Deadline to Apply: Applicants should submit by 11:59 pm on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, to be considered in the initial review. Position Open Until Filled.

Work Location: Regional Emergency Operations Center 2000 Radcliff Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45204

Salary: Grade 14 ($47,000 plus on call duty officer stipend after completion of training)

Work Hours: 80 hours/biweekly

Join Our Team! Hamilton County (OH) Emergency Management & Homeland Security Agency (EMHSA) has an entry-level opening for the Communications Specialist. We are seeking a dedicated professional and problem solver who will grow in the emergency management field by learning how emergency management functions at the county level and will develop generalized skills that will enable them to serve in a variety of capacities in the emergency management profession. Hamilton County EMHSA is a progressive county-level Emergency Management Agency operating in Cincinnati, OH that focuses on all-hazards emergency management for a diverse county with urban, suburban, and rural populations. In addition to salary, a stipend is also provided for each weekly on-call rotation served throughout the year. Applicable professional development is also supported and funded by the Agency, after probationary period. Professional development opportunities are based on Agency availability and may include applicable certifications (e.g., OCEM and CEM), pertinent trainings and conferences(local, state, and federal including the Emergency Management Institute) and involvement in emergency management associations and programs (e.g., IAEM, EMAO, EMAP).

Alerting and warning the public as well as keeping residents informed during a disaster is vital. As part of the Operations Division, the individual selected for this position will enhance our operational readiness by serving as the technical expert on emergency public information for the Agency and managing our mass emergency notification system for Hamilton County, OH. Part of this system is maintaining the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) capability. The individual will coordinate the County’s Joint information system preparedness efforts, lead the County’s Emergency Public Information Workgroup, and support Agency public information officer responsibilities. This individual will also maintain the Agency’s website.

Duties For This Position

Manage the County’s Emergency Mass Notification System including maintaining the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) capability: Serve as the subject matter expert on the County’s mass notification system and IPAWS capability. Manage administrative settings including but not limited to overall system settings, user roles and permissions, etc. Have an in-depth understanding of the system’s capabilities. Update and develop needed procedures. Educate and exercise other County personnel and applicable external partners on how to utilize the system. Develop and update messaging templates. Perform scheduled maintenance including updating landline contact information and reviewing system templates. As identified, coordinate with the vendor to address identified issues. Answer questions from partners and the public about the emergency public notification systems including the emergency mass notification system, IPAWS, and the outdoor warning sirens.
Coordinate the County’s Joint Information System (JIS): Lead the County’s Public Information Officer Workgroup by facilitating regular engagement with public information officers and applicable public communications personnel. Update and maintain procedural documents for the JIS such as the Joint Information Center Guide and support the development of applicable plans. Support the development of applicable trainings and exercises to enhance JIS capabilities. Establish and maintain positive working relationships with media personnel and federal, state, regional, and local partners.
Support Agency Public Information Officer Responsibilities: Assist with developing and disseminating public information for both emergency and nonemergency related messaging. Manage the Hamilton County Emergency Management social media platforms. As directed, prepare written communications such as press releases for the agency and coordinate with media personnel. Serve as a spokesperson including performing media interviews as applicable once training is completed.
Maintain Agency Website: Regularly review and update website content based on needs of the Agency. Provide technical advisement on administrative needs for the website. Guide any development changes of the website.
Advise on current emergency notification and communication key practices and emerging technologies: Be informed of updates to emergency public notification systems and technologies. Stay apprised of current and recent disasters and applicable lessons learned related to communication. Participate in applicable alert and warning and public information officer workgroups, conferences, webinars, and the like. Make recommendations for program enhancement.
Assist in maintaining the Outdoor Warning Siren System: Support the Resource Management Coordinator with maintaining awareness of outdoor warning siren system status, documenting issues, coordinating repairs, and other related activities.
Support Agency Operational Readiness: Support other initiatives that ensure operational readiness of the Agency including the development of needed procedures, training staff, drilling on equipment, and addressing identified gaps.
Participate in activations of the County EOC: Participate in activations of the County EOC. Learn and fulfill multiple roles in the EOC and support other members of the EOC team in completing their duties during an EOC activation.
Serve On Call: Monitor the county for potential hazards and support local and county incident management on behalf of the Agency. Participation in On Call duty officer rotation as required. On call rotation is required of the position.
Other duties as requested
Regular and reliable attendance during regular scheduled days and work hours

Requirements (Education, Experience Licensure, Certification)

Bachelor’s degree in relevant field (Emergency Management; Public Administration, Public Health, Communications; etc.)
One (1) year of experience in job related area or successful completion of an internship
OR equivalent combinations of college education and experience such as an associate’s degree in relevant field AND three (3) years of experience in a related job OR Fifty (50) percent completion of a bachelor’s degree AND three (3) years of experience in a related job
Completion of ICS 100, 200, 700, 800
FEMA Professional Development Series – within one year
ICS 300 and ICS 400 – within one year
Basic Public Information Officer – within one year
Advanced Public Information Officer – within three years
A valid Driver’s License is required from state of current residency (OH, KY, IN).

Working Conditions

Work is performed primarily indoors in an office setting. The noise level in the work environment is low to moderate. While performing the duties of this position, the employee may be required to travel. On call duty required on a scheduled and no notice basis.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee must be able to stand; walk; sit; use of hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; talk or hear. The employee must have the ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities include ability to distinguish the nature of objects by using the eye.

Hamilton County, Ohio

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