Telephone Operator

Summary

This position will serve as a Telephone Operator for the Health Administration Service at the Fargo VA Health Care System (Medical Center), Fargo, ND.

Responsibilities

Major duties and responsibilities include:

• 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, FTS 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 duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8: am - 4:30 pm
Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status

No

Promotion Potential

4

Requirements Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• May be required to serve a probationary period
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position at the GS-4 grade level, applicants must meet one of the following:
Experience: You must have one (1) full year of progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position to be filled. Experience may include working as a receptionist or telephone operator; obtaining the necessary information to direct calls appropriately; communicating effectively using clear enunciation; using a computer to provide clerical support; and working efficiently under pressure of time and stressful conditions. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties performed, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.
OR
Education: You must have successfully completed two years of education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. (Transcript Required)
OR
Combination: You must possess equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and clerical, office experience as described above to meet total qualification requirements at the GS-4 grade level. (Transcript Required)


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

• Communication
• Customer Service
• Hardware
• Organizational Stewardship
• 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.

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.