Power Plant Trainee II/IV

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers • Fort Peck, MT

5d • Onsite

About The Position

This is a Direct Hire Authority solicitation to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to competitive-service positions in the Department of Defense. The Fort Peck Project in northeastern Montana operates and maintains Fort Peck Dam and Lake and associated facilities. The principal assignment is in the powerhouse, though work may also take place at intake structures and spillway areas.

The position performs scheduled and emergency maintenance, repairs, overhauls, modifications, and installations involving power plant mechanical equipment and systems. Depending on the trainee level, duties range from common preventive maintenance and shop work to diagnostic checks, complex repairs, fabrication, and work on equipment such as generators, turbines, gates, compressors, motors, hoists, and hydraulic cylinders. The work also involves welding, operating cranes to handle heavy loads, and operating potable water and sewage treatment plants. Management may select at Trainee II, III, or IV grade levels, with noncompetitive promotion potential to the target grade of Power Plant Mechanic.

Appointment may require a favorable suitability or fitness determination following a background investigation. This is a mandatory drug and alcohol testing-designated position. A pre-employment physical examination and annual examinations are required, as are ongoing occupational health requirements. The position has a one-year probationary period, requires direct deposit, and is not eligible for telework. PCS allowances and a relocation or recruitment incentive may be authorized if applicable and in the Government's interest. The job description notes that a comprehensive federal benefits package is available, with eligibility dependent on position type.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship; proof of citizenship is required.
• Demonstrate sufficient knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the work without more than normal supervision; there is no specific required length of training or experience.
• Trainee II-level qualifications include ability to perform common preventive maintenance, cut, fit, and thread piping, operate common mechanic shop tools, weld, learn trade theory, and follow directions under supervision.
• Trainee III-level qualifications include apprentice-level trade work, limited diagnostic checks and repairs, scheduled repairs and overhauls, piping work, use of mechanic shop tools, welding, blueprint reading, and work under general supervision with occasional inspection.
• Trainee IV-level qualifications include complex diagnostic checks and repairs, modification, installation, fabrication, and overhaul of power plant equipment; welding; interpreting complex blueprints and specifications; and operating a bridge or gantry crane with a high degree of independence.
• Pass a pre-employment physical examination and annual examinations to verify the required physical health and fitness for duty.
• Participate in the mandatory Drug and Alcohol Testing Program.
• Meet physical and sensory requirements, including extensive walking, standing, climbing, stooping, bending, kneeling, crawling, frequent lifting and carrying of tools and supplies weighing up to and over 45 pounds, and applying up to 75 pounds of pulling or turning force.
• Have good distance vision in each eye, be able to read fine calibrations, distinguish basic colors, and hear conversational voice with or without a hearing aid.
• Wear required safety equipment and protective clothing and maintain occupational health requirements, including pulmonary capacity and routine medical examinations.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• Complete a one-year probationary period; continued employment requires written certification that it advances the public interest.
• Direct deposit of pay is required.

Responsibilities

• Perform scheduled and emergency repairs and overhauls on pumps, compressors, fans, gear boxes, valves, hydraulic cylinders, heat exchangers, hoisting equipment, and other mechanical equipment.
• Inspect, test, adjust, and perform preventive maintenance on mechanical equipment and systems.
• Select and use hand-operated and air-operated tools to disassemble and assemble equipment.
• Perform electric and oxyacetylene welding on pipe, structural steel, sheet metal, and hydraulic turbine runners.
• Modify existing equipment and install new equipment.
• Operate potable water and sewage treatment plants.
• Rig heavy loads and operate bridge and gantry cranes as needed.
• Perform diagnostic checks and repairs on mechanical equipment, with duties varying by trainee level.
• Read and interpret blueprints and specifications, with more complex work expected at higher trainee levels.
• Work from an aerial bucket truck on deenergized circuits.

Benefits

• A comprehensive federal employee benefits package is available; eligibility depends on position type.
• Permanent Change of Station allowances may be authorized, subject to the Joint Travel Regulations and an agency determination that the move is in the Government's interest.
• A relocation or recruitment incentive may be authorized if it is in the best interest of the government.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed