Hvac Mechanic Iii

Overview

Human Resources announces an opening for a 1.0 FTE position as HVAC Mechanic III with the Facilities and Operations Division, School Support. This is a twelve-month, Grade M-16 position.

The HVAC Mechanic III serves as an advanced-level technician whose work is performed to ensure the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of complex heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC-R) systems across multiple APS facilities, with the purpose of diagnosing problems, determining corrective actions, and implementing solutions that directly affect building comfort, system performance, and overall operational continuity. The position installs, operates, adjusts, maintains, troubleshoots, repairs, replaces, and modifies a full range of commercial-industrial and residential HVAC-R equipment—including chillers, boilers, cooling towers, air handlers with variable frequency drives, refrigeration systems, and digital/pneumatic controls—while applying advanced trade knowledge, specialized diagnostic software, and Energy Management System (EMS/BAS) programming to achieve accurate and effective system outcomes.

The work has significant impact on students, staff, and facility operations by ensuring indoor environmental quality, system safety, and energy efficiency, and it supports long-term asset preservation and sustainability goals. The employees’ recommendations concerning preventive and predictive maintenance, system optimization, and technological improvements influence operational practices and resource utilization, and the mechanic may also provide technical guidance and on-the-job training to lower-level personnel.

The HVAC Mechanic III reports to the HVAC Maintenance Supervisor or, in the supervisor’s absence, to the HVAC Maintenance Assistant Supervisor, and receives work through established workflows such as work orders, trouble calls, and scheduled maintenance assignments that typically outline objectives, priorities, timelines, available resources, known or anticipated issues, and any specific parameters requiring consideration. While assignments may define expected outcomes, the employee is responsible for planning, laying out, and completing tasks independently, using advanced mechanical knowledge, specialized diagnostic tools, and accepted trade practices to determine appropriate methods and make informed decisions.

The mechanic is expected to exercise considerable judgment in diagnosing problems, selecting procedures, making recommendations within assigned authority, and resolving issues not explicitly covered by standard guidelines, referring highly complex or unusual circumstances to the supervisor for direction. Work is reviewed through periodic checks, technical evaluation of completed repairs, system performance following service, customer and stakeholder feedback, and assessment of overall quality, timeliness, and compliance with safety and regulatory requirements.

Although the role may provide technical guidance to others, the HVAC Mechanic III has no formal supervisory responsibility over employees or students.

This advanced-level, multi-position class within the Department of Facilities and Operations is distinguished by responsibility for performing the full range of HVAC mechanic functions at a highly technical and independent level, requiring the employee to evaluate complex building conditions, system performance data, and diverse operational needs before determining the proper course of action.

Assignments typically involve commercial-industrial HVAC tasks that demand analysis of variable factors—such as system age, load demands, BAS/EMS trends, environmental conditions, and equipment interactions—requiring the employee to interpret incomplete or conflicting information, diagnose underlying issues, and apply advanced trade principles to develop sound solutions. The work requires originality and judgment in refining methods, adapting techniques, and at times devising new approaches to resolve atypical or multifaceted problems across multiple sites.

As an in-house…