Telephone Operator

Summary

The Telecommunications Equipment Operator performs work a wide variety of different duties and responsibilities relating to provision of telephone and related communications services. The Telecommunications Equipment Operator performs telecommunication support assignments involving a significant amount of customer service in recognizing and routing patient and/or their representatives. employees, and other inquiries to the correct location and program efficiently and promptly.

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Duties

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Duties to include but not limited to:

Information Receptionist:

• Personally. provides information of a routine nature and receives and directs callers to the appropriate areas.
• Provides general telephone and visitor referral services.
• Refers callers to appropriate facility or program area based on specific request or by ascertaining the nature of the call.

Operates Facility Automatic Call Distribution Telephone System:

• Operates telephone system to receive and route incoming and outgoing calls utilizing complex computerized equipment and telecommunications software.
• Interviews with incoming callers and routes the calls to their proper destination.
• Provides telephone and organizational information to callers.
• Regularly provides customer service to a variety of difficult calls requiring personal involvement on the part of the employee such as
  threatening, abusive or distraught callers.
• Initiates trace with local telephone and police authorities on threatening or emergency related calls.
• Answers recurring types of telephone calls such as internal network and routine long-distance calls.
• Maintains a record of all calls requiring emergency interruptions, toll calls and long-distance calls showing the time the call was placed, the staff person requesting the call, and the number that was requested.

Furnishes Information:

• Assists customers concerning telephone extensions. organizational functions, and staff information.
• Receives telephone trouble calls. maintains a trouble log and notifies the supervisor or telephone technician of troubles.
• Answers/places non-routine telephone related activities such as international calls and faxes and records the date/time, facility, name of the person. number requested, and other pertinent information.
• Operates the internal and external paging system to facilities paging requests.
• Performs telecommunications support work to a variety of technical and/or administrative programs in the network.
• Set up monitors and send confirmations for bridge-line conference calls.
• Operates automatic telecommunications systems. and/or performs support and service functions requiring knowledge of telecommunications processing sequences, procedures, user and/or program functions, and or techniques associated with the maintenance of the system.

Maintenance of Computer Documentation:

• Modifies and maintains operation manuals, reference books, and/or instructions associated with programs and systems used in the Telecommunications unit.
• Modifies and maintains computerized trouble information book, emergency interrupt information books, toll call information books, long-distance information books and emergency cascade call information books.

Telecornmunications Equipment Operator:

• Operates equipment such as printers. code alarms, long range paging system, desk attendant telephone console, overhead paging system, other monitoring equipment as needed. Activates and controls standardized computer system and peripheral equipment specifically related to operations.
• Tests the telecommunications equipment for operation, monitoring, and controlling operations during processing, and takes prompt action in response to programmed instructions. machine failures, or unscheduled halts.
• Monitors same and initiates corrective action.
• Maintains documentation of troubles in the log as well as maintains and troubleshoots equipment, making changes as required based on established procedures.
• Assists in training other personnel in the proper use, operation and care of telecommunications equipment, specifically the desk attendant telephone console and corresponding headset.
• Assists the implementation of telecommunications security procedures and performs appropriate system maintenance

Work Schedule: 7:00am-3:30pm, Monday-Friday

Compressed/Flexible: Not Approved

Telework: Not Authorized

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Telephone Operator/ PD260214A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• 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 ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification 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 or 2-year trial 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

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/31/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement : 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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-04 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-03. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

• General Experience: You must have one year of general experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-03 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of general experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 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 above high school. 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. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of general experience and education. You must have an combination of general experience and education.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

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: 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:

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave : Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.