Summary This position is located in Blue Ridge Parkway, in the Visitor and Resource Protection Division. Open to the first 100 applicants or until 01/31/2025 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration. Responsibilities The Communications Center provides primary telecommunications and logistical support for daily and emergency operations, law enforcement information gathering and dissemination, wildfire response and maintenance operations; is the 9-1-1 public emergency answering point; and serves as a primary contact for other federal and state agencies. The Center provides full services 24 hours per day, seven days per week, and 365 days per year. This position is located in the Emergency Communications Center (ECC) within the Division Visitor and Resource Protection, Headquarters, Blue Ridge Parkway (BLRI) and answers directly to the Communications Center Manager. The ECC provides dispatch services for all public safety functions as well as primary telecommunications and logistical support for the Park's day-to-day and emergency operations (law enforcement, fire, EMS, search and rescue and maintenance). The ECC maintains on-site access (query and input) to NCIC/NLETS/DCI Law Enforcement Telecommunications systems. The incumbent operates computerized dispatch consoles and related equipment in the course of serving as the primary point of contact for law enforcement, emergency medical, fire and search and rescue incidents. The employee must be proficient in the use of CAD, IMARS and a number of state and national public safety computer networks. The incumbent, if certified, may provide pre-arrival instructions using Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) protocols. The incumbent routinely communicates and relays information with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies around the country to acquire or share law enforcement information. Relays and disseminates information for law enforcement officers, all park division staff, residents, visitors and business contacts. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males. Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued driver's license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists. Lastly, you may be required to 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 discloses all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State driver's license. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. If you are a new employee or supervisor 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. 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. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Qualifications Requirements continued... Applicants must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program. All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-01/31/2025-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must possess 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-04 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as but not limited to: Extensive database and records management with frequent interruptions; reception, registration, or call center duties with a multi-line phone system in a busy environment, customer service or front desk duties with rude or agitated customers, and monitoring and/or responding to radio communications. Must be able to obtain and maintain a valid NCIC certificate. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 4 years of education above high school (120 semester hours or 180 quarter hours) leading to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. PLEASE NOTE: If you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. We will not solicit you for this information and you will NOT receive consideration if it is not submitted. You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of specialized experience as described above and education as described above which total at least one year. For example, 6 months of specialized experience (50% of the specialized experience) and 90 semester hours of college education (50% of the education) would qualify an applicant for this position. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. Note: If you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. To qualify for this position at the GS-06 grade level, you must possess 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, but not limited to: Office support positions and non-emergency and emergency call takers in direct support of law enforcement, fire, or medical personnel, wilderness conservation and hunting regulations, probation and parole, or the courts; Work participating in emergency services (i.e. Emergency Medical Technician, Emergency Medical Dispatcher, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), law enforcement, structural/wildland fire, search and rescue (SAR) response, dispatching for emergency services, and patrolling wilderness areas). Must be able to obtain and maintain a valid NCIC certificate. You must include hours per week worked. To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess 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-06 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience includes at least two of the following: A) Serving as a certified operator of the National Criminal Information Network (NCIC) system; B) Serving as a certified Emergency Medical Dispatcher or EMS Specialist: C) Using a computer aided dispatch (CAD) system; AND having served as a Public Safety Dispatcher performing any of the following: Receiving and prioritizing both emergency and non-emergency calls for law enforcement, fire, and EMS incidents. Coordinating the appropriate response to emergency and non-emergency incidents and updating responders appropriately; Querying and relaying driver and vehicle information, person cautions, wants, and warrants for law enforcement contacts and investigations. Must be able to obtain and maintain a valid NCIC certificate. You must include hours per week worked. To qualify for this position at the GS-08 grade level, you must possess 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). This experience includes activities such as: Serving as a senior dispatcher in a complex dispatch environment of multiple units, jurisdictions, and/or agencies, provides training and/or assistance to problems encountered by lower-level or newer dispatchers, and informs them on the proper policies and procedures as required. Provides technical guidance, orientation, and training to new employees or lower-level dispatchers. Troubleshoots radio and computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system issues and notifies the appropriate personnel or Dispatch Supervisor of the issues. Must be able to obtain and maintain a valid NCIC certificate. You must include hours per week worked. Volunteer Experience: 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. 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. There is no substitution of education for experience at the GS-6/7/8 grade level(s) of this announcement. 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. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001). Additional Information 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. 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. Physical Demands: Incumbent must function efficiently in a confined space for extended periods with no breaks and no opportunity to leave the confines of the Communications Center. The dispatcher is considered an "essential employee," meaning he/she is required to work most holidays, report for duty during adverse weather conditions, and be expected to work for long hours exceeding normally scheduled shifts in case of emergencies. Position is sedentary with high amounts of stress. Incumbent is subject to shift work, rotating shift work, and uncommon tours of duty. Work requires use of the voice in vocal communications for periods of hours at a time. Voice must be clear, audible, and tone effective with words plainly spoken and understandable. Incumbent must be able to hear clearly and discern a variety of audible communications and signals simultaneously. Incumbent must be able to read critical information from multiple sources, including computer screen, fax, and written log quickly and accurately. The work is of an emergency nature and is emotionally stressful. Incumbent must possess manual dexterity sufficient to operate computer terminals/keyboards and related equipment and to maintain written logs. Work involves occasional lifting of boxes and supplies up to weights of 50 pounds. Working Conditions: The work is normally performed in a well-lighted and temperature-controlled room. Noise levels are routinely high due to electronic equipment, telephones, radios, and other discussions ongoing in the performance of duties. The setting is typically confined and secure, and entrance and egress is controlled. During the training period and/or on other occasions, the incumbent will be assigned to accompany field law enforcement personnel in patrol vehicles to learn or gain a more detailed familiarization with agency field operating procedures and jurisdictional boundaries. Incumbent may not leave the center unless relieved by another qualified dispatcher.