Supervisory Telephone Operator

Summary

The position supports the mission for telephone operations which is to be the face of the medical center and responsible to provide positive experiences, excellent first impressions, promoting patient care while safeguarding the image of the Detroit VA Medical Center.

Duties

Supervisory Duties This position supervises all telephone operators as well as oversees all telephone operator functions. The incumbent will supervise (1) Lead Telephone Operator GS-0382-05 and (9) Telephone Operator GS-0382-04.The position works directly with the telephone operators, medical staff and administrative support regarding procedures, policies, directives as well as after-hour patient care and general telephone services. Manages all telephone operator administrative functions. Supervise the work of office, administrative and telephone customer care employees to maintain deadlines, and proper procedures, correcting errors or problems and ensure adherence to quality standards. Fully participates in management discussions, decisions, and policy making regarding telephone operations for the medical center. Telephone and Administrative Duties Functions as a telecommunication analyst developing, analyzing, reporting, evaluating, and advising on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of work methods, procedures, organization, manpower utilization, distribution of work, management controls and information/ documentation of the telephone operator systems. Coordinate telecommunication activities with medical center management and other supervisory personnel as well as with other work units or departments. These activities include generating telephone operational reports, updating on-call and valid contact information, announcing real-time procedure changes, coordinating communication bulletins and updates as well as emergency communications, drills, and exercises. Receive directory service updates along with on-call input from administrative, clinical staffs, Office of Information Technology (OIT) and emergency personnel to prepare recommendations and communication proposals to the Assistant Director, clinic staff and senior management. Participate in recruitment, interviews, and selection of telephone operation employees for Telephone Switchboard Service. Implement medical center or departmental policies, procedures, and service standards in conjunction with OIT and Medical Center management. Participate in hospital campaigns, managerial- based studies, and pertinent telecommunication project management. Train or instruct employees in job duties, departmental and medical center policies or arrange for training to be provided. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8am-4:30pm. Schedule may be subject to change based on the needs of the Agency. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Telephone Operator/PD915650 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/20/2026. 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-08 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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 as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Telecommunication analyst developing, analyzing, reporting, evaluating, and advising on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of work methods, procedures, organization, manpower utilization, distribution of work, management controls and information/ documentation of the telephone operator systems. 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. 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/. Physical Requirements: Most of the work is performed in an office setting. These job functions do not required unusual physical effort but may involve some standing and walking to consult directories and manuals. The work will be performed during normal business hours as defined by the medical center and is generally sedentary.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.