Boiler Plant Operator
What you'd do
This position is assigned to the Facility Management Service within the Western NY Healthcare System VA located at the Buffalo site. The Boiler Plant operator will work along with the Utility Systems Operator supervisor and higher grade plant operators to perform the work operations of the boiler plant and all associated support equipment.
Major duties
The Boiler Plant Operator utilizes manual and automatic controls to operate multiple utility systems on a continuing basis in accordance with State and Federal regulations and will function as a critical and integral part of the safe and efficient operation of the boiler plant and associated energy systems. Duties include but are not limited to: Oversee the areas of operations, maintenance, and repairs in a with minimal or no guidance from supervision. Maintaining boiler plant operations when transitioning from multiple fuel sources. Troubleshooting and adjusting plant and mechanical systems to ensure proper functioning. Maintaining repair equipment needed for routine maintenance. Reading gauges, meters, verifying steam pressure and recording maintenance data. Maintaining fuel tank levels in accordance with plant operating procedures Performing routine testing to determine proper pH balance, heavy metals and hazardous chemicals. Performing efficient and economical generation of steam producing systems. Performing operational repairs of limited to moderate complexity. Following instructions as provided by diagrams, drawings and operating manuals. Receiving fuel oil from tractor trailers and other suppliers while following all safety regulations Making judgments and decisions based on supervisory guidance and protocol. Maintaining boiler plant operations when transitioning from multiple fuel sources. Work from heights, confined spaces, tight spaces, from ladders and manlifts. Performs all other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 0600 - 1800;1800-0600 four (4) week nights ; four (4) weeks day Position Description Title/PD#: Boiler Plant Operator/PD09359A Physical Requirements/Working Conditions: The position requires a considerable amount of standing, stooping, bending, kneeling, climbing, lifting and working in tiring and/or uncomfortable positions. The person in this position may work from ladders and scaffolding. When operating equipment, the worker may be under a great deal of strain from constant reaching, bending, turning, and moving of hands, arms, feet, legs, and by the vibration and jerking of the equipment. The worker carries, lifts, and handles parts and equipment weighing up to 90 pounds. The work is performed inside and outside with exposure to all kinds of weather. The work area may be dirty, wet, dusty, and greasy, with inadequate lighting, heat, or ventilation. The worker is subject to cuts, abrasions, irritation of eyes, skin and respiratory tract, and the hazards of operating power tools and equipment. Discomfort may be encountered with wearing protective clothing, gloves, or eye goggles or while working in confined areas such as crawl spaces and attics
What you need to qualify
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: Ability to Do the Work of the Position without More Than Normal Supervision Ability to Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. (Other Than Blueprint Reading) Dexterity and Safety Knowledge of Equipment Assembly, Installation, and Repair, etc. Operation of Job Family Specify Equipment, Machinery, etc. Technical Practices (Theoretical, Precise, Artistic) Use of Measuring Instruments 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. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.
Before you apply
Federal applications are different: your resume should be 3–5 pages and mirror the language of this announcement. Read our federal resume guide first — it's the #1 reason qualified people get screened out.
Don't miss the next one.
Get an email the moment a similar federal job opens — postings can close in as little as 5 days.