Telephone Operator

Company: Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
Location: Iowa City
Posted on: March 26, 2020

Job Description:

SummaryThe Telephone Operator works as part of the Benefits and Enrollment Section of the Business Office for the Iowa City VA Health Care System.ResponsibilitiesNOTE: This is a TEMPORARY (not-to-exceed 2 Years) position. This appointment may be renewed for additional service in accordance with Agency needs for 1 additional year. Temporary positions offer health insurance (if the employee is expected to work at least 13- hours per month for at least 90 days) but do not offer life insurance or retirement benefits and may be terminated at any time before the expiration date. The appointment to a Temporary position does not confer eligibility for promotion or reassignment to other positions or the ability to be non-competitively converted to permanent employment. Duties include, but are not limited to, the following: Operates one of four-console telephone systems within the ICVAHCS main facility; Provides excellent customer service for incoming callers, answers questions of callers using various ICVAHCS directories and transfers calls; Provides local and national directory assistance service to ICVAHCS personnel to expedite calls; Assists Administrative Officer of the Day in reaching appropriate personnel for emergent after-hours telephone malfunction needs; Keeps inpatient locator file current on those discharges that have cleared the facility through Inpatient Information Desk and adds names of patients as they are admitted; Establishes procedures for and transmits digital and voice messages via the radio page system; Monitors disaster and medical alert panels; Transmits oral messages via the overhead paging system; Checks out keys to staff and maintains key check out log according to the procedures of each department or unit; Maintains up-to-date inpatient/lodger lists; and Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Full Time, Monday - Friday 7:30 am - 4:00 pmRecruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorizedFinancial Disclosure Report: Not RequiredRequirementsConditions of EmploymentQualificationsExperience: To qualify for this position, you must possess one (1) full year of General Experience, that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of the position and that is typically in or related to this Telephone Operator. General experience is 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.OREducation Substitution: Possess 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, community college, junior college, college or university. (COPY OF OFFICIAL/UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)ORCombination of Education and Experience: Possess an equivalent combination of creditable General Experience and Education as described above, to meet total qualification requirements for this position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, community college, junior college, college or university. (COPY OF OFFICIAL/UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:Customer ServiceEmergency ManagementTelecommunications 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. 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/.EducationIMPORTANT: 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.Additional InformationPhysical Requirements: The work requires minimal physical effort and is mainly performed in an office setting. There is slight physical effort required such as standing, walking, bending, sitting but efforts primarily consist of talking on the telephone and typing. 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. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities (i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities), and/or disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. For more information on how to apply using this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator within the office, contact the facility Human Resources Department at (319) 338-0581. 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. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

Keywords: Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Iowa City , Telephone Operator, Other , Iowa City, Iowa