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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***

The major duties and responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Designing and fabricating complex fixed, semi-fixed, and removable dental and intraoral maxillofacial prostheses, including implant-supported restorations, partial and complete dentures, and surgical or orthodontic appliances
• Applying expert knowledge of oral anatomy, occlusion, and masticatory forces to achieve optimal fit, function, and esthetics
• Collaborating with dental and medical staff to plan, design, and troubleshoot fabrication of complex prosthetic and maxillofacial cases
• Utilizing both traditional and computer-assisted (CAD/CAM) fabrication methods to produce precise and durable prostheses
• Waxing, investing, curing, polishing, and finishing appliances to replicate natural oral contours and maintain anatomical accuracy
• Forming, soldering, and finishing metal frameworks, bending and tempering wrought wire components, and ensuring structural integrity of partial dentures and appliances
• Constructing specialized devices such as obturators, bite raisers, fracture splints, surgical templates, and esthetic gingival replacements to restore oral function and patient confidence
• Maintaining close attention to design and construction details throughout all fabrication stages to ensure comfort, balance, and mechanical harmony
• Consulting with dentists and specialists to design, plan, and resolve challenges in complex prosthetic and maxillofacial cases
• Advising on material selection, fabrication methods, and treatment modifications to ensure high-quality, functional, and esthetic outcomes
• Training and mentoring dental and support staff while fabricating demonstration models for clinical education and patient instruction
• Managing laboratory inventory, coordinating case work with internal and external laboratories, and ensuring compliance with safety and infection control standards
• Maintaining and performing preventive maintenance on laboratory equipment while ensuring a safe and compliant work environment
• Researching and evaluating new materials, tools, and techniques to improve laboratory efficiency, quality, and patient outcomes
• Coordinating outgoing dental cases, supporting clinic operations, and representing the laboratory in committees and quality improvement activities

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday; 08:00 a.m. to 04:30 p.m.
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
• 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)

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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirement: The following are minimum requirements for appointment as a Dental Laboratory Technician in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which all applicants must met.

• Specialized Experience (GS-09): You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-08). Qualifying examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Use of dental laboratory material such as impression materials, plasters, stones, hydrocolloids, waxes, metals, acrylics, porcelain, and similar materials; Use of laboratory equipment such as hand tools, dental lathes, engines, and hand pieces, furnaces, casting machines, presses, flasks, and related equipment; Use of precision instruments such as articulators, surveyors, and microanalyzers; and Construction of dental prosthetic appliances. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.) OR,
• Education (GS-09): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have two (2) full years of graduate education or a master's degree in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. Such graduate education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Licensed professional dentists will be considered qualified for any grade level if they have, in the aggregate, the required experience in dental laboratory procedures. NOTE: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) OR,
• Combination (GS-09): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education (beyond the first year, i.e., 18 semester hours) as described above. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.)

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

• Analytical Thinking
• Applies Technology to Tasks
• Medicine and Dentistry
• Quality Assurance
• Technical Competence

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: Work requires some bending, stooping, lifting of supplies and periods of standing and sitting.

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.