COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST

Job Title

Emergency Services Communications Specialist

Job Description

Under general supervision, performs a variety of duties involved in the operation of the emergency services systems and various communication devices to receive, route, relay and dispatch calls for emergency and non-emergency law enforcement and other services; and performs related work as required.

This is an Open Competitive/Countywide Promotional recruitment being conducted to fill a current full-time vacancy in the Washoe County Sheriff's Office. The list established from this recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies as they occur.

Minimum Qualifications

Two years of full-time call center experience or clerical experience to include customer service, routing calls, public interaction, or emergency services; OR six months of dispatching experience; OR three months as a Communications Call Taker in a public safety environment; OR an equivalent combination of training and experience.

License or Certificate

• Certification on the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) is required within four months of appointment and must be maintained thereafter for continued employment.
• FEMA Incident Command System (ICS) 100, 200, 700, 800 certification is required within four months of appointment.
• Certifications in Emergency Medical Dispatch (MPDS), Emergency Fire Dispatch (FPDS), Emergency Police Dispatch (PPDS) through the International Academy of Emergency Dispatching, and CPR certification at Healthcare provider level are required within four months of appointment; these certifications require the completion of continuing education units plus recertification every two years for continued employment.

The Ideal Candidate Will

• Demonstrate commitment to public service, and value exceptional customer service.
• Assimilate quickly into the organizational climate; establish critical relationships to ensure success and contribution to the organization.
• Have outstanding written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrate the ability to take ownership of problems to find solutions; share resources, information, and knowledge; and will encourage commitment to the County's mission and organizational goals.
• Be collaborative, hard-working and detail oriented while still being able to see the big picture.

Conditions of Employment

Applicants must:

• Be willing to work rotating shifts, weekends, and holidays
• Be able to remain calm in emergency situations
• Be able to work in a noisy environment and be able to sit for long periods of time
• Be able to pass a data entry test with 2,580 KPH (keystrokes per hour) with 95% accuracy

To be eligible, top candidates must pass a background investigation which includes:

• Submission of a complete set of fingerprints
• Completion and submission of a personal history statement
• Passing a Computerized Voice Stress Analysis (CVSA) examination
• Passing an audio/hearing test

The Washoe County Employees Association (WCEA) Non-Supervisory Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) covers the Communications Specialist position. Background checks will be conducted on selected applicants through the State of Nevada and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Washoe County requires its employees to reside in the state of Nevada or neighboring California communities such as Truckee, South Lake Tahoe or Susanville as of their first day of work.

Washoe County hires all new employees at the minimum rate of the salary range and eligible employees may receive an annual merit increase of 5% until they reach the maximum salary for the classification. Upon promotion, current Washoe County employees are placed at the minimum rate of the salary range for the higher classification of the new position OR a promotional calculation, whichever is greater.

What Happens Next

1. After your application is screened, you will be notified via the email you provided whether you have met the minimum requirements for the position. Those applicants who do not meet the qualifications have one (1) business day to file an appeal and request a review of their qualifications.

2. Applicants who meet the minimum requirements will receive an email invitation to take the Communications Specialist online exam administered remotely; notices will be delivered within 1 week from the notification that your application has been reviewed and accepted.

Applications submitted between 02/27/2026 and 03/31/2026 will tentatively be invited to test the week of 04/6/2026. After that, applications will be screened every 2-3 weeks and those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will tentatively be invited to test the following week.

The exam will evaluate your expertise, knowledge, skills and abilities in the following areas:

• Data Entry Skills
• Judgment/Analytical Skills
• Multi-tasking
• Attention to Detail

Resources that applicants find helpful in preparing for the upcoming test:

• (this is a free keyboarding speed and accuracy program)
• -using-criticall-a-wect-news-6-feature-story/ (this is a news report that provides some insight into the testing process and a dispatch center)
• (this is an FAQ page for dispatch applicants)

3. After the exam is completed, you will receive an additional email notifying you of the results. If you pass the examination, you will receive your score and rank. This rank will be used to determine which candidates will be interviewed by departments trying to fill a vacancy. Since this recruitment will have multiple examination dates, additional passing candidates will be merged into the existing list, and your rank may change as a result. You are welcome to contact the Human Resources Department periodically to verify your status and rank on the eligibility list.

4. The Washoe County Sheriff's Office will schedule interviews from a list of top scoring candidates. If your name is not sent to the hiring department, it will remain on the list for future opportunities as they become available.

5. Please be advised you can log in to your NeoGov account and select:

• "Applications" to view a list of the recruitments which you have applied for, your submitted application for each recruitment, a copy of the job listing, and your applicant history for each recruitment.
• "Inbox" to view the notices which have been sent to you for each recruitment
• "Account" to update your contact information. Please note to update your phone number on previously submitted applications you must contact View email address on click.appcast.io.

If you have any questions regarding the Online Application Process you can find additional information at the following link:

Questions: Alicia Agrella

View email address on click.appcast.io

View phone number on click.appcast.io

Veteran Point

Eligible veterans who were honorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces shall receive one (1) bonus point upon passing Open Competitive examinations only. In order to be given a bonus point, applicants must attach proof of Honorable Discharge (DD-214 with Classification of Discharge) to the Online Application at time of submission.

Washoe County is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workforce that creates a sense of belonging for all employees and citizens, thereby encouraging persons from all backgrounds and experiences to apply for employment.

Washoe County will recruit, hire, train and promote into all job levels without regard to race, religion or belief, gender, marital status or domestic partnership, familial status, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, genetic information (GINA), veteran status, political affiliation, membership in an employee association or union or any other protected class under applicable federal or state law.