Plumber

Summary

This position is in the Pipe Shop at the Minneapolis VA HealthCare System. The Pipe Shop is responsible for the installation, modification, repair, and maintenance of plumbing and piping systems, including water, sewage, oil, and gas distribution systems, fire suppression systems, and medical gas systems. The incumbent installs, modifies, retrofits, repairs, maintains, and ensures the proper operation of these critical systems to support the facility's infrastructure and patient care areas.

Duties

• Major duties include but are not limited to: Medical Gas Systems Maintains and repairs piped medical gas systems including oxygen, nitrous oxide, and vacuum systems. Responds to alarms, traces pressure drops, tests outlets with flow meters, and isolates faulty zones. Adjusts regulator pressures, calibrates alarm thresholds, and verifies flow rates at outlets. Coordinates with third-party vendors for annual certification and responds to deficiencies. Liquid Systems Maintains and repairs domestic and process water systems, including potable water, RO/DI systems, and sanitary waste systems. Follows emergency water supply procedures. Installs, repairs, and maintains plumbing fixtures including water closets, tubs, showers, and sinks. Addresses plumbing issues such as sewer main backups, water leaks, and fixture failures. Lubricates pump bearings, flushes mixing valves, and monitors pump operation. Inspects pressure gauges, valves, and piping for leaks, corrosion, or damage using flashlights, mirrors, and thermometers. Replaces leaking pipe sections, failed pumps, and PRVs using appropriate joining methods, pipe wrenches, soldering tools, and thread sealant. Tests repaired lines for pressure integrity, verifies pump operation, and performs backflow preventer testing. Cleans sewer mains semi-annually using high-pressure jetters or mechanical augers. Therapy pool Maintains and repairs therapy pool systems to ensure safe water quality and mechanical reliability. Cleans filters, lubricates pump bearings, and inspects chemical feed lines. Performs daily water chemistry testing for bromine, pH, and alkalinity; inspects motors, valves, and adjustable pool floor. Verifies pump and lift operation and maintains inspection logs for compliance with health and safety standards. Irrigation Systems Installs, maintains and repairs below ground watering systems to include sprinklers and drip lines to ensure efficient water distribution for lawns and landscapes. Performs system startups, seasonable adjustments, troubleshooting malfunctions and programs controllers. Fire Suppression Systems Maintains and repairs fire suppression systems in accordance with NFPA 25 and VA safety standards. Replaces sprinkler heads, valves, flow switches, and pipe sections using pipe wrenches and sealant. Adjusts pump pressure switches and calibrates alarm thresholds. Performs weekly/monthly fire pump tests, annual hydrant flushing, and alarm/flow switch verification. Documents all testing and maintenance activities; coordinates with contractors for annual NFPA inspections and 5-year internal pipe inspections. General Maintenance Coordinates with contractors for large-scale projects. Ensures compliance with building codes and safety standards. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm Position Description Title/PD#: Plumber/PD618-60860A Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/08/2026. 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. Preferred Experience: 1. General plumbing experience 2. Able to estimate materials needed for job 3. Able to solder copper pipe. 4. Troubleshoot and repair domestic hot and cold water systems 5. Interpret blueprints 6. Experience working with fire suppression systems 7. Experience working on medical gas systems 8. Experience working on compressed building air systems 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) Measurement and Layout Technical Practices Troubleshooting Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment Without more than normal supervision 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: Lifts and carries materials and equipment weighing up to 50 pounds, occasionally weighing up to 100 pounds. Bends, kneels, crouches, and stands for extended periods. Uses hand and power tools requiring coordination and manual dexterity. Works in confined spaces and performs tasks that involve considerable physical effort. You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. Working Conditions: Works in mechanical rooms, patient care areas, and outdoors, exposed to varying temperatures and weather conditions. Subject to noise, fumes, and vibrations from tools and equipment. Works in potentially hazardous environments, requiring adherence to safety protocols and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, safety glasses, and hearing protection. Occasionally encounters biological and chemical hazards and follows stringent hygiene and safety practices.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Subject to background/security investigation Pre-employment physical required Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during 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 or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

How to apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/08/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13049270. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. 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. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. 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. If initial application submission is updated and resubmitted with a new resume, only the most current resume will be reviewed for consideration. 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. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/ Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified, you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.