Boiler Plant Operator

Veterans Health Administration

Hines, IL

JobSummary

The position is located in the Boiler Plant Unit at the Edward Hines, Jr. Veteran's Hospital, Hines, IL. The primary purpose of this position is to provide steam and hot water required for sanitation, infection control and a healthful environment for the delivery of health care and operated in a safe and economical manner recognizing its importance and the potential for pressure vessel and/or furnace explosion. **Relocation/Recruitment Incentive may be authorized**

LowGrade

HighGrade

PromotionPotential

None

OrganizationCodes

VA/VATA

Relocation

False

HiringPath

public

MCOTags

TotalOpenings

AgencyMarketingStatement

TravelCode

ApplyOnlineUrl

https://apply.usastaffing.gov/Application/Apply

DetailStatusUrl

https://apply.usastaffing.gov/Application/ApplicationStatus

MajorDuties

The incumbent is responsible during their assigned tour of duty for the operation, adjustment and minor repair of four water tube combination oil and natural gas fired, high pressure steam boilers; potable water pumping and chlorinating equipment; softened water treatment, dealkalized water treatment facilities and boiler plant auxiliary equipment such as: water and oil pumps, steam turbines, air compressors, internal combustion engines, unit heaters, air handling units, hot water generator tanks, and fixed and portable gas analyzers. Each of the 4 high pressure steam boilers is rated at a steam capacity of 50,000 lbs. per hour at an operating pressure of 125 psig. Maximum steam demand conditions normally require operation of two boilers and occasionally three for generation of an average output of over 100,000 lbs. of steam per hour for an annual steam heating cycle. Maximum water demand conditions require pumping and chlorinating treatment of approximately 1,000,000 gallons of raw-water daily from outside sources, for delivery to one (1) underground and one (1) overhead storage tank. Work Schedule: Rotating shifts. Due to the mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the hospital must be manned continuously and cannot be closed. When a Federal holiday falls on a Monday or Friday, staff may be required to work on that holiday due to time constraints on projects or availability of the space. Staff will be required to work overtime on weekends, after hours on a duty day, and holidays when necessary to meet the needs of the VA mission. Occasionally, staff may be called back to the facility due to an emergency for overtime work. Position Description Title/PD#: Boiler Plant Operator/PD24172A Physical Requirements: Frequently work in confined areas in and around boilers. Requires moderate to strenuous effort and long periods of walking, standing, climbing, bending, crouching, stooping, turning, kneeling, and stretching. Frequently lift above head 25 pounds and carry boiler parts and chemical supplies weighing up to 40 pounds unassisted. Occasionally, and with assistance, carries items weighing over 40 pounds.

Education

Requirements

Evaluations

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.

HowToApply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 04/17/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12903798. 1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. 2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

WhatToExpectNext

After the vacancy announcement closes, applicants are evaluated to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email.

RequiredDocuments

Documents Accepted: Cover Letter Other (1) Resume SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Documents Required: Resume Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application. Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted. Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. 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. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary periodduring which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Benefits

BenefitsUrl

http://www.vacareers.va.gov/why-choose-va/benefits/index.asp

OtherInformation

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

KeyRequirements

WithinArea

False

CommuteDistance

ServiceType

AnnouncementClosingType

AgencyContactEmail

Amy.McCrary@va.gov

AgencyContactPhone

(708) 202-8387 X22703

SecurityClearance

Not Required