Public Safety Emergency Communications Specialist, Grade 15

About the Position

This is an open continuous announcement, meaning your application will remain active and under consideration for both current and future vacancies as they arise. Qualified candidates will be placed on an eligible list and contacted for testing as openings become available. The salary for this position is $55,517.00. Now offering $5,000 hiring bonus distributed over the first year and eligibility for the Employee Retirement System (ERS) Defined Benefit Plan.

Application, testing, and interview process: Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will have their status changed to "Referred" and will be invited to test and if the test is passed, an interview will be conducted by the Department of Police's Emergency Communications Division the same day. Position will be filled at the Public Safety Emergency Communications Specialist I level, Grade 15. Starting salary will be $55,517.

This position is assigned to the Department's Emergency Communications Center (ECC) which is located in Gaithersburg and Rockville, Maryland. The Communications Specialist is responsible for delivering quality emergency communication services to the public, as well as providing accurate and timely dispatch support to police officers and fire rescue personnel. The Communications Specialist has a unique responsibility in a fast-paced environment that requires careful attention to detail, multi-tasking, and good communications skills.

The individual selected for this position will be considered an "Essential Employee." Essential employees must report to work during a period of general emergency or liberal leave. This individual selected, is REQUIRED to work overtime during inclement weather situations and emergencies, which may include overnight stays. All personnel in this class of work must work on site and are not eligible for telework or remote work assignments. Applicants will be required to indicate the name of any referring employee into this online recruitment system at the time of original application. This announcement may be utilized to fill subsequent vacancies occurring within 120 days of the closing date.

What You'll Be Doing

Major duties include answering 9-1-1 emergency calls, and dispatching police officers and fire rescue personnel to respond to calls, using a computer system known as (CAD) Computer Aided Dispatch. This position has a very extensive upward mobility career ladder as indicated below: Employees will receive Proficiency Advancement to Public Safety Emergency Communications Specialist (PSECS) II (grade 17) after achieving check-off as a multi-discipline public safety call taker with at least five (5) months experience as a PSECS I with a 10% increase in salary. Employees will receive Proficiency Advancement to Public Safety Emergency Communications Specialist III (grade 19) after achieving check-off in a single discipline public safety dispatch with at least three (3) months experience as a PSECS II with a 10% increase in salary. Employees will receive Proficiency Advancement to PSCS IV (grade 20) after achieving check-off in all discipline's public safety dispatch with at least twelve (12) months experience as a PSCS III with a 5% increase in salary. Employees will receive Proficiency Advancement to Senior Public Safety Emergency Communications Specialist (grade 21) after 24 months as a PSECS IV with a 5% increase in salary.

Applicants must have the ability to:

• Pass a comprehensive background investigation conducted by the MCPD. (8 week process)
• Pass a computerized examination, a scored interview, a psychological evaluation, a medical examination, and a drug/alcohol screen.
• Perform work assignments at different work locations when required
• Work holidays, weekends and shifts during days, evenings or midnights.
• Accept last minute changes in their schedule and work mandatory overtime.
• Work under close supervision, and daily evaluation of performance, especially during training.
• Demonstrate good customer service skills including dealing calmly and respectfully with irate and angry customers over the phone.
• Work under constant electronic surveillance as all telephone conversations and radio messages will be recorded.
• Receives and compiles reports and complaints from citizens, ECC-911 staff, Police patrol officers, other Specialists in the field, and other people via telephone, radio or mail.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience: None Education: Ability to provide proof of Graduation from high school or High School Certificate completion recognized in the state of Maryland before day one of employment Equivalency: None. License: Upon completion of probationary period: Possession and maintenance of CPR certification; Law Enforcement Dispatch, Fire Dispatch, and Emergency Medical Dispatch Protocol System certifications; State of Maryland Emergency Medical Dispatch license; METERS/NCIC certification must be obtained by the completion of the probationary period.

Preferred Criteria, Interview Preferences

Testing process: All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications confirmed by Police will be scheduled for the computerized examination. All who pass the computerized examination will be scheduled for a selection interview. As a result of selection interview applicants will be rated Well-Qualified or Qualified. Well-Qualified applicants will move to the selection process.

Selection process: All applicants must successfully complete a comprehensive background investigation, psychological evaluation, medical examination and drug/alcohol screen. Additionally, each applicant will be scheduled to observe a full performance Public Safety Emergency Communications Specialist in the Emergency Communications Center. Notifications: Applicants will be notified of a test date, time and venue via email prior to test date. Please check your SPAM folders regularly. They will be notified via email or telephone for all other steps in the testing and selection phases.

Important Information

The Office of Human Resources (OHR) reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position.

Montgomery County Government(MCG) is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should email OHR at View email address on click.appcast.io. Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.

MCG also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference.

All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria or interview preference status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.

This will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.

If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.

Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.

Leave Benefits

Our generous leave package starts with non-MLS permanent and term employees earning 15 days of sick leave and 15 days of annual leave in their first year, as well as up to three additional personal days each calendar year. Positions in MLS earn 35 days of paid time off each year. In addition, we offer all employees 10 paid holidays. Our leave policies adhere to the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, and we provide six weeks of paid parental leave for new parents.

Retirement Benefits: All permanent and term positions are eligible for robust retirement plans. Public safety positions are eligible for a defined benefit pension plan in which they are vested after only five years. Employees in non-public safety positions can participate in retirement plans that contribute up to 12 percent of their annual salary. All employees can also participate in a supplemental retirement plan, the 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, to contribute even more to their retirement goals.

Tuition Assistance & Student Loan Forgiveness: Montgomery County employees are eligible to participate in the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Participants who meet all requirements may qualify for forgiveness on the remaining balance on their Direct Loans after making 120 qualifying monthly payments