Mason

Summary

This position serves as the Mason (Carpentry) for the Facilities Management Service (FMS) at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System (VAAAHS) under the supervision of the Carpenter Supervisor. The incumbent is required to work independently or with little or no supervision and resolve problems associated with the work of the office.

Duties

• MAJOR DUTIES Masonry: 100%The position has primary duties in the maintenance and repair of grounds, exterior structures, buildings, and related fixtures, requiring comprehensive knowledge of all masonry materials/terminology and possesses the skill to use them efficiently. Typical work assignments include laying common and face brick, firebrick, cinder and cement block, glass block, terra cotta, and various artificial and natural stone in constructing and repairing items such as walls, walks, chimneys, fireplaces, manholes, boilers, and catch basins. In addition, they apply base, intermediate and finish coats of plaster over metal lath, wallboard, and masonry surfaces. This includes repairs to existing plastered or stucco surfaces interior and exterior. They must also be able to perform a variety of complex brickwork such as circular smokestacks in addition to laying whole brick in straight, horizontal rows. FACTOR LEVELS Factor 1, Skill and Knowledge: Incumbent must be a journeyman mason with rough carpenter skills. Must have comprehensive knowledge of all masonry materials/terminology and possess the skill to use them efficiently. Must be familiar with properties and able to select and mix proper portions of masonry materials to obtain desired consistency. Master level skill in cutting and shaping brick, block, and stone in constructing and repairing window, door openings and corners. Must be able to solve complex arithmetic problems, figure angles, and layout for joint cuts. The incumbent must have the skill necessary to cut and shape brick to complete corners. This will enable them to construct windowsills, lintels, and arches capable of supporting the walls above the openings. Doing this will ensure that courses are laid evenly and that completed work blends with existing brickwork. Must be familiar and able to use all masonry tools trowel, gauge line, spirit, and laser levels, plumb bob, electric/air-hammers, grinders, drills, gas and electric saws, brick and napping hammers, ax, pick and shovels. Incumbent must have ability to make repairs on existing plaster, brick, stone, ceramic, block surfaces in a manner consistent and blending with adjoining areas and brick or skill saw in cutting and shaping brick and axe, pick, chisel, and hammer in cutting or shaping stone. Must be able to interpret blueprints and sketches to lay out jobs and obtain material lists. Incumbent's comprehensive knowledge and masonry skills shall be such that incumbent is highly proficient in the techniques and procedures of brick, block, and stonework construction. Must be able to accurately line up courses horizontally and vertically, assuring match to existing. Must stay up on new innovations, ideas, equipment, and methods through own initiative from classes, trade journals and observations. Additionally, they must be able to cut, shape, and finish stone. Must be proficient in the use of anchor systems in masonry. Factor 2, Responsibility The mason is responsible for the layout and installation of metal/wood studs, wire mesh, corner beads, junction boxes, plaster grounds, access hatches, etc. to complete assigned tasks. Incumbent is responsible for all concrete flat work, walls, and pits. Mason does layout, fabricates/installs forms, pours, grades, and finishes concrete. Mason is responsible for the layout and installation of tiles {ceramic, mosaic, glazed, porcelain terrazzo and quarry}. Incumbent selects and mixes various masonry materials such as mortar, gypsum, lime, gauging, cement, additives, and plasters. Incumbent repairs and installs all stone coping, lintels, and sills. This involves the maintenance and repair, alteration, and construction of all interior/exterior brick, block, stone, ceramic and cement surfaces. The finished work may be spot-checked for adequacy and adherence to accepted trade practices. Employee works from oral instructions, blueprints, work orders and rough sketches. Incumbent plans and lays out work in the appropriate methods in a state-of-the-art fashion. Work includes common, face, and firebrick, cinder, cement, and glass block, terra cotta, natural and artificial stone. Installs and repairs doors and frames, windows and screens, carts, modular free standing furnishings, shelves, cabinets, cupboards, racks, and all associated hardware. They hang pictures, bulletin boards, signs, cover plates and other miscellaneous wall items. Repairs/replaces and/or installs lay-in ceilings. Repairs and/or replaces roofs of all types: built-up, shingle, roll and rubber; this includes repairs of all roof accessories such as Kant, boots, drip edge, gutters, down spouts, pads and supports. Mounts equipment (stationery and movable) to walls, ceilings and floors using appropriate anchors. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Not Available Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not Available Position Description Title/PD#: Mason/PD939780 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/16/2026. 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. 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: 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/Working Conditions: Factor 3, Physical Effort Much of the work requires physical strain from grasping, lifting, and carrying different sizes and weights of blocks, bricks, tools and building materials. The incumbent works from ladders and scaffolds. Much of the work is performed in tiring positions such as standing, stooping, kneeling, etc., as well as crawling through sub-basement and overhead crawl spaces. Overtime emergencies may be necessary after a full eight-hour day. Mason is frequently required to perform heavy lifting carrying mortar cement and sand. Overtime for emergencies may be necessary after a full eight-hour day. Mason is frequently required to perform heavy lifting carrying mortar cement and sand. Factor 4, Working Conditions The work is frequently dusty and hard on clothes. The incumbent is subject to physical injury from lifting and carrying heavy objects. There is danger of cuts and bruises from braking and cutting bricks, nailing, and sawing lumber, cutting, and installing glass and danger of falls from ladder and scaffolds. Work may be required in hot, cold, humid, and wet weather conditions both inside and outside. Incumbent is subject to possibility of electrical shocks and burns. Also exposed to dust and dirt while mixing mortar and while handling various masonry materials.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. 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 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 09/16/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13051566. 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/