Senior Emergency Planning Officer

The Emergency Planning Society; Wirral; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

LGPS (local government pension scheme)

Life cover

Ill-health protection

Hybrid working

28 days annual leave

Job summary

Wirral Council is seeking two experienced emergency planning professionals to join its Community Safety service and lead civil protection and resilience work, developing and maintaining the emergency plans needed to respond to major incidents.

You will represent the Council at Merseyside Resilience Forum groups, manage 24-hour response arrangements, and deputise for the Strategic Corporate Resilience Manager, blending strategic oversight with hands-on delivery.

Qualifications

• Sound knowledge of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and relevant resilience frameworks.
• Substantial experience in emergency planning, civil contingencies or business continuity.
• Extensive experience in multi-agency partnership working with blue light services.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Council’s compliance with statutory duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
• Develop, test and maintain emergency plans for major incidents.
• Represent the Council at Merseyside Resilience Forum groups and workstreams.
• Manage the Council’s 24-hour emergency response arrangements.
• Act as a senior point of contact and deputise for the Strategic Corporate Resilience Manager.
• Update hazard-specific plans or brief elected members; support live incident responses; lead multi-agency exercises.

Skills

Civil Contingencies Act 2004

Emergency planning

Multi-agency partnership

Job description

We’re looking for two experienced emergency planning professionals to join Wirral’s Community Safety service and take a leading role in the Council’s civil protection and resilience arrangements.

About the Role

You’ll help lead the Council’s compliance with its statutory duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, developing, testing and maintaining the emergency plans that keep Wirral prepared to respond to, and recover from, major incidents. You’ll represent the Council at Merseyside Resilience Forum groups and workstreams, help manage the Council’s 24-hour emergency response arrangements, and act as a senior point of contact – deputising for the Strategic Corporate Resilience Manager as required.

It’s a varied, hands-on role at the heart of the Council’s resilience function: one day you might be updating a hazard-specific plan or briefing elected members, the next you could be supporting a live incident response or leading a multi-agency exercise.

The Benefits

We believe in ensuring staff are well looked after, staff wellbeing is a priority for us. We’re serious about recognising and rewarding people for the great things they do. You’ll benefit from our track record of developing, growing and investing in our people.

We have a range of staff benefits including staff discounts, enrolment into the local government pension scheme (an excellent defined benefit scheme), immediate life cover and ill-health protection. We have a strong flexible working approach, hybrid working, family-friendly employment initiatives and an annual leave package starting with 28 days leave plus public holidays.

We have an inclusive, engaged culture, everyone has a voice, everyone is valued for their contribution and understands the role they play in delivering our strategic priorities.

Each voice is heard, each contribution valued. We embrace diversity in our workforce and recognise it is critical to our success. We support an inclusive culture that champions differences and nurtures a sense of belonging. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds, who share our values and our commitment to inclusion to apply for roles with us.

We want you to be your best at work, we create the conditions to help you thrive and we mirror this in our recruitment process. If you’d like us to do anything differently during the recruitment process to make it barrier-free and as accessible as possible please contact [e-mail]

Requirements

About the Candidate

The successful candidates will possess sound knowledge of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, and relevant national and regional resilience frameworks, with experience of working within emergency planning, civil contingencies or business continuity. You will have substantial experience of multi-agency partnership working, including with blue light services and other Category 1/2 responders.

For an informal discussion regarding this opportunity, please contact: [e-mail]

About Us

Wirral Council is a values‑driven organisation where employees are empowered to “#BeTheDifference” and help create fairer opportunities for residents. Set in one of the happiest and most scenic areas in the UK, the Council offers an inspiring place to live and work, with a strong commitment to supporting staff and delivering ambitious plans for the borough’s future. Joining Wirral Council means becoming part of a dedicated, forward‑thinking team that is truly valued and encouraged to thrive.

Shortlisting will take place on 12 & 13 October 2026, and interviews will take place on Monday 26 October & Tuesday 27 October

We believe in giving you the flexibility to work where you’re most productive. This role offers a hybrid working arrangement, combining the benefits of remote work with the collaboration and connection of in-office days, twice a week.

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates. For this vacancy, candidates must have an existing right to work in the UK before commencing employment. Skilled Worker visa sponsorship is not available for this post. Eligibility to work in the UK will be verified in the final stages of the selection process.