Telecommunications Mechanic

Telecommunications Mechanic

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Northport, New York

Salary Range: $34.64 - $40.48 Per Hour

Job Summary: The purpose of this position is to complete communications infrastructure upgrades, repairs, and new digital and analog installations. The incumbent's tasks shall include but are not limited to; installation, upgrade, repair and removal of communications equipment, fiber optic cable, installation of CAT 5E/ CAT 6 cabling systems, and all other required cable installations.

Major Duties:

• Major duties include but are not limited to; Work with conduit and need to know how to install conduit and run wiring and cabling through the conduit. The incumbent must know how switches, circuit breakers, fuses, relays and outlets are installed and how they operate. The work requires frequent bending, pulling cables, working in awkward positions, walking and standing for long periods of time, and climbing ladders. Working environments may include, trenches, pits, and confined spaces as required such as manholes. Exposed to dust, dirt and falls from ladders while installing cable. Installation, upgrade, repair and removal of communications equipment, communications transport cabling, wireless LAN mounting, fiber optic cable, splicing and termination of fiber optic cable, fiber optic patch panels, fiber to the desktop, installation of CAT 5E/ CAT 6 cabling systems, installation of back boards, cable trays, raceways, J-Hooks, data and voice jacks, telephone punch down blocks and cross connects and television RG6U cable installations. Complete communications infrastructure upgrades, repairs and new digital and analog installations. Removing and replacing light fixtures, modifying fixtures to LEDs, running wiring for LED and other light fixtures, splicing, soldering, safe off of defective wiring changing out fluorescent light bulbs and performing ballast bypass. Installs switches, circuit breakers, fuses, relays and outlets. Survey the installation area to determine work methods, tools and materials required to complete the tasks. Install and terminate copper core and/or fiber optic house cables. Uses judgment of where light fixtures and wiring should be installed for certain applications, such as offices, surgical areas and common areas. Uses blueprints, measuring tools such as digital and clamp meters, tape measures, voltmeters and other common tools including portable power tools, screwdrivers, pliers, wire cutters, strippers, drills, soldering irons, conduit benders and threads, and test equipment. Apply a thorough knowledge of copper core and fiber optic transmission principles. Apply a thorough knowledge of different electronic and solid-state voice and data systems including their capabilities, functions of their major circuits, and the associated cables and wiring used to interconnect the systems. Knowledge of the correct conduit size, the type of cable for applications such as fire alarms, televisions, data and voice jacks and teletype equipment. Have knowledge of a fluke network tester which will be able to indicate if there are any reflectance in fiber optic cable. Knowledge of removing light fixture, replacing fluorescent light bulbs, running wiring for LED and other light fixtures, splicing, soldering, safe off of defective wiring, and ballast bypasses for lights. Have knowledge of CAT cable, fiber optics, communications transport cabling, RG6U cabling and low voltage wires. Install, remove, maintain, modify, troubleshoot, and repair voice and/or nonvoice communications systems including intercom, alarm systems, teletype equipment, terminal and communications equipment, including modems, multiplexers, fiber optic end equipment. Performs preventative maintenance on all types and voltages of switches, receptacles, lighting, magnetic starters, relays and motors. Independently review work orders and layout sheets to select equipment and circuits required. Reads blueprints to determine lay out and routes for cable destination before it is punched down. Work requires lifting and carrying items weighing up to 50 lbs. without assistance. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:00 AM - 3:30 PM Position Description Title/PD#: Telecommunications Mechanic/PD25104A Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized

Qualifications: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/08/2026. EXPERIENCE: A specific length of training and experience is not required, but you must show evidence of training or experience of sufficient scope and quality of your ability to do the work of this position. Evidence which demonstrates you possess the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the duties of this position must be supported by detailed descriptions of such on your resume. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standards. SCREEN-OUT ELEMENT: Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, which usually appears as question 1 in the on-line questionnaire. Those applicants who appear to possess at least the minimal acceptable qualification requirement are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated. The potential eligibles are then rated against the remainder of the Job Elements: Ability to Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. (Includes Blueprint Reading) Ability to Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment Equipment Assembly, Installation, Repair Interpret Instructions, Specifications (includes blueprint reading) Knowledge of Equipment Assembly, Installation, and Repair, etc. Knowledge of Materials Materials Technical Practices Technical Practices (Theoretical, Precise, Artistic) Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment 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/Working Conditions: The work requires frequent bending, pulling cables, working in awkward positions, walking and standing for long periods of time, and climbing ladders. In addition, the work requires lifting and carrying items weighing up to 50 lbs. without assistance. Work is performed inside and outside under all types of weather. Inside work areas can range from well lit, heated, and climatically controlled to poorly illuminated work areas such as attics, crawl spaces, and basements. Cable installation and maintenance extends to exterior locations. Workers are exposed to dust, dirt and falls from ladders while installing cable. Workers are exposed to bruises and minor cuts from handling cable and equipment and from using hand tools. Working environments may include, trenches, pits, and confined spaces as required such as manholes. Safety goggles, hard hats, and safety boots will be required when work is being completed.

How to Apply: All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 05/08/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12950614. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. If initial application submission is updated and resubmitted with a new resume, only the most current resume will be reviewed for consideration. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/ Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified, you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Application Deadline: 2026-05-08