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***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***


MAJOR DUTIES:

• Operates a Digital Branch Exchange (DBX) console in conjunction with the station automatic exchange, establishes communications between Medical Center and the public.
• Receives and places local, long distance, and international calls.
• Operates a paging system, public address system, and radio communications system.
• Addresses alarms (fire, Code Blue, behavioral emergencies, bomb threats, etc.) immediately.
• Interviews incoming calls to determine proper routing of the call.
• Maintains a log of all commercial long distance and collect calls charged to the Medical Center.
• Keeps current information regarding facility telephone numbers and maintains current list of pager numbers assigned to employees authorized pagers.
• Monitors several emergency alarms (e.g., pharmacy, boiler plant, intensive care unit, humidistat, phone system, elevators).
• Converses with all callers and visitors, directing to appropriate department/location/or service.
• Maintains lost and found items, recording items received and returned in a logbook.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm
Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved

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 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 AT THE GS-4 LEVEL, YOU MUST POSSESS AT LEAST ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

Experience: At least one (1) year of general experience - progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates ability to acquire the particular competencies needed to perform the duties of the position to be filled (Telephone Operator). This may be paid or non-paid experience. NOTE: Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.
OR
Education: Two (2) years of successfully completed 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. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted on or before the closing date of the announcement. Education cannot be credited without documentation.
OR
Combination: An equivalent combination of successfully completed post-high school education and experience as described above which meets the total qualification requirements for this grade level. NOTE: Your experience must be documented in your resume and transcripts must be submitted on or before the closing date of the announcement.


You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

• Communication
• Hardware
• Technical Credibility
• Veteran and Customer Focus

IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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.

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.

Physical Requirements: The work is usually sedentary but may involve some standing and walking to consult directories and manuals. Work involves making sound judgement when interacting with Veterans, families, professional staff, co-workers, outside agencies, etc., which at times may be distraught or abusive; and when operating the telephone system and multiple alarms systems that need to be addressed immediately and in an accurate and reliable method.

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/.

How you will be evaluated

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

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Your responses to the assessment questionnaire will be reviewed along with the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation to determine if you are qualified for the position. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered and/or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

Candidates who apply under All U.S. Citizens announcements will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

Application of Veterans' Preference: Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants that meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category (except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher).

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.