Emergency Communications Dispatcher

Emergency Communications Dispatcher

US-OR-Portland

Requisition ID: 2026-40860

Position Category: Public Safety

Job Type: AFSCME union represented

Position Type: Regular Full-Time

Posting Department: Public Safety

Posting Salary Range: $38.08 - $52.28 per hour, with offer based on experience, education and internal equity

Posting FTE: 1.00

Posting Schedule: Variable

Posting Hours: Variable

Drug Testable: Yes

Department Overview

OHSU is proud to be designated a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Just 9 percent of U.S. healthcare organizations hold this designation. We pride ourselves in not only serving our community with the highest of accolades but also pushing a multifaceted mission that strives for excellence within the OHSU Culture.

Benefits

• Medical, dental and vision coverage at low or no cost to employees
  • Covered 100% for full-time employees and 88% for dependents
• Several retirement plans to choose from! Oregon Public Service Retirement Plan and University Pension Plan, voluntary savings plans (403b, 401a and 457b)
• Up to 200 hours (equal to 25 full days) a year of paid time off
• 96 hours of sick leave a year (prorated by FTE status)
• Commuter subsidies
• Tuition reimbursement
• Access to group life insurance, disability insurance and other supplemental benefits
• Annual Raises
• Employee discounts to local and major businesses
• Childcare service discounts
• Growth/Development Opportunities

Function/Duties of Position

• Receive and rapidly triage and prioritize emergency and non-emergency telephone and radio calls for law enforcement and Facilities in a dynamic environment to determine appropriate action(s) to be taken.
• Maintain and monitor status of law enforcement field units and assign requests for emergency and non-emergency services to the appropriate unit(s) utilizing a computer-aided dispatch terminal and radio system.
• Effectively communicate with a variety of people with various educational, ethnic, sociocultural backgrounds, and identities.
• Maintain and thoroughly document accurate records of all events, written logs, and actions taken.
• Effectively communicate with and maintain positive customer service with callers, users, co-workers, PSAPs, and other Police, Fire and EMS partners.

Required Qualifications

• High School Diploma or equivalent
• Multi-line call center or telephone experience
• 1-year of customer service experience
• 1-year of computer data entry and retrieval of information or comparable experience
• Critical thinking skills
• Operate a multi-line phone
• Ability to learn the geography of the OHSU campus and surrounding areas.
• Ability to effectively use oral and written communication in performance of duties and responsibilities.
• Must pass a law enforcement background investigation.
• Must pass a Medical Examination.
• Must pass a Psychological Evaluation.
• Must attend the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) Basic Telecommunications Academy and obtain Basic Telecommunicator Certification within 18 months after hire; must complete annual certification maintenance requirements to maintain position.
• Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS) certified within first 6 months of hire
• Compliance with Code of Conduct, Respect in the workplace and Applicable policies, procedures and agreements related to position, department or OHSU as a whole
• Must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without accommodation
• Only typing tests with official certificates will be accepted. Your name must be visible on the certificate. Typing tests administered in person are desired, but online tests will be accepted, so long as an official certificate is provided. If an online test is chosen, candidates will need to attest to taking the test as themselves (i.e., someone else cannot take this test for you).

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate or College Degree
• Minimum of 1-2 years: dispatch or heavy customer service experience
• Radio communications experience
• 9-1-1 Emergency Communications experience
• Prior experience working with a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) application
• Alarm monitoring
• Ability to receive and prioritize both emergency and non-emergency calls for service.
• Ability to multi-task and perform many simultaneous functions while maintaining a high level of accuracy.
• Current DPSST Basic (or Intermediate or Advanced) Telecommunicator Certification
• Current Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS) Certification

Additional Details

Pay Range: $38.08 - $52.28 per hour

• Emergency Communications Centers can be noisy at times due to phones, radio transmissions, and alarm monitoring.
• Must have the ability to work shifts that span a 24-hour period (i.e., day, swing, and graveyard shifts), including weekends and holidays; must be able to work unscheduled and/or mandatory overtime, as required.
• Emergency Communications Dispatcher positions are designated as Critical Function Personnel. Critical Function Personnel are expected to report to work during extreme inclement weather and during other events impacting OHSU and its campuses.
• Sitting at a desk or console for extended periods of time; occasionally walk, stand, or stoop; occasionally lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects weighing up to 30 pounds.
• Utilizing tools or equipment requiring a high degree of dexterity; work for sustained periods of time maintaining concentrated attention to detail; take information from callers who may be excited, abusive, use profanity, are incoherent, drunk or hysterical, or may be experiencing a medical emergency or mental health crisis; must meet all physical standards as set forth by the State of Oregon to include visual acuity, hearing, speaking and basic physical health that provides the stamina to perform the duties of an Emergency Communications Dispatcher for long periods of time.
• Accommodations may be made for some of these physical demands for otherwise qualified individuals who require and request such accommodation.