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Telecommunications Equipment Operator (Radio), HF Communications Manager

Department of Homeland Security
Federal Emergency Management Agency
This job announcement has closed

Summary

RESERVIST APPOINTMENTS: The Reservist Program is an appointment type granted under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, Section 306 (b), which authorizes FEMA to appoint such temporary employees as necessary to accomplish work authorized under the Act.

View common definitions of terms found in this announcement.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
11/23/2020 to 12/08/2020
This job will close when we have received 200 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$21.86 to - $41.21 per hour
Pay scale & grade
IM 00
Location
Location Negotiable After Selection, United States
MANY vacancies
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
76% or greater - In addition to frequent travel related to deployment(s), occasional non-emergency travel may also be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Intermittent - Intermittent employment not to exceed 2 years.
Work schedule
Full-time - Temporary
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
00
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
FEMA-21-KMT-404003-RSV
Control number
585313700

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This job is open to: U.S. Citizens This announcement will close at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) Tuesday December 8, 2020 OR at 11:59 p.m. ET on the date the 200th application is received, whichever comes first.

Duties

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is calling on those who want to help protect American interests and secure our Nation. DHS Components work collectively to prevent terrorism; secure borders and our transportation systems; protect the President and other dignitaries; enforce and administer immigration laws; safeguard cyberspace; and ensure resilience to disasters. We achieve these vital missions through a diverse workforce spanning hundreds of occupations. Make an impact; join DHS.

When disaster strikes, America looks to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support survivors and first responders in communities all across the United States of America and its territories.  FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. We foster innovation, reward performance and creativity, and provide challenges on a routine basis with a well-skilled, knowledgeable, high performance workforce. Please visit www.fema.gov for additional information.

Now FEMA looks to you, join our team and use your talent to support Americans in their times of greatest need. We are seeking talented individuals who are eager to assist disaster survivors on an intermittent, on-call basis. FEMA Reservists are incident management responders, hired under the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. Reservists are a significant factor in the agency workforce in responding to disasters. These employees deploy to perform activities directly related to disasters, emergencies, projects, or activities of a non-continuous nature. Reservist positions are temporary appointments within the Excepted Service and are not to exceed 2 years in duration. Work opportunities are intermittent due to the irregular nature of disasters and Reservist employees are not guaranteed regular recurring hours, deployments, or renewal of employment.  Apply for this exciting opportunity to become a FEMA Reservist!

EMERGENCY ASSIGNMENT: Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.

In this position, you will be responsible for sending, receiving and distributing high frequency (HF) radio messages between first responders. 

Typical assignments include:

  • Sending, receiving and distributing high frequency (HF) radio messages between first responders using the phonetic alphabet, Morse code, call signs, continuous wave and proper frequencies based on network requirements;
  • Setting up, establishing, and maintaining an HF Radio site in an austere environment; performing site analysis to determine location for optimal performance;
  • Understanding of radio wave propagation for day, night and transitional period frequency use;
  • Maintaining station logs of messages transmitted/received and compiling communications reports to inform disaster response.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen to be considered for this position.
  • You must successfully pass a background investigation.
  • Travel will be required.
  • You must be able to obtain and maintain a Government credit card.
  • Selective service registration is required for males born after 12/31/59.
  • Please review "Other Information" section for additional key requirements.

To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo, successfully pass, and maintain a background investigation for Public Trust as a condition of placement into this position. This may include a credit check after initial job qualifications are determined, a review of financial issues, such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs (please visit: Mythbuster on Federal Hiring Policies for additional information). For more information on background investigations for Federal jobs please visit OPM Investigations.

Please ensure you meet the qualification requirements described below.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must demonstrate experience in the following areas:

  1. Maintaining the flow of messages through a computerized telecommunications relay system.
  2. Analyzing program effectiveness and providing improvements.

IN ADDITION:

  • Minimum age of eighteen years of age is required.
  • All candidates must be a high school graduate or possess a GED.

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, religious, 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.

Your application must show that you meet all requirements for this position.  You may be found "not qualified" if you do not possess the minimum competencies required for the position.

NOTE: Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume. For a brief video on How to Create a Federal Resume, click here.

Current or former FEMA Reservists/DAE employees: To accurately credit your experience for these intermittent positions, make sure to list the dates (from MM/YY to MM/YY) of each deployment, along with the job title and specific duties you were responsible for during each deployment.  Failure to provide this information may result in disqualification.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

  • If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.
  • DHS uses E-verify, an internet based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.
  • Disabled veteran leave will be available to any Federal employee hired on or after November 5, 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.
  • This announcement may be used to fill one or more vacancies.
  • All candidates must be able to deploy with little or no advance notice to anywhere in the United States and its territories for an extended period of time. Deployments may include working in excess of eight hours a day, or in excess of 40 hours in a given week, including weekends and holidays, and under stressful, physically demanding, and austere conditions. When activated and deployed, you serve in a federal travel status and are entitled to lodging, transportation and per diem reimbursements for authorized expenses in accordance with federal travel regulations.
  • All candidates must be available to deploy at all times during the term of this appointment unless pre-approved through authorized Reservist leave. Reservists may take up to 90 days of unpaid Reservist Leave per year.
  • FEMA Reservist employees must maintain an address of primary residency (which will serve as the official duty station of the employee), in a Stafford Act “State”, as defined by Section 102(4) of the Stafford Act.
  • If selected for this position, you will be required to complete FEMA’s onboarding program and a subsequent orientation program.  Additional orientation information will be provided post selection.
  • Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

We will review your resume, supporting documentation, and your responses to the occupational questionnaire to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements.  If you are qualified, you may be referred to a selection panel for consideration.

We recommend that you preview the online questions for this announcement before you start the application process. 

Interview Requirement.  Interviews may be required for this position.  Failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration. 


To preview questions please click here.

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