Telecommunications Specialist

Summary This position is located in Yosemite National Park, in the Visitor & Resource Protection Division. Open to the first 101 applicants or until 07/19/2024 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration. Responsibilities Major Duties: Required experience for all grades: The work involved MUST have included following types of duties: experience in evaluating, analyzing, developing, managing, or improving communications systems, procedures, and requirements that demonstrated knowledge of current developments and trends in communications concepts and technology. Planning, coordinating, and executing business functions, resource allocation, and production. Using your knowledge of the principles, methods, and tools for analyzing and developing systems test and evaluating procedures and technical characteristics of IT systems, including identifying critical operational issues. Using your knowledge of electronic theory, circuits, components, and material properties (excluding computers GS 09: Troubleshooting, diagnosing, analyzing, and identifying system malfunctions to determine the source and cause of the problem. GS 11: Using your knowledge of developments and new applications of information technology (hardware, software, telecommunications), emerging technologies and their applications for business processes and applications and implementing information systems to meet organizational requirements Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. Physical Demands-- The work involves both bench work and field work. The bench work portion of the job is usually sedentary and will involve the usual amount of sitting, walking, standing, and bending associated with office type work, informal meetings, and the use of bench equipment such as computers, analyzers, and soldering stations. Bench work includes working with micro-miniature circuitry, requiring the use of magnification devices and clean, precise working practices. The field portion of the job will include driving, hiking, and carrying equipment. Thus, the employee will occasionally carry a heavy backpack (up to 50 lbs.) and hike over rough, uneven, rocky terrain or slippery surfaces at elevations from 1,000 ft. to over 10,00 ft. and in temperatures from 20 degrees F to 115 degrees F. Once arriving at work sites field work involves some physical exertion such as long periods of standing, recurring bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, reaching, and recurring lifting of moderately heavy items. Considerable and strenuous physical exertion is required to work in high elevations on antenna supporting structures up to 150 feet above the ground, and in inclement weather conditions. Work involves driving long distances in hazardous conditions. such as four-wheel drive access areas, over steep and mountainous or rough high desert terrain. The position may require flying in helicopters and boating in varying weather conditions. Work requires the operation of a motor vehicle on steep mountainous roads. Incumbent must be able to perform occasional travel assignments. Work Environment-- Office work is performed in an adequately lighted and climate-controlled office, which requires the ability to sit for extended periods of time working at a bench. The incumbent will also be exposed to radio frequency hazards, high voltages, noise, and slippery and uneven surfaces. It also includes working in voice and data equipment rooms and computer rooms. Field work includes exposure to extreme weather conditions (over 100 degrees F), steep and uneven terrain, pesticides, poisonous plants, biting insects, and wild animals. Field conditions involve the employee being exposed to noise, dust, heat, weather, and aircraft turbulence. The tower climbing work is performed under variable and unpredictable working conditions in many locations, sometimes in inclement weather and at high altitudes. Work occasionally includes travel to different sites over long distance and exposure to extreme weather conditions (i.e., rain, snow, fog). ICTAP/CTAP Statement: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special prior­ity selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males. Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required. Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service); with few exceptions as outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement who have had a break in service of less than one year, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointments. Time-in-grade does not apply to new excepted service appointments. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. You will be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle. Occupancy of government quarters is required. You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. If you are a new employee in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period. You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 5 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. Travel, transportation & relocation expenses will not be paid. Relocation expenses will be the employee's responsibility. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by 11:59 EST when the applicant limit is reached which may be sooner than the closing date of this announcement-07/19/2024-. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. BASIC Requirement: EDUCATION: Undergraduate and Graduate Education with a major study in electrical or electronic engineering, mathematics, physics, public utilities, statistics, computer science, telecommunications management, information systems management, business administration, industrial management, or other fields related to the position to be filled. You must submit your transcripts. -OR- EXPERIENCE: Experience in evaluating, analyzing, developing, managing, or improving communications systems, procedures, and requirements that demonstrated knowledge of current developments and trends in communications concepts and technology. You must submit your resume with hours/week worked. - AND - To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: installing, programming, or performing basic maintenance on two-way radio communications equipment such as portable and mobile radios. Demonstrated experience installing and maintaining analog telephone systems. Understands and applies fundamental electronics theory and principles in order to troubleshoot, repair, and maintain radio communications electronics. Uses appropriate test, soldering, and other specialized equipment as required. You must submit your resume with hours/week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 1 full year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Master's degree (18 semester/27 quarter hours or 1 academic year of full-time graduate study) with a major study in electrical or electronic engineering, mathematics, physics, public utilities, statistics, computer science, telecommunications management, information systems management, business administration, industrial management, or other fields related to the position to be filled. You must submit your transcript. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of specialized work experience (as described above) and graduate education (as described above) that, when combined as percentages, meets the qualification requirements for this position. Experience and education should be computed as percentages of the overall requirements. The two percentages must equal at least 100% when combined. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are using education and experience to qualify you must submit a copy of your transcripts and corroborating resume with hours/week worked. -OR- SAA: A bachelor's degree AND Superior Academic Achievement. Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. You must submit your transcript. To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). The work involved MUST have included the following types of duties: providing support for two-way radio infrastructure, including, analog and P25 digital repeaters, LMR encryption, duplexers, combiners, and / or other antenna system components. Demonstrated experience with using industry standard test equipment appropriate to the task and systems under test. Demonstrated experience installing and maintaining digital and PBX and telephone systems. Understands and applies moderate to advanced electronics theory and principles in order to troubleshoot, repair, and maintain radio communications electronics. You must submit your resume with hours/week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Master's or equivalent graduate degree (36 semester hours or the number your school uses to represent two academic years of full-time graduate study) in electrical or electronic engineering, mathematics, physics, public utilities, statistics, computer science, telecommunications management, information systems management, business administration, industrial management, or other fields related to the position to be filled. You must submit your resume with hours/week worked. -OR- An equivalent combination of specialized work experience (as described above) and graduate education in excess of 18 graduate semester hours (as described above) that, when combined as percentages, meets the qualification requirements for this position. Experience and education should be computed as percentages of the overall requirements. The two percentages must equal at least 100% when combined. You must submit a copy of your transcripts and corroborating resume with hours/week worked. To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). The work involved MUST have included the following types of duties: providing support for communication systems, access control systems, fire/security alarm systems, video surveillance systems, microwave backhaul systems, local area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), Voice over IP (VoIP) and / or Radio over IP (RoIP) systems. You must include corroborating resume with hours/week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (54 semester/81 quarter hours or the number your school uses to represent three academic years of full-time graduate study) in electrical or electronic engineering, mathematics, physics, public utilities, statistics, computer science, telecommunications management, information systems management, business administration, industrial management, or other fields related to the position to be filled. You must submit your transcript. -OR- An equivalent combination of specialized work experience (as described above) and graduate education in excess of 36 graduate semester hours (as described in above) that, when combined as percentages, meets the qualification requirements for this position. Experience and education should be computed as percentages of the overall requirements. The two percentages must equal at least 100% when combined. You must submit a copy of your transcripts and corroborating resume with hours/week worked. Education To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Additional Information For more information about this position, please contact: David Thorpe, Communications Branch Chief david_thorpe@nps.gov A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR 575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive. A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor. 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 will 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 here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire