Telephone Operator- Palo Alto Health Care System

Position Summary

ValCorp is seeking reliable, courteous, and professional Telephone Operators to provide continuous 24/7/365 switchboard coverage for the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Operators support incoming and outgoing calls, emergency code notifications, paging systems, and critical communications across a large federal healthcare environment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Answer all incoming calls within three (3) rings while providing professional, courteous service.
• Route calls throughout the VA Palo Alto Health Care System accurately and efficiently.
• Operate Cisco Finesse System phones, land lines, digital paging, overhead paging, pocket paging, and code-paging systems.
• Receive and process emergency alarms, codes, bomb threats, fires, disasters, and critical notifications.
• Assist staff and patients with outgoing calls, including commercial and EIS calls as permitted by procedure.
• Maintain logs of telephone equipment malfunctions and report issues to VA OIT or designated personnel.
• Index patient and employee locations using computer terminals and approved systems.
• Follow VA emergency communication procedures, threat protocols, and escalation requirements.
• Maintain compliance with Privacy Act and FOIA requirements when handling information.
• Wear VA-issued identification badge at all times while performing assigned duties.

Minimum Qualifications

• Experience in call centers, dispatch, switchboard operations, telephone operations, or similar roles.
• Ability to remain calm and professional during emergencies and high-volume periods.
• Strong verbal communication, customer service, and telephone etiquette skills.
• Basic computer proficiency and ability to learn VA systems.
• Ability to work rotating shifts, weekends, nights, and federal holidays.
• Must successfully complete VA background check and credentialing requirements.
• Must maintain automobile liability insurance to park on VA property, if applicable.

Preferred Qualifications

• Healthcare communications or federal facility experience.
• Familiarity with Cisco Finesse or similar call management systems.
• Prior emergency communications or dispatch experience.

Preferred Competencies

• Call routing and communication accuracy
• Emergency communication and escalation support
• Customer service professionalism
• Computer and system navigation
• Reliability, confidentiality, and attention to detail