Plant Utilities Engineer 1

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

As a Plant Utilities Engineer 1, on an assigned shift, you would operate, maintain, troubleshoot, repair, test, calibrate, mechanical and electrical equipment providing heat, hot water, ventilation, air conditioning, electrical distribution, fire alarm and sprinkler systems in a safe and efficient manner in campus or residential settings.

• Operate steam and hot water boilers including lighting off, firing, cleaning and shutting down systems
• Operate central and auxiliary computers which monitor, test, control and operate boilers, auxiliary equipment and HVAC systems.
• Service and maintain residential heating and air conditioning equipment.
• Conduct boiler, HVAC, and water systems testing, analyzing results and adding chemicals to maintain proper residuals in boiler and piping systems.
• Operate large central absorption, centrifugal, screw driven and hermetic chiller systems and other refrigeration equipment. Duties include starting, regulating and troubleshooting to maintain proper temperature.
• Will be required to perform operations and maintenance within an asbestos environment and/or supervise any asbestos removal project being carried out by other employees or private contractors.
• Handle various types of hazardous materials, such as refrigerants, Freon, gas, fuel oil, solvents, antifreeze, biocides, nitrates, ethanol, acids, caustic soda, regulated waste and refuse.
• Respond to incidents having potential environmental impact and/or safety concerns, such as chemical spills, oil spills and blowouts and may be called upon to implement evacuation plans in emergency situations
• Work in confined space situations using personal protective equipment and supervise others working in confined space using personal protective equipment
• May requires daily travel within the district, as well as some travel within NY State to assist other districts with special projects
• Certified training in Asbestos Operation and Maintenance will be required within 90 days of appointment.
• Other duties as assigned.

#LI-NB1

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Minimum Qualifications

Either

• Graduate of heating, HVAC, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration apprenticeship program from the U.S. Air Force;

Or

• Must have been an enlisted machinery technician (MK) with the U.S. Coast Guard OR possession of a certificate as a Marine Engineer issued by the U.S. Coast Guard;

Or

• Must have been an enlisted power generation equipment repairer with the U.S. Army;

Or

• Must have been an enlisted gas turbine systems technician, submarine nuclear propulsion plant operator reactor control, utilities man, machinist mate, or engineman with the U.S. Navy;

Or

• Must have a Merchant Mariner’s Document (MMD) and have been a qualified member of the engine department (QMED) as an oiler, fireman/water tender, refrigerating engineer or engineman with the U.S. Merchant Marine;

Or

• Completion of a New York State Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program for stationary engineers, plant maintenance (plumber/steamfitter), HVAC Mechanic or plant maintenance (refrigeration/AC) (See Note #1);

Or

• Possession of a High-Pressure Boiler Operating Engineer License or Stationary Engineer License;

Or

• A bachelor’s degree in Facilities Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Marine Engineering;

Or

• Four years of full-time hands on experience in the maintenance and operation of commercial, industrial, institutional facility, computer applications of digital energy platforms and building analytics and/or performing diagnosis, repair of HVAC systems or boilers or auxiliary equipment;

Or

• Four years of full-time hands on experience in a residential setting performing diagnosis, operation, maintenance repair of HVAC systems or boilers or auxiliary equipment;

Or

• An associate’s degree in HVAC AND two years of qualifying experience as described in EITHER qualification #9 or #10 above;

Or

• Completion of an HVAC certificate or diploma from a BOCES program (900 hours) OR completion of an approved certificate in HVAC, electrical, refrigeration, boiler operations and maintenance, or plumbing from an accredited technical school or technology college (See Note #2) AND two years of qualifying experience as described in EITHER qualification #9 or #10 above.

** Certification programs must be accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) or recognized by the New York State Education Department Bureau of Proprietary School Supervision (BPSS). Information on ACCSC accredited programs can be found here: http://www.accsc.org/. Information on BPSS recognized proprietary schools can be found here: http://www.acces.nysed.gov/bpss/welcome-career-training-proprietary-schools.

Transfer: Candidates must have one year of permanent competitive or 55-b/c status in the posted title and be eligible for lateral transfer; OR be eligible to transfer via Section 70.1, 70.4, or 52.6 of Civil Service Law. The transfer cannot be a second consecutive transfer resulting in an advancement of more than two salary grades.

