CAT).
• Monitor energy systems and coordinate repairs with personnel; use independent judgment to start/stop systems for comfort, protection, and energy savings.

Job description

Summary

This position is located in the VA Pittsburgh Health Care System's Facilities Management Service Line and reports to the Utility Systems supervisor. The incumbent is responsible for operation and maintenance of the Utility Systems and may be required to work at both divisions - HJ Heinz and University Drive.T he certificate will be utilized until it expires for any and all upcoming vacancies. The cut off dates to issue certificates will be every two weeks starting 10/19/2026.

Summary

This position is located in the VA Pittsburgh Health Care System's Facilities Management Service Line and reports to the Utility Systems supervisor. The incumbent is responsible for operation and maintenance of the Utility Systems and may be required to work at both divisions - HJ Heinz and University Drive.T he certificate will be utilized until it expires for any and all upcoming vacancies. The cut off dates to issue certificates will be every two weeks starting 10/19/2026.

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: Equipment Assembly - Installation - Repair Technical Practices Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment 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. 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.

Duties

• Duties include but not limited to: Proper and efficient operation of the Boiler and Air Conditioning plants and auxiliary equipment to maintain a steady supply of steam and chilled water for the medical center
• Monitors and controls air handlers - hot water and chilled water systems - pumps - fans - etc. - via the computerized energy management system
• Serve as central point of contact for Patient Care Coordinators (PCC) during off-tour hours and weekends to contact FMS tradesman - supervisors and/or managers to report for urgent or emergency repairs at the medical center
• Works on boilers - boiler plant control systems - computerized management systems - tank level measuring systems - associated pumps - valves - and auxiliary equipment
• Monitors and maintains close control of air conditioning systems for specialized areas such as computer rooms - Pharmacies - OR rooms - research and animal facilities - intensive care areas - MRI and CAT scans - and Radiation Therapy areas that require close control of temperature and/or humidity
• Monitor the Energy Management System and take calls from medical center personnel pertaining to any utility systems or equipment outages and contact the necessary personnel to make proper repairs
• Use independent judgment in starting up and shutting down heating and cooling systems for comfort - protection - and energy conservation - requiring the incumbent to apply knowledge of all phases of plant operations with a high degree of accuracy
• Work Schedule: 6:00am to 2:00pm - 2:00pm to 10:00pm - and 10:00pm to 6:00am
• Rotating shifts for coverage 24 hours/day - 7 days a week to include weekends and holidays Position Description Title/PD#: Utility Systems Operator/PD00279-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May Be Authorized
• A recruitment or relocation incentive may be paid to a Highly Qualified candidate.Note: Definition of Highly Qualified Candidates: Candidates who possess unique skills and competencies needed to perform critical mission-essential functions
• Per OPM.gov - to be Highly Qualified - the candidates are considered by the Human Resources Office and the subject matter expert (selecting official) as being highly proficient in all the requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position almost immediately or with a minimum amount of training and/or orientation
• (Highly Qualified is not defined by years of experience alone)
• Refer to VA Handbook 5007 - Part VI - Ch
• 3