Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/27/2026. 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. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-08. 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. Individual Occupation Requirement (IOR) Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above: Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Use of dental laboratory material such as impression materials, plasters, stones, hydrocolloids, waxes, metals, acrylics, porcelain, and similar materials. Use of laboratory equipment such as hand tools, dental lathes, engines, and hand pieces, furnaces, casting machines, presses, flasks, and related equipment. Use of precision instruments such as articulators, surveyors, and microanalyzers. Construction of dental prosthetic appliances. Education and Training: Licensed professional dentists will be considered qualified for any grade level if they have, in the aggregate, the required experience in dental laboratory procedures. In addition to the IOR you may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-08 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: knowledge of oral anatomy, tooth morphology and the overall function of the masticatory system; knowledge and high degree of technical skill in all areas of removable and fixed prosthodontics as well as implants; knowledgeable of the equipment necessary to construct these dental restorations; ability to assisting staff dentist, oral surgeons, prosthodontists, and dental residents in the design and fabrication of intra and extra oral appliances and restorations; ability to test new or modified dental laboratory materials or equipment, while considering such as tensile strength, hardness and workability of alloys, the stability of impression materials or the efficiency and usefulness of new equipment; knowledge to fabricate removable dentures, tooth or implant supported crown and bridge; knowledge of design and construction of unusually complex dental restorations to overcome problems when working on unusually close tolerances, resolving difficult problems of esthetics, phonetics and function on natural teeth and tissues. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have two full years of graduate level education directly related to the position. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond one full year of graduate education. Example- An applicant has 6 months of specialized experience equivalent to GS-8 and 1 year of graduate level education. The applicant meets 50 percent of the required experience but none of the required education, since he or she does not have any graduate study beyond that which is required for GS-7. Preferred Experience: Currently performing the work of a Dental Laboratory Technician in any of the following settings: commercial lab, private lab, VA lab or military lab. Has a functional working knowledge, experience and or certifications with the use of 3shape CAD/CAM equipment and ExoCad design software. Be able to perform fixed, removable and implant prostheses utilizing modern computer digital technologies. The applicant must possess a knowledge and skill set for the fabrication of full dentures including custom trays, bite rimes, mounting casts, setting teeth and processing procedures. The applicant must have the ability and skill set for the fabrication processes involved for removable partial denture (RPD) prostheses. The applicant shall possess a working knowledge and current ability to utilize dental laboratory materials to repair/add teeth to any prostheses that has issues with being fractured, lack or retention or complex occlusal issues that need to be corrected. Has the ability to fabricate transitional partial dentures, wrought wire clasps and exhibit a working understanding of laser welding. Have the ability to pour and pin final fixed impressions, die sectioning, die trimming and cast articulation for fixed prosthodontic procedures. Have the ability, understanding and experience to fabricate porcelain fused to metal crowns, all metal crowns, all ceramic crowns and fixed partial dentures. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Reasoning (Clerical/Technical) Safety Engineering Technical Competence Technical Competence Technical Competence Technology Application 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 work is mostly sedentary, but also requires standing, bending, reaching, lifting heavy materials and general dental laboratory functions. Work is performed in the dental laboratory setting. Due to the various types of dental equipment dental materials, chemicals and sterilizing agents that must be used, it is necessary to observe standard safety precautions to avoid accidents. The laboratory technician is required to wear personal protective equipment. 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/.