Agricultural Research Service Logo
Position Title
Maintenance Mechanic
Agency
Agricultural Research Service
Announcement Number
ARS-S24Y-12487873-RG Opens in new window
Open Period
Wednesday, July 31, 2024 to Tuesday, August 20, 2024
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING ELIGIBILITY QUESTIONS CAREFULLY. Your answers will be used to determine your eligibility to apply to this job opportunity announcement. You will be considered under the eligibility option(s) to which you answer YES. Select YES to all eligibility options for which you want to be considered. If you respond NO to meeting the criteria for all the eligibilities, you will not be considered for those eligibilities.

NOTE: You must submit the required supporting documentation to receive consideration for EACH selected eligibility. Failure to provide the required documents will result in an ineligible rating and your application will be excluded from consideration.
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1. Do you claim Veterans’ Preference? (limit characters)
2.
Are you a current USDA employee who meets the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee, in which received official notice that your job is no longer needed or that you will lose your job by Reduction-in-Force (RIF)? If yes, confirm:

• you are located in the same local commuting area as the vacancy;  AND,
• you are applying to a position that is at or below the grade level of the position from which you will be separated; AND,
• you are applying to a position that does not have greater promotion potential than the position from which you will be separated; AND,
• your last performance rating of record is at least fully successful or the equivalent.

For more information, review the USAJOBS Help Center.
 
 
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3.
Are you a current or former federal employee displaced from a position in a Federal agency other than USDA? If yes, confirm:

• you are located in the same local commuting area as the vacancy;  AND,
• you are applying to a position that is at or below the grade level of the position from which you were or will be separated; AND,
• you are applying to a position that does not have greater promotion potential than the position from which you were or will be separated; AND,
• your last performance rating of record is at least fully successful or the equivalent.

 For more information, review the USAJOBS Help Center.
 
 
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4. Have you registered for reemployment consideration AND meet one of the below: 

• Are you a current or former competitive service USDA employee who will be or was separated by Reduction-In-Force (RIF) and received a rating of satisfactory or above as your last annual performance rating? 
OR 
• Are you a former USDA competitive service employee who separated due to a compensable injury or disability?
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Assessment 1
Your responses to the questions below will be used in the evaluation of your qualifications for this position. Your resume and application materials must support the level of experience and/or education you claim in this questionnaire. If, after a complete review of your application package, a determination is made that you have overstated your qualifications, you may be rated ineligible for this position. (limit characters)
1. Which of the following best describes your ability to do the work of the position without more than normal supervision?
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Select the one statement that most accurately describes your training and experience carrying out each task using the scale provided. (limit characters)
2. Services and maintains greenhouse electrical intake and exhaust fans, air conditioning/heat pump window units, central air conditioning/heating systems, temperature control chambers and walk-in coolers environmental growth chambers and incubators, hot water boiler systems and several smaller heating and cooling systems in the greenhouses.
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3. Services and maintains laboratory AC/heating systems and equipment, refrigeration condensing units, boilers, compressors and all associated controls regulated by electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic systems.
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4. Serves as the on-site electrician in installing electrical services and running complete wiring systems or branch circuits, usually with a wiring system of 120/208/230/440 volt, single or three phase.
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5. Maintains all plumbing in and around the buildings and installs all of the necessary fittings for all bathroom and laboratory fixtures such as sinks, urinals water closets. Replaces pipes, fittings, valves, traps, faucets, mixing valves, cleans traps and sewer lines, as necessary.
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6. Designs and oversees installation of irrigation systems and maintains irrigation wells and supply lines to research plots to maintain functional order.
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7. Installs laboratory base molds, builds temporary walls along with the doors and windows required for construction, and performs interior and exterior painting to complete construction or carpentry tasks.
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8. Conducts tests and inspections to pinpoint specific trouble and makes necessary repairs to faulty AC/heating equipment, refrigeration equipment or systems.
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9. Performs minor carpentry tasks and makes repairs in and around the buildings and grounds as needed.
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10. Makes visual and instrument checks and calibrations for proper equipment operation.
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11. Checks various refrigerant circuits for proper coolant charges utilizing refrigeration service gauges and inspects entire refrigerant circuits for leaks, utilizing electronic or halide torch leak detectors. Repairs leaks in refrigerant circuits.
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12. Ensures all electrical service work complies with National Electric code.
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13. Performs the piping of the laboratories, utilizing blueprints and drawings with all waste lines and vents, hot/cold water, gas, air and vacuum lines depicted.
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14. Constructs experimental equipment using general lines of building materials following sketches, drawings, and blueprints.
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15. Fabricates and modifies pieces of heavy equipment and farm equipment in order to adapt them to various research needs.
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16. Repairs and replaces any malfunctioning units including air compressor units, motors, pumps, thermostats, electrical controls, pneumatic controls and valves, refrigeration compressors and related hardware.
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17. Troubleshoots and makes repairs within the facilities on laboratory equipment and appliances (such as mixers, sterilizers, distillation systems, autoclaves, transformers, ovens, power stets, garbage disposals, etc.) and installs and repairs complex security devices.
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18. Operate maintenance shop equipment such as lathes, drill presses, milling machines, electric and acetylene welding equipment, autoclave equipment and grinders.
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19. Performs welding on a wide variety of metals for repairing, modifying and building of standard and specialized equipment.
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20. Makes minor or major repairs on trucks and vans, automobiles, gasoline and/or diesel farm tractors, hedging machines, a wide variety of orchard and construction-type equipment.
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21. Troubleshoots and repairs complex instrumentation such as environmental chambers and other research tools.
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22. Serves as on-site Agency representative for construction or renovation projects (COR).
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23. Screens excess federal property for items useful for the location's needs and occasionally machines specialty parts for equipment.
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24. Coordinates annual inspections required on government vehicles and signs the completed Vehicle Inspection Reports.
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25. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, all of the information included in this questionnaire is true, correct, and provided in good faith. I understand that if I make an intentional false statement, or commit deception or fraud in this application and its supporting materials, or in any document or interview associated with the examination process, I may be fined or imprisoned (18 U.S.C. 1001); my eligibilities may be cancelled, I may be denied an appointment, or I may be removed and debarred from Federal service (5 C.F.R. part 731). I understand that any information I give may be investigated. I understand that responding "No" to this item will result in my not being considered for this position.
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