OCC Communications Officer

Warwickshire Police; Atherstone; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

Warwickshire Police is seeking a Communications Officer to work in the OCC Control Room, responding to thousands of calls each year. This vital role involves assessing situations, providing immediate advice, and ensuring community safety. Applicants should demonstrate excellent multitasking abilities and an empathy-driven approach to service. Join a supportive team that offers career progression and a rewarding working environment.

Benefits

Local Government Pension Scheme

Unison Membership

Access to Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Occupational Health Services

Free Parking

On-site Gym Facilities

Fully equipped kitchen and rest break areas

Starting Annual Leave balance of 24 days

Additional payments for bank holiday working

Access to Coaching & Mentoring Schemes

Qualifications

• Ability to gather information quickly.
• Customer service orientation during emergency situations.
• Determination to progress towards controller position.

Responsibilities

• Handle emergency and non-emergency calls.
• Provide immediate advice and coordinate dispatch when necessary.
• Maintain calm communication during high-pressure situations.

Skills

Calm under pressure

Attention to detail

Multitasking

Empathy

Professionalism

Job description

Serving an estimated population of nearly 600,000 people, Warwickshire Police receives over 90,000 emergency calls per year, in addition to many more non-emergency calls for service.

Working as part of our OCC Control Room as a Communications Officer is a varied and diverse role, with no two calls received being the same. One minute you could be taking the details of a stolen vehicle, the next you may be sending officers to a report of an armed robbery.

Not all calls need an officer. There are many times when you are the one to help resolve the call, giving the appropriate advice, without the need to dispatch an officer, so, if you are calm under pressure, able to gather information quickly, and offer a voice of comfort in the difficult moments of people's lives, then Warwickshire Needs You.

The control room operates 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, it's a pressured environment, but it is also a hugely rewarding place to work. Knowing you have helped someone at one of the worst times in their life is incredibly satisfying.

We want people who are calm under pressure, have attention to detail, be able to multitask and the determination to deal with those in need with empathy and professionalism and are keen to progress with an expectancy of reaching a controller position which will involve direct communication with officers.

Join us in helping protect our communities from harm - we're recruiting throughout the year, and we are now open for applications, looking for our next new colleague!

There is no closing date for this post as applications will be reviewed regularly and candidates updated accordingly.

The planned assessment centre dates for now are:

20thNovember

12thDecember

6th January

5th February

7th March

15thApril

16thMay

18thJune

30thJuly

20thAugust

25thSeptember

Please ensure you are free for the earliest one should your application be successful at shortlisting!

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If you are full time your starting salary will be £34,982(£26,106 basic + £8,876 allowances)

37 hours per week, over 8 weeks

12 hour shifts (days and nights) Rotating shifts

4 shifts on! 2 days 2 nights 4 shift off!

OCC Communications Officer Application Timeline

1. Initial Application

You will complete an application form and answer questions to demonstrate how your experiences and examples align with the essential and desirable criteria for the role. Your responses will be scored based on the relevance to the roles requirements.

1. Paper Sift

Independent reviewers will evaluate your application against recruitment criteria, scoring each question from 1-4

1. Assessment Centre

Held at Warwickshire Police OCC in Warwick Technology Park. The session takes about 2 hours and includes:

• Spelling Test
• Statement Test (Listening)
• Mapping Exercise
• Typing Test
• Problem Solving Exercise
• Example Calls Exercise

1. Interview

Conducted via Microsoft Teams and will last about an hour. You will be asked 6 questions related to the essential criteria for the role, with a mix of example based and scenario based questions. In preparation for this, think about your transferable skills, research Warwickshire Police, and focus on the specific services offered in the OCC

1. Vetting

Before joining, a vetting process is conducted that includes gathering details of your family and any known criminal associations. You must inform those listed as they will be included in these background checks.

1. Final Offer Of Role

After successfully completing all previous stages, you will receive a formal job offer.

1. Training

You will undergo 6 weeks of classroom training, Mon-Fri, this will give you the grounding, learning all aspects of the role as well as systems usage, vulnerability, risk, law, and many other elements critical to the role.

1. Tutoring

Following classroom training, you will be assigned a tutor to guide you as you start taking live calls and transition into the full role of OCC Communications Officer.

Answer the call.Assess the risk. One call can change everything.

What can we offer you?

As a valued member of our organisation, you'll benefit from the below and more!

• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Unison Membership
• Access to Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Occupational Health Services
• Free Parking
• On-site Gym Facilities
• Fully equipped kitchen and rest break areas
• Starting Annual Leave balance of 24 days
• Additional payments for bank holiday working
• Access to a wide range of internal support networks
• Access to Coaching & Mentoring Schemes
• Health & Wellbeing Support
• Career progression pathway
• Eligibility for Blue Light discounts