Dental Lab Technician

Major duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Works with specialists to develop the design of the appliance personally fabricating or overseeing the fabrication of the appliance and resolving problems in its fabrication.
• Participates in in complex removable and fixed oral-maxillofacial appliance including fixed semi-fixed or removable implant cases partial and complete dentures when the severe nature of the dental abnormalities to be overcome require working to unusually close tolerances resolving particularly difficult problems of retention balance reducing tension on natural teeth and tissue and similar problems.
• Adapts existing guidelines in order to carry out duties to adapt to a variety of clinical circumstances.
• Analyzes the needs and product requirements to create designs meeting established quality standards clinical parameters and patient expectations/satisfaction.
• Pours primary and final impressions; mounts casts on articulators; sets teeth for trial dentures/partials; polishes prosthesis following adjustment; repairs broken prostheses; adds teeth to prostheses; manages implant fabrication process.
• Fabricates custom trays bite rims fluoride trays stints transitional partials wrought wire clasps.
• Performs quality assurance and inspections on prostheses fabricated by outside laboratories including prescription compliance.
• Provides education training and instruction to other clinic personnel.
• Utilizes special techniques such as re-contouring re-glazing and positioning teeth in unusual arrangements in order to meet function and esthetic.
• Collaborates with a Fellowship Trained Prosthodontist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon and General Dentists to design and fabricate complex dental or intra-oral maxillofacial appliances.
• Constructs routine full and partial dentures dental splints and obturators model work for fixed prostheses and other laboratory products to support the treatment needs of staff dentists.
• Invests packs processes and finishes dentures/partials.
• Applies knowledge of the alignment of the upper and lower jaw bone and the relationship of the tongue to the gums and the roof and floor of the mouth in waxing full and partial dentures.
• Performs a variety of specialty laboratory procedures that require consideration of detailed aspects of each patients dental anatomy.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 7:00 am to 3:30 pm
Telework: This position is not suitable for Telework
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Dental Lab Technician/PD10698A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public determining if your employment advances the public interest we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification in writing that your continued employment advances the public interest.

To qualify for this position applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement 09/18/2026.

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-8 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7 level. 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 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.

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-7 level) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. 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.

OR

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed 1 1/2 years of graduate education directly related to the work of the position. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. (TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE INCLUDED IN APPLICATION PACKAGE).

***Dental Service Preferences:

A minimum of ten years experience in crowns and bridge with five years emphasizing CAD/CAM techniques with knowledge of the Hyperdent design software preferred. Proficiency required in creating 3D scans with familiarity with the 3Shape scanning program desirable. Expertise in fabricating precise high quality fixed dental restorations by traditional methods essential.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Critical Thinking
• Medicine and Dentistry
• Technical Competence

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: Long periods of standing sitting and bending are required. It is necessary to climb onto counters in order to replenish plaster bins. The ability to lift plaster boxes weighing 30 pounds from the floor to the counter to the plaster bins is required.

For more information on these qualification standards please visit the United States Office of Personnel Managements website at

Required Experience:

IC