Utility Systems Repairer-Operator

Veterans Health Administration • Salt Lake City, UT

15h

About The Position

The Utility Systems Repairer-Operator combines the duties of a Boiler Plant Operator and a Boiler Plant Equipment Mechanic and is responsible for operating, maintaining, and repairing the facility’s boiler plant and auxiliary utility systems. The role may also carry shift-level responsibility as the Engineering Department’s operator in charge while the plant is operating nights, weekends, and holidays.

The position requires journeyman-level training and/or experience with boiler and auxiliary equipment, broad knowledge of boiler plant operations, and the ability to understand how processes and associated systems interact. The operator works independently with little to no supervision, completes duties accurately and promptly, and communicates with hospital staff and engineering trades personnel.

The work schedule varies and includes nights and weekends. The position requires a rotating shift schedule and may involve moderate to strenuous physical effort, extended periods of walking, standing, climbing, bending, and crouching, as well as occasional work on scaffolds or platforms. Workers frequently lift and carry items weighing up to 50 pounds and may move heavier items with assistance or weight-handling equipment.

Requirements

• Training or experience of sufficient scope and quality to demonstrate the ability to perform the work; no specific length of training or experience is required.
• Journeyman-level training and/or experience repairing and operating boilers and auxiliary equipment in plants of this size.
• Broad knowledge of boiler plant operations and the relationships among boiler plant processes and associated systems.
• Proficiency reading and interpreting blueprints, schematics, and diagrams.
• Analytical ability to record and interpret operating data and trends and anticipate developing issues.
• Ability to select and use appropriate hand tools, power tools, and test equipment for maintenance and repairs.
• Computer skills to navigate Siemens and Johnson Controls panels and the VistA Work Order System, and to use Microsoft Office programs.
• Ability to complete duties accurately and promptly with little to no supervision.
• Excellent customer service and communication skills when working with hospital staff and engineering trade personnel.
• Ability to perform the listed physical activities, including frequently lifting and carrying items up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to work a rotating shift schedule, including nights and weekends.
• U.S. citizenship.
• Subject to a background and suitability investigation.
• Selective Service registration required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Selected applicants must complete the required online onboarding and provide acceptable identification.
• Must complete a one-year probationary period.

Responsibilities

• Operate, maintain, and repair the facility’s boiler plant and auxiliary utility systems.
• Operate boiler plant controls in automatic and manual modes as conditions require.
• Conduct hourly equipment rounds and record readings according to facility policies and procedures.
• Maintain boiler plant logbooks and records, and provide shift turnover to the incoming operator.
• Operate and monitor graphic control systems and boiler plant metering systems.
• Test boiler water, feed water, water-softening, and condensate systems; correct out-of-specification results, including by adjusting pumps or electronic controls.
• Communicate with appropriate personnel regarding station fire alarms, disaster notifications, and other alarm systems, in accordance with medical center policy.
• Perform housekeeping functions within the boiler plant.
• Operate, as needed, propane storage tanks, air-mixing equipment, and associated metering and monitoring equipment.
• Monitor the gas detection system for potential combustible gas or carbon monoxide buildup in boiler plant, propane yard, and co-generation plant spaces.
• Ensure boilers and associated equipment are operated in accordance with manufacturer recommendations and VA Boiler Plant Operations policies.
• Serve as the shift-level operator in charge for the Engineering Department when assigned.

Benefits

• Comprehensive federal employee benefits package; specific benefits depend on position type and eligibility.
• VA may offer credit for job-related non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service when determining annual leave accrual; approval is required and not guaranteed.

What This Job Offers

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