In this position, you will be responsible for the operation, set-up, and support of Mobile Communications Operations Vehicles. The ideal candidate will have IT troubleshooting experience, knowledge of RF communications, and be capable of operating large commercial sized vehicles (e.g. RVs, F-550s). NEW! USERRA now protects the full-time employment of FEMA reservists when they are deployed to disasters, emergencies, and critical trainings on behalf of FEMA. Review the FEMA Crew Act FAQs.
To qualify for the Telecommunications Specialist (Mobile Communications Office Vehicle Operator)-Reservist, you must possess experience in each of the following areas: Providing telecommunications equipment set-up and maintenance support; which may include transmission media, data transfer, ground to ground radio, switching systems, digital and analog communications requirements (sometimes including video), local and wide area networks (LAN/WAN), and satellite linkages; AND Responding to problems or questions involving communications systems or communications requirements for internal and/or external stakeholders/customers; AND Inspecting operating communications systems for adequacy, efficiency, and/or need for improvement. OR Master's or equivalent graduate degree; or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.B or J.D, if related. AND Individual Occupational Requirements: In addition to the minimum qualifications described above, you must meet the following requirement(s) to be considered qualified for the position: 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 Specialized Experience: 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. In addition: Minimum age of eighteen years of age is required. All candidates must be a high school graduate or possess a GED. 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. Please limit your resume to five pages. If more than five pages are submitted, only the first five pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications. Your full resume will be made available to the hiring manager if you are referred. 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. Documenting your experience: Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, you must provide your job title (including series and grade if a federal position), start and end dates of each period of employment (from MM/DD/YY to MM/DD/YY), and the number of hours worked per week if part time. Current or former FEMA Reservists/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 each deployment, 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". Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. 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
What will I do in this position if hired? In this Telecommunications Specialist (Mobile Communications Office Vehicle Operator)-Reservist you will be a member of the Disaster Emergency Communication Cadre and will be responsible for the operation, set-up, and support of Mobile Communications Operations Vehicles (MCOV), including movement planning, motor vehicle maintenance and operation, communications equipment set-up and maintenance, and IT and Administrative support and training of Site Personnel. Typical assignments include: Driving and operating an MCOV in accordance with Federal and State regulations. The MCOV fleet includes Class A recreational vehicles and Class 1 Emergency Vehicle chassis; Conducting a chassis pre-trip inspection and routine vehicle operating maintenance, including identifying engine and drive-train issues, checking the oil, checking the tires, and climbing on top of the MCOV for satellite antenna troubleshooting; Establishing satellite connectivity, local area networks, and entire office communications with limited support; including configuring radios, radio repeaters, telephones, computers, wired and wireless local area networks, and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) satellite network communications; Maintaining MCOV operational capabilities and providing IT and logistical training and field support on-site at a disaster, by evaluating performance of communications systems, performing corrective maintenance checks and services for vehicle and generator, and considering cost/benefit factors; Providing information through verbal briefings and well-organized daily/weekly reports and logbooks, using Microsoft Office Suite programs, to report to both leadership and the public at mission sites. What else do I need to know? At FEMA, our mission to help people before, during and after disasters; so, every employee at FEMA has a role in emergency management. Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions. As a Reservist Employee, your role is to support response or recovery efforts. Reservists are intermittent, on-call employees. Please note that this is not a full-time position, and you only are paid when deployed. Deployment frequency and length varies based on disaster response need. Due to the irregular nature of disasters, Reservist employees are not guaranteed regular recurring hours, deployments, or renewal of employment. The Civilian Reservist Emergency Workforce (CREW) Act protects the job rights of FEMA Reservists while they are deployed to disasters, emergencies, and critical trainings by including FEMA Reservists under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployments Rights Act (USERRA). This means that if you hold another job, you are able to deploy as a FEMA reservist and your job will be protected. It also protects you against penalization, discrimination, or loss of employee benefits as a result of your deployments to disasters, emergencies, and critical trainings. For more information, please visit FEMA.gov/careers or review the USERRA Resources from the Department of Labor.