Facilities Support Technician III

Job Summary

The National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) provides diagnostic services to the Department of the Interior and other natural resource agencies, conducts epidemiological investigations and surveillance, conducts laboratory and field research on wildlife health and disease, and disseminates data and information to natural resource managers. The NWHC operates facilities in Madison, Wisconsin which include biological containment areas for conducting laboratory and animal studies with infectious agents.

The biological containment areas are complex to operate and maintain, and these areas must meet regulations established for working safely with infectious agents. Therefore, maintenance and upkeep of NWHC facilities is necessary to sustain the scientific programs of the NWHC.

Akima is hiring a Facilities Support Technician III to work with the Facilities Operations Specialist and Maintenance Mechanics to conduct physical labor and maintenance work, both indoors and outside, and during all seasons to maintain NWHC infrastructure and grounds to facilitate safe and biosecure operations of NWCH laboratories and operations. The main campus of the NWHC is located in Madison, Wisconsin.

Infrastructure required to operate Center offices and laboratories includes hot-water boilers, steam boilers, chillers, cooling towers, air handlers, roof-top exhaust fans, waste-water decontamination systems, incinerators, autoclaves, water heaters, water softeners, water deionization systems, and other water treatment systems for boiler and chiller water supplies. Additionally, grounds maintenance, including mowing, snow removal, and trimming of vegetation, is required to maintain safe access to Center employees and visitors.

The technician will also be expected to work with center leadership and facilities staff to determine time frames for responses to facilities alarms.

The technician will provide on-site assistance for regular maintenance, grounds keeping, and repairs needed for critical infrastructure during normal business hours.

The Facilities Technician III shall undertake tasks described below and within written established guidelines:

• Task 1:
  Facility infrastructure operations

• Independently assists in operation of the heating system when standard procedures and precedents are available. This involves performing recurrent work independently and providing assistance to higher-level technicians to maintain hot-water boilers, steam boilers, and associated water-treatment systems, circulating pumps, and associated computer control systems, building control systems, and burner controls. Examples of equipment include gas-fired steam boilers, gas-fired water boilers, and gas and electric water heaters.
  
  Assists in the disassembling, cleaning, inspecting, repairing, reassembling, and returning heating systems to service.

• Independently assists in operation of the air conditioning system when standard procedures and precedents are available. This involves performing recurrent work independently and providing assistance to higher-level technicians to maintain chillers, circulating pumps, cooling towers, fans, motors, control systems, and associated water-treatment systems. Assists in the disassembling, cleaning, inspecting, repairing, reassembling, and returning air conditioning systems to service.

• Task 2:
  Laboratory infrastructure operations

• Independently assists in operation of laboratory systems when standard procedures and precedents are available. This involves performing recurrent work independently and providing assistance to higher-level technicians to maintain laboratory air-pressure control systems, waste-water treatment systems, biosafety cabinets, fume hoods, autoclaves, and laboratory utilities such as hot water, cold water, and deionized water, compressed air, and natural gas.

• Task 3:
  Routine maintenance, grounds-keeping, and repairs

• Independently performs a variety of operations, maintenance, and upkeep work. Examples of work include visual inspection of critical systems at start and end of each workday; repairs of laboratory equipment; unload, move, and set-up of delivered items such as…