Clarification from the agency

All current or former career/career-conditional federal employees with competitive/reinstatement eligibility; Eligible applicants under: Veterans' Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA); CTAP/ICTAP within the local commuting area; Special Hiring Authorities; Current or former time-limited employees under PL-114-47, Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA); All former PLC members meeting PLC requirements.

Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

Major Duties:

• Coordinate initial emergency response, evaluating incidents, soliciting all necessary information, and applying judgement according to interagency guides, protocols, and pre-plans.
• Receive and evaluate emergency calls, soliciting information to initiate an appropriate response of emergency services personnel, acquiring critical information (law enforcement, fire, medical search and rescue, etc.).
• Use a variety of specialized computer programs such as NCIC (National Criminal Information Center, NLETS (National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System), and CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) in the performance of dispatch duties.
• May perform multi-jurisdictional all-risk incidents (law enforcement, wildland fire, structural fires, aviation, intelligence, medical, search and rescue, and other emergency services).

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.

Work Environment: 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.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
• DIRECT DEPOSIT: Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
• TIME-IN-GRADE (TIG): 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); with few exceptions as outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement who have had a break in service of less than one year, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointments. Time-in-grade does not apply to new excepted service appointments and must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
• DRUG TESTING: 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.
• DRIVER'S LICENSE: You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also 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 disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
• WORK SCHEDULE: You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime, and shift work.
• TRAVEL: You may be required to travel overnight away from home once or twice per year (i.e., for training purposes). You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
• Work may involve occasional lifting of boxes and supplies up to weights of 50 pounds.
• PROBATIONARY PERIOD: If you are a new employee in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period. Please see "Additional Information" section below for important details regarding probationary periods.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement, unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. Award SF-50's are not acceptable documentation to support amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience, which is experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. This experience must be equivalent to at least the GS-04 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). You must include hours per week worked.

Examples of qualifying specialized experience include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Perform work that provides familiarity with public safety policies and procedures such as but not limited to working as a security guard, law enforcement officer, or emergency responder (medical or search and rescue);
• Relay information from callers using a multi-line telephone or multi-frequency radio system to initiate a response;
• Serve as a dispatcher for safety or non-safety services (i.e. perform dispatch functions on a fire, construction site, other).

-OR-

EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 4 years of education above high school in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. The education must have been attained in an accredited college or university. You must include a legible copy of your transcripts.

-OR-

COMBINATION: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. For example, 6 months of specialized experience (50% of the specialized experience) and 3 years of education above high school (50% of the education) would qualify an applicant for this position. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include a copy of your transcripts.

To qualify for this position at the GS-06 grade level, you must possess the following minimum qualification by close of the announcement:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience, which is experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. This experience must be equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal service. You must include hours per week worked.
Examples of qualifying specialized experience include but are not limited to the following:

• Provide dispatch and/or call taking services, related to public safety (medical, law enforcement, search and rescue, fire or other emergencies/public safety related);
• Operate computer systems such as but not limited to: National Criminal Information Network (NCIC), National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS), Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), or similar systems that aid in public safety dispatching to run queries and document communications.

To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess the following minimum qualification by close of the announcement:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience, which is experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. This experience must be equivalent to at least the GS-06 level in the Federal service. You must include hours per week worked.
Examples of qualifying specialized experience include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provide dispatch and call taking services in a communications center that provides public safety (medical, law enforcement, search and rescue, fire or other emergencies/public safety related) dispatch operation, in a complex environment (i.e. remote/urban environment, wildland fire, or other complex environments or situations);
• Coordinate responses to emergency incidents by initiating response of personnel and equipment according to agency protocols and providing communication and logistical support to responders;
• Operate computer systems such as but not limited to National Criminal Information Network (NCIC), National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS), Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), or similar systems that aid in public safety dispatching to run queries and document communications.

To qualify for this position at the GS-08 grade level, you must possess the following minimum qualification by close of the announcement:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience, which is experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. This experience must be equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service. You must include hours per week worked.
Examples of qualifying specialized experience include but are not limited to, the following:

• Provide dispatch and call taking services in a communications center that provides public safety (medical, law enforcement, search and rescue, fire or other emergencies/public safety related) dispatch operation, in a complex environment (i.e. remote/urban environment, serves more than one division, unit, jurisdiction, and/or agency, or other complex situations);
• Coordinate responses to emergency incidents by initiating response of personnel and equipment according to agency protocols and providing communication and logistical support to responders;
• Operate computer systems such as but not limited to National Criminal Information Network (NCIC), National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS), Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), or similar systems that aid in public safety dispatching to interpret information, run queries and document communications;
• Review internal operating procedures and systems related to public safety to make recommendations for improvement; provide technical guidance, orientation, and training to new employees or lower-level dispatchers.

Volunteer 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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

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. A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. You may only submit one resume. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.

Candidates who apply under Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are highly qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Best qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

Candidates who apply under Noncompetitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

• Public Safety and Security
• Stress Tolerance
• Teaching Others
• Technology Application
• Telecommunications

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of an additional assessment, a subject matter expert (SME) resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process.

If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS ARE REQUIRED and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 01/13/2026.

1. RESUME which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates specified in month and year format, and indicate hours worked per week. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade.
   • Your resume must clearly show how long you have held each grade in a federal position.
   • Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted.
   • The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text.
   • Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible.
   • All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression.
   • Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications
2. Complete All Required Assessments.
3. Performance Appraisals and Awards:
   • All applicants must submit their most recent performance appraisal showing the official rating of record and signed by a supervisor. If submitting a performance appraisal not dated within the last 18 months, a statement as to why it is the most recent must be submitted. If no performance appraisal is available, applicants must submit a statement as to why it is not available (including if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level).
4. Merit Promotion Eligibility Documentation such as:
   • Federal employees/former federal employees must submit a copy of their latest/last SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" reflecting career or career-conditional status in the competitive service, shows position title, series, grade and an additional SF-50 showing highest permanent grade ever held, if not reflected on your latest SF-50. Examples of acceptable SF-50s include: Promotion, Within Rate Increases, or Appointment SF-50s. Do not submit an Award SF-50. Time in grade will be determined by reviewing your resume and required SF-50s. Your last Federal performance appraisal plan for your last position must reflect a rating of Fully Successful or equivalent. If the SF-50 showing highest permanent grade ever held has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess the one-year time-in-grade, as required by this announcement. In this instance, your resume must clearly show that you held that grade for one year.
   • Documentation for the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) eligibility. See "How To Apply" section for more information.
   • Other Supporting Documents, if applicable, such as:
     • Veterans Preference Documentation:
       • If you are a Discharged, Non-Disabled Veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of discharge (Member 4 copy), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF15. If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
       • If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
       • If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF15, and if applicable, a completed SF15. You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from www.ebenefits.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability.
5. College transcripts, if qualifying based on education.
6. Documentation for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan consideration if you are a displaced Federal employee within the local commuting area. See "How To Apply" section for more information.
7. Noncompetitive or Special Hiring Authority. Applicants who are eligible to be considered based on a Noncompetitive or Special Hiring Authority (i.e. Schedule A, VRA, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps Vista, former PLC member, certain Military Spouses, 30% or More Disabled Veterans, Pathways, etc.) must submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility.

Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.

Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.

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