To determine if your current Civil Service title is eligible for transfer to this title, visit the Career Mobility GOT-IT website: https://careermobilityoffice.cs.ny.gov/cmo/gotit/index.cfm.

Additional Information

This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS).

Helps

Program titles may be filled via a non-competitive appointment. This means that you do not need to take an exam to qualify, but you do need to meet the minimum qualifications of the title.

At a future date (within one year of permanent appointment), employees hired under NY HELPS are expected to have their permanent non-competitive employment status converted to permanent competitive status. You will not have to take an exam to gain permanent competitive status.

• If you are currently a New York State employee serving in a permanent competitive qualifying title and eligible for a transfer via Section 70.1 of the Civil Service Law, you may be appointed to this title as a permanent competitive employee.
• For CSEA positions: Local Bidding Agreements will be honored.
• Preference will be given to OPWDD employees impacted by closures. If you are being impacted by closure, please indicate this on your resume.
• All OPWDD employees must be eligible and maintain eligibility for full and unconditional participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Continued employment will depend on maintaining eligibility.
• If you are employed by state government you may be able to receive loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on Direct Loans after 120 qualifying monthly payments have been made under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. For more information on PSLF, please visit www.studentAid.gov/publicservice.
• Employees on long term leave can bid on positions but must be able to report to work within fourteen (14) days and be able to perform the essential functions of their positions with or without reasonable accommodation (RA).
• If an employee or job applicant believes that they need a reasonable accommodation, they should contact the Reasonable Accommodation Unit at (518) 486-7222 or email accommodationrequests@opwdd.ny.gov to obtain information and RA forms.
• Savings programs such as the U.S. Savings Bond and the College Savings Plan.
• Voluntary pre-tax savings programs such as Health Care Spending Account and the Dependent Care Advantage Account offer employees options to pay for uncovered health care expenses or dependent care expenses.
• Access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) an assessment and referral service that connects employees with local service providers and support services to address their personal needs.
• Life insurance and Disability insurance.
• The New York State Deferred Compensation Plan is a voluntary retirement plan that offers employees the option to invest a part of their salaries for retirement on a tax-deferred basis.
• Paid Holidays and Leave:

° Thirteen (13) paid holidays each year.

° Thirteen (13) days of paid vacation leave initially.

° Five (5) days paid personal leave each year.

° Thirteen (13) days of paid sick leave each year (PEF/CSEA), which may carry over from year to year.

° Up to three (3) days professional leave each year to participate in professional development events.

• Health Care Coverage:

Employees and their eligible dependents can choose from a variety of affordable health insurance programs. Employees are provided family dental and vision plans at no extra cost.

• Paid Parental Leave:

Paid Parental Leave allows eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave at full pay for each qualifying event. A qualifying event is defined as the birth of a child or placement of a child for adoption or foster care.

• Retirement Program:

Participate in The NYS Employees’ Retirement System (ERS), which is recognized as one of the best-managed and best-funded public retirement systems in the nation.

• Professional Development and Education and Training:

NYS offers training programs and tuition assistance to eligible employees to maintain and increase their professional skills and prepare them for promotional opportunities. For more information, please visit https://oer.ny.gov/training-and-professional-development.

• Additionally, the Public Service Workshops Program (PSWP) offers certain professional training opportunities for PEF represented and M/C designated employees that may grant continuing education credits towards maintaining professional licensure. For more information, please visit https://oer.ny.gov/public-service-workshops-program-pswp.
• OPWDD is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer dedicated to creating and sustaining a culture of inclusion. We believe that we are most effective in managing and improving our service system with a diverse team of employees. With such a large workforce, we rely on the collective individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, self-expression, ideas and talent that our employees bring to their work. This speaks to our culture and is a key part of our successes. As we continuously recruit people for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that applicants bring in terms of their education, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation and beliefs.

***All people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.***

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Submit cover letter and résumé by October 28, 2026 to:

Sunmount-OHRM

2445 State Route 30

Tupper Lake, NY 12986

E-Mail: sunmount.careers@opwdd.ny.gov

Phone: (518) 359-4150

Fax: (518) 359-4161

Please reference the above EOA # 26-143 in all correspondence.