The City of Menlo Park currently has an excellent opportunity for experienced Communications Dispatchers. Shift work including weekends and holidays is required.
Communications Dispatchers are responsible for receiving and dispatching emergency and non-emergency calls for the Police Department and City. Responsibilities are centered on extensive contact with the public over the telephone, in both emergency and non-emergency situations to receive, transmit, and provide factual information and assistance. All activities are performed within specified legal guidelines. Incumbents are expected to work independently and exercise judgment and initiative.
A job description, including examples of typical job functions and qualifying knowledge, skills, and abilities, is available by clicking on the Job Description PDF.
Job PDF:
https://www.calopps.org/sites/default/files/Communications%20Dispatcher_0.pdf Ideal Candidate
Examples of essential job duties include, but are not limited to:
- Operate a state of the art computer-aided dispatch system while monitoring, phones and neighboring agencies activities.
- Receive emergency and non-emergency calls including wireless E911, TDD and VOIP calls and determine appropriate priorities for action.
- Dispatch calls and directs officers in the field; monitoring officer’s status, location and needs during emergency and routine activities.•
- Listen actively using effective questioning techniques with the ability to quickly articulate the details of a call in a clear concise understandable manner when speaking.
- Operate a wide variety of communications equipment and enter data into computers/databases
Communications Dispatchers may also assist walk-in citizens with reports and other requests; testify in court; maintain various logs; process warrants and court dispositions; and participate in community outreach and education programs.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Education and ExperienceAny combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:
- Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth (12th) grade.
- One (1) year of general clerical involving frequent public contact, preferably in a law enforcement setting.
Licenses and CertificationsPossession of, or ability to obtain, a valid Public Safety Dispatcher Basic Certificate issued by the California State Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.).
Benefits
The City offers an excellent benefit package consisting of:
- Health Insurance: City contribution up to $2,655 per month towards a Cafeteria Plan which can be used to purchase medical insurance and participate in a flexible spending account for health care and/or child care reimbursement
- Dental: City-paid coverage for employee and dependents
- Vision: City-paid coverage for employee and dependents
- Vacation: 88 - 176 hours of vacation leave accrual each year, depending on length of service
- Sick Leave: 96 hours of sick leave accrued each year
- Holidays: 11 official holidays; 34 hours of floating holiday time per year; 8 “Day of Reflection” hours per year in recognition of holidays of individual and community importance
- Retirement: CalPERS: For classic members 2.0% @ 60 formula. For all others, 2.0% @ 62 formula
- Deferred Compensation: Voluntary participation in City Plans.
- Life Insurance: City-paid policy equal to 1.5 times regular annual wage
- Long Term Disability: City-paid coverage
- Educational leave and tuition reimbursement
- A City-paid Caltrain GoPass. The Menlo Park campus is centrally located within walking distance from Caltrain and downtown Menlo Park.
- A City-paid BayPass. This pilot program offers employees unlimited travel in 2024 for both work and personal trips on 25 Bay Area transit agencies that use the Clipper card.
- A transportation allowance program provides employees with $1.50 per day when they walk, bicycle or carpool to work at least once per week.
- Employees are provided with access to an on-site gym at no cost
For additional benefit information, visit
www.menlopark.gov
and review the City of Menlo Park and SEIU Memorandum of Understanding.
Special Instructions
Please attach a typing certificate showing a typing speed of at least 40 words per minute, dated within the last three (3) months. If you possess a P.O.S.T. Certificate, please attach it to your application. If you wish to attach other documents, you must upload them all as one attachment no more than 2MB in size.
IMPORTANT: Please be sure to fill out the required City application completely, including all relevant work experience. Applications with “See Resume” as a substitution for the work experience description and/or unclear past employment information will not be considered.
Applications will be screened according to the qualifications outlined in this announcement. Not all applications which may meet the minimum requirements will proceed to the next phase of the recruitment process.
The most qualified candidates will be invited to an Oral Board Panel examination. The first Oral Board Panel Examination is scheduled for Wednesday, October 25, 2023. All applicants will be notified by email as to whether or not they are invited to participate further in the selection process.
An Eligible List will be established as a result of this examination process and will be valid for a period of six (6) months. The list may be extended up to a maximum of two (2) years. The hiring department will review the Eligible List to determine which candidates will be invited to the department selection process.
The City of Menlo Park is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of the City of Menlo Park not to discriminate against all qualified applicants or employees. We will make reasonable efforts in the selection process to accommodate persons with disabilities. Please contact Human Resources at (650) 330-6670 or
jobs@menlopark.gov
prior to the closing date for accommodation requests.
Before receiving a conditional offer of employment, the candidate will be required to successfully complete a reference check, criminal conviction history questionnaire and fingerprinting. Upon receiving a conditional offer of employment, the applicant will be required to submit to a psychological evaluation and pre-employment medical examination which will include a drug screening.
Applicants must be successful in all phases of the selection process to be considered for this position.
In accordance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act, all potential employees are required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship or authorization to work in the United States. The City will not sponsor applicants for work visas.
Closing Date/Time: Continuous
