Utility Systems Repairer - Operator

Veterans Health Administration•Kansas City, MO

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This position serves as a Utility Systems Repairer Operator at the Boiler Plant within the Engineering Service at the Kansas City VAMC in Kansas City, Missouri. The operator maintains safe and efficient utility service by operating and maintaining high-pressure boilers, chillers, HVAC/R equipment, and electronic controls. The work supports critical clinical, laboratory, and life-safety environments and includes troubleshooting, repairs, preventive maintenance, emergency response, and daily system monitoring. The role involves operating centralized chilled-water systems and high-pressure steam boilers, monitoring plant systems through energy management and BAS/SCADA platforms, maintaining environmental controls for critical spaces, and diagnosing and repairing industrial control systems. The operator performs scheduled maintenance and system testing, maintains operating and maintenance records, and ensures compliance with applicable safety, environmental, VA, NFPA, ASHRAE, and Joint Commission requirements. The position requires shift work to support 24/7 boiler plant operations. Tours of duty may include days, evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays. The operator may work independently as a lead operator, respond to emergency utility calls, make operational decisions, and coordinate corrective actions with other personnel. The position is located at the Kansas City VAMC in Kansas City, Missouri.

Requirements

Demonstrated training or experience of sufficient scope and quality to show the ability to perform the work; no specific length of training or experience is required.
Provide detailed descriptions of relevant duties and responsibilities in the resume to support claimed knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Meet the position's screen-out element and demonstrate relevant qualifications in equipment assembly, installation, repair, inspection, interpreting instructions and specifications (including blueprint reading), and technical practices without more than normal supervision.
Be a U.S. citizen.
Complete a background/suitability investigation; designated or random drug testing may be required.
Register for Selective Service if a male born after December 31, 1959.
Submit a complete application package, including resume and transcripts as applicable, and complete online onboarding if selected.
Serve a one-year probationary period.
Work shift schedules that may include days, evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays to support 24/7 boiler plant operations.

Responsibilities

Operate, maintain, and troubleshoot centralized chilled-water systems, including chillers, pumps, cooling towers, and chemical treatment systems.
Monitor and control steam and chilled-water systems using Schneider Electric Facilities Energy Management System and BAS/SCADA platforms.
Regulate temperature and humidity in critical spaces, including operating rooms, laboratories, intensive care units, IT areas, and research areas.
Perform field repairs, isolate defective equipment, and take corrective action during abnormal or alarm conditions.
Conduct daily water and condenser-water analyses and adjust chemical concentrations.
Inspect, lubricate, adjust, and repair air handlers, fans, motors, valves, strainers, belts, coils, ductwork, dampers, and HVAC/R components.
Operate high-pressure steam boilers and associated fuel systems, feedwater equipment, condensate systems, and auxiliary components.
Perform combustion analysis, adjust fuel-air ratios, regulate pressure systems, and comply with applicable safety, environmental, NFPA, and ASHRAE standards.
Troubleshoot burners, safety devices, regulators, flue gas recirculation systems, steam traps, expansion joints, and condensate return systems.
Execute emergency shutdowns and startups, respond to fuel supply interruptions, power outages, and equipment failures, and support continuous plant operations.
Maintain, repair, and calibrate electronic control systems for boilers, chillers, feedwater systems, fuel delivery systems, and auxiliary equipment.
Diagnose faults in analog and digital circuits using oscilloscopes, multimeters, signal generators, and software diagnostic tools.
Interpret and update P&IDs, wiring diagrams, schematics, and technical manuals to support troubleshooting and repairs.
Develop and implement custom control logic for PLC/DDC systems and integrate legacy equipment with modern BAS platforms.
Perform scheduled preventive maintenance on boilers, chillers, pumps, motors, refrigeration units, air handlers, water treatment systems, VFDs, exhaust systems, and distribution loops.
Collect and analyze water samples from boilers, condensate tanks, deaerators, and softeners; adjust chemical feed rates and perform blow-down procedures.
Repair and replace piping, steam traps, valves, gauges, pump motors, and related components.
Maintain accurate operating logs detailing steam generation, boiler pressures, temperatures, fuel consumption, and system performance.
Work without supervision on assigned shifts and act as lead operator ensuring safe operation of plant systems.
Respond to emergency trouble calls for Medical Center utilities and coordinate corrective actions, including calling in off-duty personnel when necessary.
Make operational decisions such as boiler shutdowns and startups, load transfers, and system bypassing to maintain Medical Center operations.
Ensure work complies with VA standards, NFPA codes, ASHRAE guidelines, environmental regulations, and Joint Commission requirements.
Maintain records in CMMS systems such as Maximo/TMA and prepare documentation for audits and inspections.
Collaborate with engineers, contractors, and maintenance personnel on upgrades, retrofits, commissioning, and SOP revisions.