Utility Systems Repairer - Operator

Full Job Description

In this position you will work as a member of the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center (MWEOC), Facilities Management, Operations Branch and Control Room team.

MWEOC is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, approximately 60 miles west of Washington, DC.

The ideal candidate for this position will have experience with operation and monitoring of industrial equipment such as electrical switchgear, large commercial chillers, and power control systems.

The qualification requirements listed below must be met within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standard.

Although a specific length of time and experience is not required for most trade and labor occupations, you must meet any screen-out element listed and show through experience and training that you possess the quality level of knowledge and skill necessary to perform the duties of the position at the level for which you are applying.

Qualification requirements emphasis is on the quality of experience, not necessarily the length of time.

Working Conditions: The work is usually performed indoors on concrete surfaces where there is exposure to dust, dirt, chemicals, heat, dampness, noise, and unpleasant odors.

Incumbent also services equipment outdoors under adverse weather conditions.

They are continually exposed to the potential for burns, electrical shocks, cuts, strains, bruises, and chemical irritations.

To reduce dangers from these and other similar conditions, they follow prescribed safety practices and use safety equipment such as safety glasses, hard-toe shoes, respirators, hardhats, and fire-retardant gloves.

Uncomfortable face masks and protective clothing may be occasionally worn when there is a possibility of exposure to toxic refrigerants.

Mechanics are subject to large amounts of escaping gases when making emergency repairs.

Exposure to repeated, prolonged or concentrated amounts of refrigerant gases may cause toxic effects to eyes, skin, and internal organs.

Physical Effort: ???????Prolonged physical effort is not routine. Operators occasionally lift objects weighing up to 23 kilograms (50 pounds).

Lifting equipment, such as chain hoists, is available to move heavier objects. Some standing, stooping, bending, and work on ladders (occasionally over operating equipment) is required.???????

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, religious, 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: Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience.

In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time.

As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification.

Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume. For a brief video on How to Create a Federal Resume, click here.

Current or former FEMA Reservists/Disaster Assistance Employee (DAE): To accurately credit your experience for these intermittent positions, make sure to list the dates (from MM/YY to MM/YY) of each deployment, along with the job title and specific duties you were responsible for during each deployment.

Failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Major Duties:

All MWEOC staff have emergency assignments and are considered deployed in place. Exercises and activations are planned and unplanned, and may require long hours, nights, weekends and holidays. All MWEOC employees are:

required to use a government-issued electronic device (to include cellular phones);

subject to recall during emergency situations; and

required to perform work in locations both above and below ground. What will I do in this position if hired?

In this position, you will serve as a Utility Systems Repairer-Operator responsible for monitoring, operating, and repairing site utility systems.

Typical assignments include: Monitoring a variety of systems using computer monitoring systems at a large, complex facility.

Systems include electric power generation and distribution; uninterrupted power supplies; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; lighting and environmental building controls; drinking water plant and distribution; and waste-water treatment plant.

Monitoring alarms, diagnoses, and troubleshoots equipment alarms and malfunctions, takes corrective actions to address issues on remote equipment.

Monitoring and controlling the site primary electrical distribution system connecting numerous substations and switching stations, presenting many alternate routing possibilities, including commercial power and diesel back up power generating plant.

Operating a large, centralized, multiple zone system, and monitoring and operating multiple smaller independent systems, check temperature sensing points in the buildings, adjust controls, start, regulate, stop air handling equipment, and reset temperature controls and humidity controls.

Recognizing the cause of faulty equipment and making repairs on large systems that provide for a variety of air conditioning functions such as heating, cooling, humidifying, dehumidifying, cleaning, filtering, and circulating.

What else do I need to know? At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters, and every employee at FEMA has a role in emergency management.

Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites.

All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description.

Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.

Promotion Potential: Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval.