Plumber

In this position you will work as a member of the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center (MWEOC), Logistics Division, Hospitality Services Branch. MWEOC is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, approximately 60 miles west of Washington, DC. MWEOC is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, approximately 60 miles west of Washington, DC. The ideal candidate for this position will have plumbing skills and abilities in commercial and/or industrial plumbing work.

No Educational Substitution: There is no educational substitution for this position, and you must meet the qualifications listed in the “requirements” section of this announcement.

All MWEOC staff have emergency assignments and are considered deployed in place. Exercises and activations are planned and unplanned, and may require long hours, nights, weekends and holidays.

All MWEOC employees are: (1) required to use a government-issued electronic device (to include cellular phones); (2) subject to recall during emergency situations; and (3) required to perform work in locations both above and below ground.

What will I do in this position if hired?

In this position, you will serve as a Plumber Worker responsible for making repairs on piping, supply, and disposal systems, as well as assisting higher graded plumbers in the troubleshooting, installation, repair, and maintenance of more complex plumbing equipment, fixtures, pipefitting, and repair of pumps and valves.

Typical assignments include:

• The installation, maintenance, and repair of all piping systems.
• The installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair of plumbing fixtures, faucets, tubs, showers, toilets, and other similar items.
• The installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair of a wide variety of pumps, valves, heat exchangers, expansion tanks, and other related equipment.

What else do I need to know?

At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters, and every employee at FEMA has a role in emergency management. Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee’s official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.

Promotion Potential: Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval.

The qualification requirements listed below must be met within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standard. Although a specific length of time and experience is not required for most trade and labor occupations, you must meet any screen-out element listed, and show through experience and training that you possess the quality level of knowledge and skill necessary to perform the duties of the position at the level for which you are applying. Qualification requirements emphasis is on the quality of experience, not necessarily the length of time.

Working Conditions: The work is done inside and outside, and is usually dirty, dusty, and greasy. The plumbing workers are sometimes required to make repairs and installations outside in bad weather. The plumbing workers occasionally make repairs in areas where bad smelling fumes are present. The plumbing workers have occasional exposure to the possibility of broken bones. The employees also have frequent exposure to the possibility of scrapes, burns, and infections.

Physical Effort: The plumbing workers make repairs and installations from ladders, scaffolding, and platforms, and where the parts of systems worked on being in hard-to-reach places. This requires the employees to stand, stoop, bend, kneel, climb, and work in tiring and uncomfortable positions. The plumbing workers frequently lift, carry, and set up parts and equipment that weigh up to 18 kilograms (40 pounds).

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, religious, 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: Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume. For a brief video on How to Create a Federal Resume, click here.

Current or former FEMA Reservists/Disaster Assistance Employee (DAE): To accurately credit your experience for these intermittent positions, make sure to list the dates (from MM/YY to MM/YY) of each deployment, along with the job title and specific duties you were responsible for during each deployment. Failure to provide this information may result in disqualification.