This position serves as the Electronics Technician in the Electronics Section of Clinical Engineering Service, with general supervision by the Supervisory Electronics Technician. The sites located in South Carolina are, Charleston VA and associated CBOC's. Incumbent is required to occasionally travel to perform work at remote sites.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/15/2026. 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. 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. Specialized Experience GS-7: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include following specific layout and schematic diagrams to construct or package simple devices or subunits of equipment. Under the review of higher graded technicians performed maintenance, operations, testing, or development work. OR **OR One year of successfully completed graduate level education (18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours or the equivalent) in electrical engineering, electronics engineering, or engineering technology, or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts. Specialized Experience GS-8: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of such experience may include preparing circuit diagrams, laying out circuits to provide adequate mechanical mounting support for components, constructing breadboard models of equipment, tracing circuitry, diagnosing malfunctions and adjusting controls to achieve peak performance or preparing schematics and wiring diagrams for completed equipment. ** OR 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education (36 semester hours, 54 semester hours) leading to a master's or equivalent degree in electrical engineering, electronics engineering, or engineering technology or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skill and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. **OR a combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described above, and professional experience, as described above: Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts. Specialized Experience GS-9: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-8 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of such experience may include planning own work and assuring that it met established technical requirements as documented in manufacturers' handbooks and reporting to scientists or officials who use the equipment in their work. **OR 2-years of progressively higher level graduate education (36 semester hours, 54 semester hours) leading to a master's or equivalent degree in electrical engineering, electronics engineering, or engineering technology or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skill and abilities necessary to do the work of the this position. **OR A combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described above, and professional experience, as described above. Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts. Specialized Experience GS-10: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of such experience may include install, maintain, operate, and test electronic equipment which is specially designed, constructed, or modified to fill a specific function; work with subsystems that are complex because of miniature size, density of circuitry, lack of available documentation, etc; work on equipment in remote spots, high towers or in cramped quarters without time for trial & error approached or bulky test equipment. Specialized Experience GS-11: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-10 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of such experience may include selecting or recommending approaches to solving unique design problems, developing new components or circuits in units or devices with very critical tolerances or performance characteristics, and conferring with scientists to gain understanding of the objectives desired. Electronics technicians may have gained experience assisting in work situations including: Maintenance, Fabrication, Testing and Evaluation/Research and Development, Sustainment, and Troubleshooting 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: The incumbent handles objects weighing up to (20) pounds routinely and occasionally handles objects up to fifty (50) pounds. Frequently, work will be performed in cramped and awkward positions. The work also requires prolonged periods of standing and walking. Technical, academic, and mental demands are considerable. The work performed is of a precise nature, requiring prolonged concentration. The incumbent often works under conditions of stress caused by the nature of the work and the necessity to meet deadlines. Incumbent is required to frequently travel to perform work at remote sites. Emergencies at these locations will require immediate response allowing very limited time for notice and preparation. 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/.
Major duties include but not limited to: Responsible for the comprehensive management of electronic systems within the Ralph H Johnson VAMC. Performs design, installation, maintenance, and administrative duties on these systems as required. Works in all areas of the medical center, supports both patient care and ancillary services. Plans and performs schedules and unscheduled (emergency) maintenance on systems to ensure that they are operating properly, calibrated, and in compliance with applicable codes and standards. Seeks ways to reduce failures, eliminate safety hazards, and enhance accuracy and reliability. Recommends whether systems are to be removed from service, allowed to remain in service, or be restored to service. Responsible for all of the electronic systems at all satelite clinics in various geographical locations. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm. Work schedule subject to change due to agency needs. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Electronic Technician/PD10971-A, PD10972-A, PD10973-A, PD534-50021-A, and PD534-07790-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.