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The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management (DEM) manages disaster preparation, mitigation, and response; 9-1-1 dispatch, and homeland security grant distribution for the City and County of San Francisco. DEM was created in 2006 by local legislation that reorganized the Emergency Communications Department and the Office of Emergency Services into a single agency. For more information on the Department of Emergency Management, please visit: http://www.sfdem.org/. 

Application Opening: July 18, 2024

Application Deadline: Interested applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Filing period will close no sooner than August 1, 2024 (11:59 PM PST). 

Recruitment ID: PEX-8602-142990

Appointment Type: This is a Permanent Exempt (PEX) appointment not to exceed three (3) years. However, appointees would have an opportunity to reapply for an additional term. This position is exempt from Civil Service Commission rules pursuant to the City and County of San Francisco, Charter Section 10.104, and incumbents are considered “at will” and serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer.  This is a full time, 40 hours per week appointment.

The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management (DEM) is currently hiring one (1) permanent exempt, full-time position in classification 8602 Emergency Services Coordinator II as a Watch Center Operations Specialist.  Under the general direction of the Watch Center Coordinator, the Watch Center Operations Specialist is responsible for performing and coordinating difficult disaster and emergency planning work in the areas of citywide emergency services and homeland security or public safety. The Watch Center Operations Specialist responds to local events, disasters, and emergencies; develops, coordinates, and implements operational policies and procedures to maintain operational readiness; and researches and analyzes best practices in the field of disaster and emergency planning.   

The Watch Center Operations Specialist also serves as the lead Duty Officer for the Watch Center during regular shift hours and serves as Duty Officer during off-hours on a rotational basis. During an organized response to an incident and/or an activation of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), this position will ensure that technological systems and facilities are functional to support a coordinated event response.   

Additional essential functions of the Watch Center Operations Specialist position include, but are not limited to, the following:  

• Confirms the scope and nature of incidents by analyzing information from multiple sources  

• Serves as a point of contact for Emergency Management personnel to provide critical information, updates, and support during the monitoring, response, and recovery phases of an event  

• Ensures that information regarding multi-agency responses or incidents is communicated to the appropriate City departments, stakeholders, and/or elected officials in a timely manner  

• Provides support to coordination and communication efforts in the field at large events and/or incidents  

• Produces deliverables for response agencies such as mapping support, situation reports, images, liaison updates, site visits, and after-action reports  

• Manages and analyzes data related to citywide response efforts  

• Conducts communication system checks and maintains directory lists to ensure that emergency alert notification systems and equipment are up-to-date and reliable  

• Updates and maintains documentation systems to improve the processes of the Emergency Operations Center and Alternate Emergency Operations Center  

• Proposes policies to improve the functionality and use of technological systems and the coordination of event responses  

• Provides routine training to staff members as well as feedback and guidance after an emergency event    

• Documents processes and response activities  

• Attends Emergency Operations meetings with other City and/or partner agencies 

• Performs related duties as assigned   

Working Conditions:   

The Watch Center Operations Specialist will be required to work during non-business hours after completion of training such as nights, holidays, and/or weekends. This position is anticipated to work a schedule based on availability which can be a combination of Day Watch: 06:00-2:30pm with Friday/Saturday or Sunday/Monday off or Swing Watch: 2:00pm – 10:30pm with Friday/Saturday or Sunday/Monday off. 

Education and Experience: 

1a. Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university AND two (2) years of experience in emergency/disaster planning and management or a closely related field; OR  

1b. Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university in Business, Public Administration, Emergency Management or a closely related field AND one (1) year of experience in emergency/disaster planning and management or a closely related field; OR   

1c. Possession of a master’s degree from an accredited college or university in Business, Public Administration, Emergency Management or a closely related field; AND   

Required Certifications/License: 

2. Completion of United States Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, Emergency Management Institute Courses: IS 100.b or ICS 100, IS 200.b or ICS 200, and IS 700/800; AND  

3. Possession and maintenance of a valid driver’s license (a valid California driver's license is required at the time of appointment).  

Substitution: Additional experience in emergency/disaster planning and management, as described above, may substitute for the required degree on a year-for-year basis. Thirty (30) semester units or forty-five (45) quarter units equal one (1) year.  

Desirable Qualifications:  

• Familiarity with CCSF EOC Operations and participation in special events/real world activation   

• Knowledge of DES Duty Officer Program and supporting protocols   

• Comfort with technical systems (e.g. computer networking, user administration, etc.)  

• Familiarity with communications/warning systems (e.g. OASIS, MSAT, EAS, WEA, etc.)   

• Completion of additional FEMA courses   

• Public safety and/or military experience   

• Strong written and oral communication skills  

• Strong attention to detail especially in developing written processes and procedures  

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

Note: One year of full-time employment is equivalent to 2000 hours (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week). Any overtime hours that you work above forty (40) hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.  

VERIFICATION: Verification of Education and Experience: Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements   

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.   

All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.

SELECTION PROCEDURES: The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements.  Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to the interview.  Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the qualifications of candidates.  If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the needs of the Department will be invited for an interview.

Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ): Candidates will be required to complete a MQSQ as part of the employment application. This MQSQ is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the Minimum Qualifications (MQs) for this position. The MQSQ will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications.

Notes:  Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through all of the steps in the selection procedure.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About the Hiring Process (https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process)

• Conviction History

• Employee Benefits Overview (https://sfdhr.org/benefits-overview)

• Equal Employment Opportunity

• Disaster Service Worker (https://sfdhr.org/disaster-service-workers)

• ADA Accommodation

• Right to Work (https://sfdhr.org/recruitment-details#identification)

• Copies of Application Documents

• Diversity Statement (https://sfdhr.org/recruitment-details#diversitystatement)

How to Apply

Submit your application through this job ad. Applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@careers.sf.gov that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, Bola Akinwa at Omobolanle.Akinwa@sfgov.org.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.