Summary This position is located under the Lebanon VA Medical Center (VAMC) in Lebanon, PA, and reports to the Health Administration Division. The primary purpose of the position is to provide comprehensive telephone, telecommunications and clerical support to the VAMC and all associated sites. Responsibilities The Telephone Operator provides a welcoming and positive first impression of the Lebanon VAMC Healthcare System by processing incoming, outgoing, networked, and interoffice calls regarding hospital services, patient information and providing emergency notification information. The incumbent of this position performs work in the Lebanon VAMC Center for Development & Civic Engagement (CDCE), which encompasses a variety of different duties and responsibilities relating to provision of telecommunications and office clerical services to all facilities within Lebanon 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 Lebanon VAMC location and program. Major duties include but are not limited to: Operate centralized telephone system to receive and connect incoming and outgoing calls; 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; Organize CDCE correspondence to include memorandums, spreadsheets, word documents; Maintain department records management; Troubleshoot telephone and computer related problems. Work schedule: 8hr shift, Days/Evenings and Weekends possible. Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not available Telework: . Telework is not available for this position. Position Description Title/PD#: Telephone Operator/PD02797A 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 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. Training-Service Agreement and Mobility Agreement required Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/01/2025. 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 general 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. 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/. 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. 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 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.
