Operations Help Desk Specialist

Entarian•Suitland, MD

11d•Onsite

About The Position

Entarian is seeking candidates to support Search and Rescue monitoring activities for the United States Mission Control Center (USMCC) Search and Satellite-Aided Tracking (SARSAT) system. This position involves dual duties as an RGDB Help Desk Specialist and Duty Controller. The RGDB Help Desk Specialist is responsible for the registration of emergency beacons, a critical part of the life-saving system. The Duty Controller ensures the performance of SARSAT satellite instruments, Local User Terminals (LUTs), the USMCC, and supporting communications. The USMCC is monitored 24/7/365 to ensure no delay in Search and Rescue (SAR) response times. Duty Controllers work 12-hour shifts (7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m. - 7:00 a.m.). This is an on-site position in Suitland, MD at the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility (NSOF). Overtime will be expected when covering the USMCC Duty Controller position. The hourly rate for this role is approximately $24.25/hour with eligibility for overtime and shift differential pay after a 3-month training period. This position is covered under the Services Contract Act (SCA).

Requirements

HS Diploma; Associates degree or BS degree preferred and may be substituted for years of experience.
A minimum of 4 years’ relevant experience such as customer service, IT help desk, etc.
Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills to work effectively with international communities and to write concise, accurate controller duty logs and communicate verbally and in writing by emails with beacon owners.
Typing speed 35-45 wpm or greater (to be confirmed by a typing test).
Must have proven experience using software tools such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Must be dependable, detail oriented and willing to work a rotating 12-hour shift schedule for the controller duties and 8 hour shift during normal hours for the customer service representative duties.
An understanding of mathematics, latitude and longitude, and time zones (e.g., UTC/GMT) is required.
Must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident and be able to pass a background investigation to obtain a security badge to enter the applicable government facility.

Nice To Haves

Candidates with prior military experience serving as an operations or command center duty officer highly desired.
Training on the SARSAT system will be provided.

Responsibilities

Monitor the USMCC SARSAT system and respond to requests from Rescue Coordination Centers (RCCs), SAR Point of Contacts (SPOCs), and other Mission Control Centers.
Analyze USMCC system alarms and take the appropriate corrective actions.
Process daily satellite orbital data to ensure the LUTs produce accurate Doppler positions for search and rescue efforts.
Communicate with the appropriate RCC to capture and record accurate feedback on beacon activation outcomes and enter the data into the Incident History Database (IHDB).
Collect additional information from RCCs for distress cases and write the first draft of distress cases for inclusion in NOAA's required reporting.
Send messages to SARSAT partners concerning the quality of incoming data and regularly test communication links.
Answer incoming phones and resolve customer issues by calling and emailing customers.
Track data received and source documents.
Accurately and quickly enter alphabetic, numeric, and symbolic data for beacon registrations into a computer system.
Review error reports and make necessary corrective actions.
File and route documents after entry.
Prepare mailings.
Work in a team environment.
Perform quality control of registration entries of others in the electronic workload management system.
Follow operational procedures with added on additional guidelines established by manager.
Assist with updating and creating new procedures and other documents to manage the operation needs for the beacon registration database.
Assist registration database lead to create and update presentations for meetings.
Assist in communicating with government leads and beacon manufacturers to identify and help resolve quality control issues.
Answer the telephone, recording all shift activity (e.g., system messages, phone calls, satellite status changes) in the controller log.
Build the draft of the morning brief document.
Support the Beacon Registration Database (RGDB) staff by verifying the accuracy of beacon registration information on a daily basis.