Telecommunications Specialist

Federal Emergency Management Agency

$80K — $95K *
Telecommunications & Hardware
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-7 years of experience in radio frequency systems, IP-based systems, and video systems
  • Proven background in planning, designing, and integrating telecommunication systems
  • Expertise in evaluating off-the-shelf and custom radio frequency systems
  • Experience with frequency management and project prioritization
  • Bachelor's degree in electrical/electronic engineering, telecommunications management, or a related field is preferred
  • Ability to obtain TS/SCI clearance and pass a background check
  • Willingness to deploy at short notice across the U.S. and territories

Responsibilities

  • Develop operational readiness plans and checklists for mission-critical equipment
  • Design and integrate various radio frequency systems and associated equipment
  • Conduct frequency management and evaluate system compatibility
  • Create detailed project plans for communication service requests
  • Monitor maintenance and testing protocols for telecommunications systems

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
  • Retirement plan and Thrift Savings Plan (similar to a 401(k))
  • Paid personal leave days and federal holidays
  • Flexible work schedules and potential for tuition reimbursement
  • Access to employee training and wellness programs
  • Transportation subsidies and uniform allowance
  • Disabled veteran leave for eligible veterans
Full Job Description
Summary

This position is located in Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Office of National Continuity Programs. The ideal candidate for this position will have design and maintenance experience on radio frequency systems, Internet protocol based systems and video systems.

Duties

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What will I do in this position if hired?

In this position, you will develop plans, procedures, and checklists to ensure the operational readiness of mission equipment and personnel. Typical assignments include:

  • Planning and designing the deployment, placement, installation, integration, operation, maintenance and testing of a large variety of wide and narrow band radio frequency systems band radio frequency systems with their associated ancillary equipment.
  • Performing frequency management function.
  • Performing integration and evaluation of off-the-shelf and prototype radio frequency systems and sub-systems with voice, data, and video telecommunications equipment and tests for compatibility with FEMA standard systems.
  • Reviewing requests for communication services and developing detailed plans, setting priorities for projects.


Promotion Potential: Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo, successfully pass, and maintain a background investigation for TS/SCI as a condition of placement into this position. This may include a credit check after initial job qualifications are determined, a review of financial issues, such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs (please visit: Mythbuster on Federal Hiring Policies for additional information). For more information on background investigations for Federal jobs please visit OPM Investigations.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Please ensure you meet the qualification requirements described below.

Key Requirements:

  1. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
  2. You must successfully pass a background investigation.
  3. Selective Service registration required.
  4. Current federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements.
  5. You must be able to obtain and maintain a Government credit card.
  6. You must be able to deploy with little or no advance notice to anywhere in the United States and its territories for an extended period of time.
  7. Please review the Additional Information section for additional key requirements.


Qualifications

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): 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.

The qualification requirements listed below must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

To qualify for this position at the GS-12 level, you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the federal government, a state or local government, or private sector, and must demonstrate the following:

  1. Installing, monitoring and maintaining of telecommunications systems for data, voice and video; and
  2. Providing technical input for system development and improvements.,


OR

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study 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.

Other Education: Communications/electronics or automatic data processing training in technical

institutes or business schools above the high school level or in Armed Forces schools that included advanced

instruction in addition to basic courses, may be substituted for general experience on a

month-for-month basis.

OR

Combination of education and experience

Please read the following important information to ensure we have everything we need to consider your application:

  • Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.
  • Your resume serves as the basis for experience related qualification determinations, and you must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable), as it relates to this job opportunity. Please use your own words, be clear, and specific when describing your work history. We cannot make assumptions regarding your experience.


Are you qualifying based on your work experience?

  • Qualifications are based on your ability to demonstrate in your resume that you possess one year of the specialized experience for this announcement at a comparable scope and responsibility. To ensure all of the essential information is in your resume, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS online Resume Builder. If you choose to use your own resume, it must contain the following information organized by experience/position: (1) job title, (2) name of employer, (3) start and end dates of each period of employment (from MM/DD/YY to MM/DD/YY), (4) detailed description of duties performed, accomplishments, and related skills, and (5) hours worked per week (part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience). Federal experience/positions must also include the grade level, occupational series and dates in which you held each grade level.
  • Are you a current or former FEMA Reservist/Disaster Assistance Employee (DAE)? To accurately credit your experience from intermittent positions and Reservist Deployments, you must list the dates (from MM/DD/YY to MM/DD/YY) of deployments that are relevant to your qualifying experience, along with the job title and specific duties you were responsible for during each deployment.
  • Determining length of General or Specialized Experience is dependent on the above information. Failure to provide the above information in your resume may result in your application being found "not qualified.
  • 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 provides valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.


  • For additional information on crediting experience and/or education, please reference the OPM General Schedule Qualification Standards.


Education

Positive Education Requirement: This position has a positive education requirement, as outlined in the "requirements"section. You must submit a copy of your transcripts (unofficial are acceptable) with your online application. Once selected and prior to appointment, applicants must provide official college transcripts..

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. For example, specific courses accepted for college-level credit by an accredited U.S. college or university, or foreign education evaluated by an organization recognized for accreditation by the Department of Education as education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. college or university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. Visit the Department of Education's Recognition of Foreign Qualifications for more information.

Additional information

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays.

Other benefits may include flexible work schedules; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities. For more information, go to the DHS Careers website and select "Benefits." Disabled veteran leave will be available to any federal employee hired on or after November 5, 2016, who is a veteran with a service- connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.

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