Summary This position is located in a Bureau of Land Management office in Salem, OR. The incumbent serves as a Telecommunications Specialist performing technical and analytical work involving the planning, procurement, installations, and maintenance of radio and digital communications for Bureau of Land Management offices. Responsibilities GS-0391-11 Telecommunications Specialist is responsible for providing district-wide telecommunications services that support emergency responders (Fire and Law Enforcement), non-emergency response employees, and the public. This position ensures proper operation of telecommunications infrastructure and end user devices which are critical to field operations, employee, and public safety. Telecommunications Specialists install or coordinate installations, provide onsite and remote repair and maintenance and ensure proper operation of a variety of telecommunications equipment. Equipment includes: VHF and UHF radio base stations, repeaters, microwave radio equipment, radio towers, antenna systems, subscriber radios, on site telephony, RoIP systems, VoIP systems and LAN switches and services. Specialists utilize specialized software, firmware, and test equipment to configure devices and infrastructure equipment. Training other employees on proper use of telecommunications equipment is required. Access to remote radio communications sites may involve considerable travel by 4-wheel drive automobile, foot, aircraft, helicopter, UTV, ATV or snowmobile. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications In order to qualify, you must meet the experience and/or education requirements described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. If qualifying based on education, a copy of your unofficial transcripts must be provided with your application. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying. A. Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sector) performing 3 or more of the following: 1) installing, repairing, integrating, and/or maintaining telecommunications systems and peripherals; 2) performing diagnostics or troubleshooting to resolve telecommunications and/or data collections issues; 3) drafting operating procedures, instructions, plans, or specifications on matters related to telecommunications systems; 4) procuring telecommunications systems or services from a variety of sources (i.e., common carriers, contractors, other commercial services) in accordance with established acquisition procedures. OR B. Education: Successful completion of 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or LL.M. Higher-level graduate education included 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. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education. OR C. Combination: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience. To calculate your combined amount, first determine the amount of your specialized experience as a percentage of the requirement listed in A above. Then determine the amount of your education as a percentage of the requirement listed in B above; then add the two percentages. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education. 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). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Status merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-09 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-11 level. (Must submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No award SF-50 will be accepted). Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). 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. You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies". A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. 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. GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. Additional Information Physical Demands: The work is mostly sedentary, although there is a continuing requirement for field work for the maintenance and/or installation of communications equipment. Considerable and strenuous physical exertion is required to work in high elevations up to 12,000 feet and in inclement weather conditions. Other demands such as the considerable walking, bending, pulling and heavy lifting of equipment weighing over 50 pounds is required for the installation, loading, and transporting of communications equipment in the field. Working Conditions: The position's work is performed under variable and unpredictable working conditions in many locations, sometimes in inclement weather and at high altitudes. 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. Travel to field/remote communications sites in the desert, mountains, mud, and snow using 4x4 vehicles, snowmobiles, 4-wheel all-terrain vehicles or aircraft is required. The incumbent will comply in utilizing all appropriate safety equipment, policies, and procedures. Telework: The Bureau of Land Management has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. Tax Law Impact for PCS: Moving expenses reimbursement is a taxable benefit. However, the Federal Travel Regulation 18-05 issued by General Services Administration has authorized agencies to use the Withholding Tax Allowance and Relocation Income Tax Allowance to pay for "substantially all" of the increased tax liability resulting from the "2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" for certain eligible individuals. This position is offering a Relocation/Recruitment Incentive, of up to 25% of the annual salary. To be eligible for a Relocation Incentive, you must be a current Federal Employee employed with the Federal Government and be willing to work directly from the BLM OR/WA office in the Salem, OR location (not remote). The selectee's current duty location must be more than 50 miles from the duty location of this position. To be eligible for a Recruitment Incentive, selectee must not be employed by the Federal Government. Certain incentives (such as Recruitment, Relocation or Student Loan Repayment) may be authorized to eligible selectees. If eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive or Student Loan Repayment. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) or Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible see To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 90 or above on the rating criteria for this position. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, please contact San Antonio Services Branch at or 816-541-8101.