Summary This position is located in the Telecommunications Unit, under the direction of the Chief of Ambulatory Care and Processing, Medical Administration Service, at the VA Maryland Healthcare Care System. Responsibilities Major duties included but not limited to: Refer callers to the appropriate facility based on a specific request or by ascertaining the nature of the call. Operates telephone system to receive incoming and outgoing calls utilizing complex computerized equipment and telecommunications software. Operates the internal and external paging system to facilitate paging requests. Assists in training other personnel in the proper use, operations, and care of telecommunications equipment. Provides customer service to a variety of difficult calls requiring personal involvement on the part of the employee such as threatening, abusive, or distraught callers. Modifies and maintains operation manuals, reference books, and instructions associated with programs and systems used in the Telecommunications Unit. Answers/places recurring @types of telephone calls such as internal network and routine long-distance calls showing thee time the call was placed, the staff person requesting the call, and the number that was requested. Sets up, monitors, and sends confirmations for bridge-line conference calls. Performs work related to maintaining, listing, and monitoring telephone files. Operates automatic telecommunications systems, and/or performs support and service functions requiring knowledge of telecommunications processing sequences, procedures, user and/or program functions, and/or techniques associated with the maintenance of the system. Receives telephone trouble calls, maintains a trouble log, and notifies the supervisor or telephone technician of troubles. Performs telecommunications support work to a variety of technical and/or administrative programs in the network. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7am-3:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Telephone Operator/PD08328A Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary/trial period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/14/2025. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-4 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-3. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Experience: You must have one year of experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-3 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have two years above high school. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond . You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communications Computer Skills Organizational Stewardship Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. The employee sits comfortably to do the work, but may involve some standing and walking around to adjust equipment or to consult directories and manuals. No special physical demands are required to preform the work. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
