High Voltage Electrician

Quick Facts

• Role: High Voltage Electrician (Electrical Shop)

• Schedule: 6:00am–2:30pm, Monday–Friday

Description

Serve Veterans under supervision by performing high voltage electrical installation, modification, testing, repair, troubleshooting, and maintenance. Work covers substations and power-generating facilities, including transformers, switchgear, overhead/underground distribution lines, and related electrical control and recording systems. Also includes troubleshooting energized distribution systems and maintaining street/airfield lighting and traffic signals/controllers.

Responsibilities

• Install, modify, replace generation and distribution equipment in substations, power-generating facilities, transformer vaults, and distribution centers

• Clean, adjust, and repair air and oil circuit breakers and remote control supervisory/telemetering equipment

• Construct and install rigid conduits; pull conductors; assemble bus bars; phase out and connect conductors

• Troubleshoot distribution circuits and generating/controlling equipment to locate and correct outages and improper operation; make emergency cutouts/substitutions, sometimes on energized systems

• Visually check contractor work for compliance with contract specifications

• In some installations: program and monitor electronic control equipment and operate computerized diagnostic/digital test equipment

• Troubleshoot overhead and underground cable systems (shorts, opens, grounds, crosses, electrolysis damage, capacitance imbalance, cable breaks) and locate/mark underground utilities prior to excavation

• String/hoist conductors; pull wires to proper tension/sag based on conductor specifications and environmental/loading conditions

• Install and pull underground cable from feed-through ducts; direct pole installation and cross-arm replacement

• Inspect transformers, switches, capacitor equipment, and cables; test insulating oil for breakdown/contamination; check operating temperatures and voltage; repair defective/loose/corroded connections

• Inspect manholes/vaults; pump water, remove debris, and repair ground bonds; check ground connections/cables for cracks/breaks/corrosion/punctures

• Maintain street and airfield lighting systems

• Maintain, repair, and replace traffic signals and controllers

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship

• Selective Service registration (for males born after 12/31/1959)

• Subject to background/security investigation

• Pre-employment physical; must pass PFT/X-ray and complete annual physician physical requirements

• Complete online onboarding and provide acceptable identification documents (REAL ID compliant requirement effective May 7, 2025)

• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program

• Serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period; continued employment requires written certification that it advances the public interest

• Meet OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standards; demonstrate relevant training/experience for: ability to do the work with normal supervision, equipment installation/repair, interpreting instructions/specifications (including blueprint reading), technical practices, and tool/equipment use

• Physical ability to lift up to 100 lbs. and perform climbing/crawling/kneeling/stooping/bending/pushing/pulling; ability to distinguish color shades; ability to work in restricted spaces and from ladders/scaffolds

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides a comprehensive federal benefits package. Eligibility depends on the type of position (full-time/part-time/intermittent); contact the hiring agency for specific details.