Summary The primary purpose of the position is to provide comprehensive telephone and telecommunications support to the VAMC and all associated sites. The Telephone Operator provides a welcoming and positive first impression of the Corporal Michael Crescenz VA Medical Center by processing incoming, outgoing, networked and interoffice calls regarding hospital services, patient information, and providing emergency notification information. Responsibilities The incumbent of this position performs work in the VAMC Telephone Operations Center, which encompasses a variety of different duties and responsibilities relating to provision of telephone and related telecommunications services to all facilities within the VAMC.As well as performs telecommunications support assignments, which involves a significant amount of customer service in recognizing and routing patient and other inquiries to the correct VAMC location and program. Major duties include but are not limited to: Operate centralized telephone system to receive and connect incoming and outgoing calls; Answer and screens calls received calls on the main line to the healthcare system Utilize complex computerized equipment and telecommunications software; Interview incoming callers to route calls to appropriate destination; Operate internal and external paging system; Respond to alarms and acts as key member for various emergency situations; Dispatch information according to alarm requirements for facility wide alarm systems; Perform testing of all communication and alarm systems daily; Troubleshoot telephone and computer related problems. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, 4:00pm - 12:00 am, 12:00 am - 8:00 am, rotating tours including weekends and holidays Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Telephone Operator/PD05506A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized All required documentation must be uploaded before the announcement closes, to support eligibility. Failure to submit documentation will constitute the application being categorized as incomplete and therefore ineligible for referral. Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. 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, 09/25/2025. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: General Experience: You must have one year of general experience to include progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates the ability to complete the indicated competencies of the position. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have two years of education 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 the one year of education above high school. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Information Management Technical Competence Telecommunications 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. There is some moving around to adjust equipment, carrying of light items such as papers, books. Monthly/Quarterly, the operator must ambulate throughout the campus to conduct power fail phone checks, nurse call alarm checks, and other alarm monitoring checks as established by department policy. This may require being away from the regular work station for several hours. 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/. All required documentation must be uploaded before the announcement closes, to support eligibility. Failure to submit documentation will constitute the application being categorized as incomplete and therefore ineligible for referral. Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume. 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.
