Dental Laboratory Technician

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 52,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in Phoenix, AZ, within the Veterans Health Administration's Phoenix VA Healthcare System, seeks a full-performance-level Dental Laboratory Technician in the Dental Service to prepare dental prosthetic appliances from dentist prescriptions.

The role requires fabrication, inspection for precision, and adherence to prescriptions, contributing to patient care through quality prosthetic work at the VA Medical Center.

Qualifications

• Time-In-Grade requirements apply to GS-08 positions and must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
• Specialized experience for GS-8 includes fabricating porcelain or acrylic crowns, bridges, or facings and inspecting completed work for precision and conformity with the prescription.
• Education may substitute for experience; one full year of graduate education related to the work is acceptable.
• Combination of education and experience is also possible.

Responsibilities

• Work on written orders or prescriptions by the dentist to fabricate dental prosthetic appliances.
• Construct porcelain or acrylic fixed or removable prosthetic restorations and related appliances.
• Inspect completed work for precision, workmanship, and conformity with the prescription and resolve problems independently.

Education

Graduate education related to dental laboratory work

Job description

Summary

The position is at the full performance level located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) - Veterans Health Administration (VHA) - at the (Phoenix VA Healthcare System - VA Medical Center (VAMC) in the (Dental Service). The primary purpose of the dental laboratory technician is to work on the written order or prescription by the dentist.

Summary

The position is at the full performance level located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) - Veterans Health Administration (VHA) - at the (Phoenix VA Healthcare System - VA Medical Center (VAMC) in the (Dental Service). The primary purpose of the dental laboratory technician is to work on the written order or prescription by the dentist.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 11/09/2026. 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-08 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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 Occupational Requitements: 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-08 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include - but are not limited to: Fabricate acrylic or porcelain crowns - bridges - or facings. Inspects completed work for precision - workmanship - and conformity with the prescription. Resolve the majority of problems independently while performing a full range of functions required in the construction of (1) porcelain or acrylic fixed or semi-fixed bridge restorations - (2) full or removable partial dentures - or (3) orthodontic appliances - or dental splints and obturators - when the construction of the appliance is complicated because of the unusual nature or intricacy of the design required to overcome acute abnormalities. Visualize the relationships of the parts to the whole at each step in the construction process and remain constantly alert to those elements of design and construction that are essential to the fit of the finished appliance OR - Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full year of graduate education and such education must include courses directly related to the work of 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. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: 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