Telephone Operator
What you'd do
The Telephone Operator is located within the Health Administration Services service line at the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital in Columbia, MO.
Major duties
This position is under the Health Administration Service at the Truman VA Medical Center in Columbia, MO. The duties of this position include but are not limited to: The incumbent operates facility's telephone system / switchboard. Receives and connects incoming and outgoing calls. Routes the calls to their proper destination and provides organizational information to callers. Operates the installation paging system and monitors various emergency alarms and takes appropriate actions. Operates facility's telephone system/switchboard. Receives and connects incoming and outgoing calls. Routes the calls to their proper destination and provides telephone and organizational information to callers. Answers or places non-routine telephone calls such as international calls. Interviews incoming caller to determine how to route the call and routes the caller to the appropriate department or service. Operates the installation paging system. Regularly handles a variety of difficult calls, which require personal involvement on the part of the employee, such as threatening, abusive or distraught callers. Initiates a trace with local telephone and police authorities when dealing with threatening calls. Monitors various emergency alarms and takes appropriate action; maintains a log of all calls/incidents; protects the confidentiality of information; involves shift work which may include nights, evenings, weekends, and holidays, and occasionally, overtime. Requires ability to function efficiently under stress and handle numerous tasks simultaneously. Work Schedule: Rotating shift including weekends and holidays; to be discussed during interview process Compressed/Flexible: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Telephone Operator/PD10528A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/17/2026. 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-4 position you must have served any amount of time at the GS-2 of GS-3. 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 and/or education as described below: General Experience: You must have one year of general experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-2 or GS-3 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of general experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 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. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completion of two (2) years of education above the high school level in any field. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial or technical school.. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond high school. (Transcript Required) You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service Information Management Technical Competence Telecommunications 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. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive 5019 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/.
Before you apply
Federal applications are different: your resume should be 3–5 pages and mirror the language of this announcement. Read our federal resume guide first — it's the #1 reason qualified people get screened out.
Don't miss the next one.
Get an email the moment a similar federal job opens — postings can close in as little as 5 days.