The Telephone Operator is located within the Ambulatory Care & Processing Section under Medical Administration Services within the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, Newington Campus. The primary purpose of this position is performing the duties of a telecommunications operator and radio dispatcher with minimal supervision.

Duties

Major Duties Include, but are not limited to: Monitors the operation of all communication/security and related electronic equipment daily. Handles a variety of difficult calls that requires personal involvement on the part of the employee, such as threatening, abusive, or distraught callers and logs those of a high degree of activity into the departmental journal. Initiates call tracing as authorized, with local telephone and police authorities on threatening calls. Serves as communications liaison with established Hospital Command System (HCS) in the event of disaster drills or actual events, activation the planned on-call cascade system upon orders of the Medical Center Leadership or established Command Center supervisor. Maintains accurate radio/alarm activity records/logs to include dates, times and results of communications and activity. Monitors security surveillance cameras and detects criminal activity in progress, suspicious behavior patterns, observes suspects and known offenders, takes supporting law enforcement actions. Maintains security of the information contained in any computerized system in accordance with the Privacy Act and other applicable law, federal regulations, state regulations, VA statutes and policy, as well as local Medical Center policy. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 7:30 am - 4:00 PM, 40 hours a week. Compressed/Flexible Work Schedule: Not Authorized. Telework/Virtual/Remote Work: Not Authorize. Position Description/PD#:Telephone Operator/PD02057A Relocation or Travel Incentives: Not Authorized. Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required. Notifications: This position is a Bargaining Unit position. Selectee may be required to work at any VA Connecticut Healthcare System campus, as needed. May be required to attend conference at other facilities or other VA sites on occasion. The incumbent may be required to travel to other VA campuses and CBOC's. Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50 (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. This position is in the Competitive Service. Time-in-Grade Restriction: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements. The grade may have been in any occupation but must have been held in the Federal service. Veterans' preference does not apply for other current permanent Federal agency employees.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/15/2023. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Candidates may be advanced without time restriction to positions up to GS-5 if the position to be filled is no more than two grades above the lowest grade the employee held within the preceding 52 weeks under his or her latest non-temporary competitive appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: General Experience: One year of progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position to be filled. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 2 years of education above high school (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationsComputer SkillsCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)Organizational StewardshipTelecommunications 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. Physical Requirements: The work is usually sedentary but may involve some standing and walking to consult directories and manuals. 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/.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address West Haven VA Medical Center 950 Campbell Avenue West Haven, CT 06516 US
• Name: Emily Wayne-Lane
• Phone: 781-687-2000 (6764)
• Email: [email protected]