Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic Leader

Full Job Description

This position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Mid- Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Richmond VA Medical Center, organizationally aligned within Facilities Management Service, Utility Systems Section, located in Richmond, Virginia.

Serves as the leader for the Utility Systems Section, exercising technical and administrative guidance to HVAC workers.

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 Interpret Instructions, Specifications (includes blueprint reading) Lead or Supervise Technical Practices Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment 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.

Physical Requirements.

Daily duties consist of climbing, working in cramped positions and restricted places, and moving and lifting heavy objects and equipment in the repair and installation of A/C and refrigeration systems.

Equipment in the areas of work is usually larger and must be maneuvered into and out of specific locations while dismantling and reassembling.

Rigging devices, come-a-longs, hoists and pulleys are used in the removal of large compressors, coils, motors, air handlers and condensers.

Incumbent in making repairs and installation works from ladders, scaffolding and platforms.

Equipment is located in hard-to-reach places and frequently stooping, stretching, bending, and kneeling for long periods is required when making repairs. Working Conditions.

Work can be indoors; outside; on top of the tall high-rise buildings; in the interstitial spaces which have cramped areas and low overheads; and drafty attic spaces.

Incumbent is subject to varying temperature changes such as in walk-in freezers and refrigerators.

Incumbent is subject to dusty areas, cuts and bruises, electric shocks, falls from ladders or scaffolding, eye and hand injuries from power driven machines and hand tools, and to communicable diseases while working on nursing units and in laboratories.

Incumbent may be subject to escaping gases when working with refrigerants. Refrigerant use happens on a recurring basis when making repairs and upgrades.

Uncomfortable face masks and protective clothing may be worn when there is a possibility of exposure to toxic refrigerants which can happen on a recurring basis Major Duties:

Duties include but are not limited to: The work for this level Air Conditioning (A/C) Equipment Mechanic Leader involves installing, recognizing the cause of faulty equipment, and repairing, modifying and relocating equipment on various special-purpose air conditioning units and systems that are frequently modified to provide specific and critical climatic conditions in operating rooms, intensive care units, blood labs, sterile processing areas, radiology, nuclear medicine, refrigerated food spaces, laboratories (to include research wet labs, animal research, and direct clinical patient research) and other experimental or test activities and serving as a working leader over a number of employees performing as Air Conditioning Equipment/Sheet Metal Mechanic.

The A/C Equipment Mechanic Leader in the absence of the Utility Systems/Boiler Plant Leader and Supervisor, or upon assignment, is responsible for performance, coordination and verification of all functional checks and performance verification on the entirety of the boiler plant and facilities equipment throughout the approximately 2 million square foot hospital including patient care, administrative areas and interstitial space.

These systems are critical to the hospital's mission and provide support to direct patient care services including the facility's temperature management system (Temp Trak) that monitors temperature and humidity in surgical suites and procedural rooms as well as refrigerators with critical stock of blood and pharmaceuticals necessary for patient usage, supply of medical gases (air, oxygen and vacuum) to patient care areas, supply of steam to sterilizers to support sterilization of instruments for surgical procedures and air handlers that maintain the air exchanges as well as temperature and humidity appropriately to ensure safety of patients and staff, compliance with applicable regulatory bodies and mitigate risk for the potential of hospital borne diseases (maintain negative pressure etc.).

Incumbent also supports lab equipment and the data center operating infrastructure that supports the Richmond VAMC and VISN-wide servers housed therein.

The incumbent is responsible for utilizing complex test equipment to accurately diagnose various mechanical, electrical and HVAC issues with facilities equipment and performing calibrations as necessary to application VA, national and international standards.

Passes on to other workers instructions received from the Supervisor, starts work by assigning the immediate tasks to individual members of the work group.

Ensures needed plans, material, blueprints and tools are available from multiple locations and/or computer programs. Makes sure there is enough work to keep all employees busy.

Checks on work in progress, for compliance with procedures and regulations, and makes sure deadlines and schedules are met.

Answers workers questions regarding procedures, policies, written instructions and demonstrates proper work methods.

Provides information to the supervisor on the progress of work, causes of delays and the overall status of work operation and problems.

Assures all tools and equipment are used properly and safety and housekeeping rules are adhered to.

Incumbent works along with other workers-to modify and balance various elements of systems that are designed to meet a wide variety of extreme and critical conditions.

These conditions require ability to react quickly to changing situations and prioritizing tasks to keep disruption to patient care to a minimum.

The incumbent is expected to be an expert in HVAC design, maintenance, electrical control and programming.

Incumbent works along with other workers to perform control work such as checking, adjusting, and modifying pneumatic, electric and electronic control systems necessary to maintain proper control which requires sound degree of systems design in order to meet the requirements of particular installations.

Incumbent works along with other workers to maintain, install, hook up, and put into operations all types of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment and electronic and pneumatic controls for offices, conference rooms; laboratories, operating rooms, special exam rooms, etc.

Recognizes faulty equipment and is able to make necessary repairs, modifying and relocating equipment on various special purpose air conditioning and refrigeration systems that require close tolerance temperatures, humidification, and dehumidification.

While repairing the faulty equipment, the mechanic must be able to design, plan, coordinate, and fabricate and install the necessary repair items.

Position must be able to use scientific data measuring devices and use the data to make repairs and upgrades to critical building systems.

Work Schedule: Wednesday - Sunday 07:30 am - 4:00 pm Position Description Title/PD#: Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic Leader/PD027730