HVAC Technician – Powerhouse Technician

The Hill School Mission:  The Hill School prepares young people from across the country and around the world for college, careers, and life. Within a family school environment and a rigorous liberal arts curriculum, we challenge our young people to work hard; think and reason; be fulfilled; serve the common good; and be prepared to lead as citizens of the world, uniquely guided by our motto, “Whatsoever Things Are True.”

Department:        Facilities Services 

Position Title:      HVAC Technician – Powerhouse Technician

Reports To:          Manager of Facilities Central Utility Services

Status:                  Non-Exempt, Full-Time Hourly Employee

Position Summary

Under the direct supervision of the Manager of Facilities Central Utility, operate and maintain the Hill School’s automatically fired boilers to generate high pressure steam that supplies heat for both building and industrial purposes on campus.  In addition, this position is responsible for operation, maintenance, and repair of the electric and natural gas-fired chiller plant. This position is 3rd shift from mid-October to mid-April and first shift the rest of the calendar year. 

Responsibilities and Qualifications

Primary focus of the HVAC Technician – Powerhouse Technician includes but are not limited to the following:

• Perform highly diversified duties to install, repair and maintain HVAC equipment and systems across campus.
• Provide emergency/unscheduled repairs of HVAC equipment during periods when equipment is not operating.
• Operate the campus’ EMS System.
• Operate the campus electric and natural gas-fired chiller plant. 
• Read and interpret equipment manuals to perform required maintenance and services.
• Diagnose problems, replace, or repair parts, test and make adjustments.
• Perform regular preventive maintenance on HVAC equipment and campus facilities related to heating and cooling.
• Maintain the campus heating and cooling operating software programs.
• Maintain the Powerhouse to ensure safety and a positive appearance, including painting of pipe works cleaning floors, etc.
• Detect faulty operations, defective material, and report those and any unusual situations to the Manager of Facilities Central Utility Services and/or Director of Facilities Services.
• Inspects and cleans Cleaver Brooks firetube boilers and replaces boiler gaskets, safety valves, regulators, automatic control mechanisms, water columns and auxiliary machines such as feedwater pumps, vacuum pump and condensate motors and burners as required to maintain boiler efficiency and safety.
• Performs combustion tests on boilers to monitor gas or oil usage and carbon footprint to maintain optimum operating efficiency.
• Observe pressure, temperatures, and draft meters on control panel to verify specified operation of automatic combustion control systems, feed water regulators and burners.
• Repairs and replaces steam traps as needed.
• Perform all other duties as assigned or needed.

Ideally, a candidate will possess at least 7+ years of experience in an industrial setting with maintenance of heating and cooling systems. Candidates must also be able to read basic wiring diagrams and instructional manuals in print or online and trouble shoot electrical issues in 24V, 120V, 208V, and 460V single and three phase services. The professional should possess knowledge of operation of de-aerating feeding water tanks, water softeners and de-alkalizes. 

Lastly, this individual ought to be able to maintain organized records for usage of water, fuels, chemicals, etc. as required for record-keeping and must be highly motivated and able to work independently. Experience and demonstrated success working with diverse student communities is preferred, but not required. A high school diploma/GED and completion of craft apprenticeship, or an equivalent number of years of education and production maintenance experience is required; an AA degree is HVAC technologies is preferred but not required.

Physical Demands

The physical demands of the HVAC Technician - Powerhouse Technician include but are not limited to the following:

• Strength and dexterity are necessary to perform all essential tasks, including lifting up to 75 pounds, stooping, bending, reaching, kneeling, and working in uncomfortable positions for extended periods of time.
• Vision necessary to determine color differences.
• Wearing a respirator
• Working from ladders, scaffolds, and platforms up to 30 feet high.
• Working in extreme temperatures and under damp conditions.
• Exposure to electrical shock, hazardous, or explosive gases and toils, strong cleaning solvents, dust, poor lighting, excessive noise levels, moving machinery, using power equipment.
• Working with heavy and awkward equipment.
• Work is performed both inside and outside school buildings and may require working during unusual hours.
• Reasonable accommodation may be considered so long as the employee can perform the essential functions of the job.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. This position will work in both hot and cold environments. Although mainly indoors, tasks may need to be performed outdoors and even in small crawl spaces and from heights.

