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Public Safety Dispatcher

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
This job announcement has closed

Summary

These positions are located in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in the Visitor and Resource Protection Division.

Open to the first 100 applicants or until 09/29/2023 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
09/11/2023 to 09/29/2023
This job will close when we have received 100 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$37,696 to - $67,231 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 8
Location
Gatlinburg, TN
5 vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Multiple Schedules - 4 Permanent full time positions and 1 Permanent Part time position
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
8
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Announcement number
SE-1630-GRSM-23-12121470-MP
Control number
748000700

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Duties

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  • The incumbent performs emergency and non-emergency dispatch and call taking services for public safety related incidents and operations. The incumbent performs emergency and non-emergency dispatch and call taking services for public safety incidents and operations in a emergency communication center serving a large National Park.
  • Monitors and tracks equipment and personnel such as law enforcement, structural fire, wildland fire, aviation, vessels, and search and rescue using a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) program.
  • Operates a multi-frequency radio console and prioritizes radio traffic and related communications.
  • Utilizes NCIC and other law enforcement databases and records management systems.
  • Other duties include: records management, general public assistance, assistance to other park offices and partners, and projects as assigned in support of the Visitor and Resource Protection Division.
Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.
  • You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.
  • You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued driver's license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists.
  • You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
  • One position is a part time permanent position.
  • NCIC and EMD certification needed for the GS-6,7,8 levels.
  • Ability to lift 50 pounds.
  • The position to which you will be appointed is subject to a financial disclosure reporting requirement and you will be required to complete a new entrant Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days of your appointment.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/29/2023-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience.

For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

Quality Ranking Factors: National Criminal Information Network (NCIC) certification required for GS-6, GS-7 and GS-8 grade levels. Please upload certification to application package.
- AND -
To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must possess of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: One year of specialized experience at the GS-04 level or equivalent for this position. Specialized experience demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of a Public Safety Dispatcher. Specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility: (a) performing clerical work in direct support of an emergency communications center (b) assisting with public safety dispatching (e.g. law enforcement, emergency medical, search and rescue, and fire) (c) monitoring and/or responding to radio communications or (d) assisting with answering 911 calls.
OR
EDUCATION: Successful completion of 4 years of education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school. You must include transcripts.
OR
COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Equivalent combinations of specialized experience and education described above that meets 100% of the requirements for this position. You must include transcripts.

To qualify for this position at the GS-06 grade level, you must possess the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: One year of specialized experience at the GS-05 level or equivalent for this position. Specialized experience demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of a Public Safety Dispatcher. Specialized experience includes at least two of the following (a) Serving as a certified operator of the National Criminal Information Network (NCIC) system (b) Serving as a certified Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) or (c) Utilizing a computer aided dispatch (CAD) system; AND have served as a Public Safety Dispatcher; performing any of the following: Receiving and prioritizing both emergency and non-emergency calls for Police, Fire and EMS incidents. Coordinating the appropriate response to incidents; Querying and relaying wants, warrants, driver and vehicle information for law enforcement contacts and investigations.
There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement.

To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: One year of specialized experience at the GS-06 level or equivalent for this position. Specialized experience demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of a Public Safety Dispatcher. Specialized experience includes at least two of the following (a) Serving as a certified operator of the National Criminal Information Network (NCIC) system (b) Serving as a certified Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) or (c) Utilizing a computer aided dispatch (CAD) system; AND have served as a Public Safety Dispatcher; performing any of the following: Receiving and prioritizing both emergency and non-emergency calls for Police, Fire and EMS incidents. Coordinating the appropriate response to incidents; Querying and relaying wants, warrants, driver and vehicle information for law enforcement contacts and investigations. Applicant MUST attach a valid non-expired NCIC certification from their respected state of issue.

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement.

To qualify for this position at the GS-08 grade level, you must possess the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Specialized experience demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of a Public Safety Dispatcher. Specialized experience includes at least two of the following (a) Serving as a certified operator of the National Criminal Information Network (NCIC) system (b) Serving as a certified Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) or (c) Utilizing a computer aided dispatch (CAD) system; AND have served as a Public Safety Dispatcher; performing any of the following: Receiving and prioritizing both emergency and non-emergency calls for Police, Fire and EMS incidents. Coordinating the appropriate response to incidents; Querying and relaying wants, warrants, driver and vehicle information for law enforcement contacts and investigations. Applicant MUST attach a valid non-expired NCIC certification from their respected state of issue. Applicants MUST attach a valid non-expired NCIC certification from their respected state of issue.

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement.

ICTAP/CTAP Statement: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special prior­ity selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies.

Volunteer Experience: 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.

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

Questions about this position:
Justin Pugh
justin_pugh@nps.gov

A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.

A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR §575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive.

A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.

Physical Demands: Incumbent must function efficiently in a confined space for extended periods with no breaks and no opportunity to leave the confines of the Communications Center. The dispatcher is considered an "essential employee," meaning he/she is required to work most holidays, report for duty during adverse weather conditions, and be expected to work for long hours exceeding normally scheduled shifts in case of emergencies. Position is sedentary with high amounts of stress. Incumbent is subject to shift work, rotating shift work, and uncommon tours of duty. Work requires use of the voice in vocal communications for periods of hours at a time. Voice must be clear, audible, and tone effective with words plainly spoken and understandable. Incumbent must be able to hear clearly and discern a variety of audible communications and signals simultaneously. Incumbent must be able to read critical information from multiple sources, including computer screen, fax, and written log quickly and accurately. The work is of an emergency nature and is emotionally stressful.

Working Conditions: The work is normally performed in a well-lighted and temperature-controlled room. Noise levels are routinely high due to electronic equipment, telephones, radios, and other discussions ongoing in the performance of duties. During the training period and/or on other occasions, the incumbent will be assigned to accompany field law enforcement personnel in patrol vehicles to learn or gain a more detailed familiarization with agency field operating procedures and jurisdictional boundaries. Incumbent may not leave the center unless relieved by another qualified dispatcher.

The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Candidates who apply under Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are highly qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Best qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

Candidates who apply under Noncompetitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Self Management
  • Technical Competence
  • Technical Competence
  • Technology Application


In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessments, including a Questionnaire that measures applicants technical expertise (QTMATE). These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process.

If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

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