Insulator

Summary As the Insulator the incumbent will serve in the In-House Construction Section located at the Oklahoma City VA Health Care System, Facilities Management Service Line. This position will perform duties of as a Insulator/pipefitter/plumber at a journeyman level with minimal supervision, installation, maintenance and repair of all types of insulating materials required to cover all areas assigned at the VAHCS. Duties Major duties of this position include but are not limited to,

• Responsible for any removal in accordance with all applicable local, state and federal regulations.
• Communicate by reading blueprints, drawings, sketches, specifications and project plans.
• Maintains the installing, modifying, and repairing systems by setting up system routes, placing and cutting route openings, placing hangers for proper pitch and elevation, and determining and installing such things as risers, flexible branches, expansion joints, gauges, and pressure regulators in the combination needed to support the pressures of systems.
• Communicate and interpreted blueprints, schematics and sketches of various equipment.
• Compile building plans, blueprints, and sketches to plan and layout the routing, placement, pitch, elevation, pressure reduction, expansion, and operation of various systems.
• Communicate and Interpreted vendor's material catalogs to expedite acquisition of materials, and tools necessary to maintain stock and work in progress.
• Develop patterns and lay out, cut, form, join, assemble, and install all types of insulating materials on water pipes, steam pipes, heaters, refrigeration units, boilers, air ducts, and evaporators on a variety of surfaces or enclosures having straight, curved and irregular curves and planes.
• Responsible for plans, lays out insulation, to determine what materials were needed to achieve desired results and submits material orders to supervisors.
• Handles the evaluation and estimated types and amount of insulation required while considering size, shape, temperature, accessibility, environment and physical appearance requirements of system to be insulated.
• Utilizes all tools, materials and equipment common to the trade at the journeyman level.
• Operate at the journeyman level with skills and knowledge for the installation, maintenance and repaired all types of insulating materials required.
• Responsible for using the tools and equipment required to cover a vast array of steam pipes, water pipes, hot water heaters, heat exchangers, boilers, refrigeration units and air ducts in a large hospital complex.
• Responsible for insulating materials such as fiberglass (preformed and rolled) and powder insulating materials to cover low- and high-pressure steam lines, chill water pipes hot and cold-water lines, underground pipes and large water tanks to reduce heat loss and to prevent moisture condensation.
• Planes and performed work involving removal and installation of a variety of insulating materials on air ducts, heaters, generators, pumps, piping, evaporators, refrigeration units, and boilers.
• Repair damaged insulation and upgrades existing insulation for increased performance; and measured, cuts, trims, and fits insulating materials on regular shaped surfaces of pipes, tanks, boilers, ducts, and other structures.
• Handled materials and parts weighing over 45 pounds.
• Secured safety by wearing respiratory safety devices and other protective apparel which may be restrictive and uncomfortable.
• Responsible for following safety guidelines and practices in performing trades related work.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:00am - 3:30pm

Position Description Title/PD#: Insulator/PD120560

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/06/2026.

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:

• Ability to Do the Work of the Position without More Than Normal Supervision
• Ability to Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. (Includes Blueprint Reading)
• Ability to Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment
• Dexterity and Safety
• Knowledge of Materials
• Measurement and Layout
• Technical Practices (Theoretical, Precise, Artistic)

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: Insulators/pipefitters frequently handles materials and parts weighting over 45 pounds. They are required to pull, push, reach, walk, stand, crawl, kneel, bend and climb for sustained periods of time. Physical effort is sometimes strenuous and is typical of insulator/mason-plasterer trades.

Working Conditions: Working in both trades is performed inside and outside. May be exposed to extreme heat or cold while working. Also required to perform work of both trades in noisy, damp, or dirty area. Frequently required to work from scaffolds and ladders exposing incumbent to danger of strains and falls. Incumbent is subject to burns, cuts, abrasions and falls. The work also includes installation and removal of insulating materials which frequently creates airborne dust particles which require wearing respiratory safety devices or other protective apparel which may be restrictive and uncomfortable. Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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 you will be evaluated IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.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 11/06/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13098634.

• 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/.Other information 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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.

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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.