Attitude and Demeanor

• Publicly support the mission and vision of The Hill School in a positive and professional manner.
• Work as a dynamic team member in a professional collaborative environment.
• Energetic and organized enough to thrive in an extremely fast-paced environment while collaborating with a growing team to produce great work.
• Ability to wear many hats, learn new things every day, and have the ability to switch from a variety of roles with ease and excitement.
• Communicate effectively with warmth, sensitivity, humor, and understanding as they deal with administrative colleagues, teachers, students, alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and program associates.
• Possess a “service attitude” - willingness to be flexible to meet the needs of the department and school.

About The Hill School

Since its founding in 1851 and for 168 years, The Hill School has provided a traditional liberal arts education to its students. Although The Hill’s curriculum continues to evolve, we have never strayed very far from a proven, rigorous blend of humanities, classics and modern languages, social sciences, mathematics, science, and the arts. For our students, we have prioritized broad knowledge in our steadfast belief that this comprehensive foundation best prepares students for “college, careers, and life.” The Hill School also has begun implementing an ambitious STEM curriculum, which includes one of the most extensive secondary school engineering programs in the nation. We have bolstered our fine arts programs with courses in digital media, video production, design technology, rapid prototyping and fabrication, and design thinking. And, we are offering pre-professional, co-curricular programs in business and entrepreneurship. Over the coming years, we will continue to affirm what we already do very well while honing curricular and co-curricular programs such as leadership training, service learning, experiential education, and interdisciplinary studies. We will find improve...d ways to teach all Hill students 21st century skills such as critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration and leading, agility and adaptability, initiative and entrepreneurship, effective oral and written communication, accessing and analyzing data, and curiosity and imagination. We are working with our Faculty and Staff to become both the most traditional and the most innovative boarding school in the country, simultaneously. The Hill was founded as The Family Boarding School and when you visit campus, you might note that we are still a bit traditional, despite our emphasis on innovation! We follow a dress code, our students regularly sit down with faculty members for family-style meals, we gather twice a week at Chapel for thoughtful reflection; many of our students study Latin and Greek; and we pride ourselves on a student-written Honor Code and demanding code of conduct. We enjoy historic and blossoming traditions such as 130-year-old athletics rivalries, revered a cappella vocal groups, school-wide service projects, community team-building events, small group meetings with caring faculty advisers, and a very special jump in the Dell pond after graduation! Over the next three to five years, the Hill School is set to achieve several accomplishments sure to leave their mark on the School’s history. The School’s Advancement Office is a 25 person-strong organization driven to achieve the goals set forth in the current “Strength of All” capital campaign which is entering its fourth year of the five- to seven-year campaign. The capital campaign will fund many efforts, including a significant increase in our financial aid and faculty compensation endowment. In 2018-2019, we expanded the seating capacity of our historic dining hall and completely renovated our food service and preparation areas used by our food service contractor, Sodexo. In 2019-2020, the School will construct the Quadrivium Center (a STEM facility) where our science, engineering, computer science and mathematics classes will be housed. The School has developed property adjacent to our main campus by recently erecting beautiful new homes for our faculty in our East Faculty Village. This Faculty Housing expansion is likely to continue with additional property available for housing construction to ensure The Hill School offers the very best of this important housing benefit to our residential faculty. One of our most ambitious goals is to be a driving force in the economic revitalization of Pottstown and our immediate neighborhood and through our Hobart’s Run Community Development program and participation in Pottstown CARES, we are finding traction in ways both small and large.

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