COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER (S24)

Code: 34805 State Competitive Range: S24 (FY 2027) Work week 40: FLSA coveredOvertime table (4A:3, Appx. A)

Salary: $76,286.63 - $111,856.03/year FY 2027 schedule (last updated 2026-07-27)

Official job specification

The text below is the official specification published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The plain-language summary and analysis above are derived from it by NJ Civil Service Navigator. Source: the official specification page at NJ CSC.

Definition

Under the direction of a higher-level supervisory official in a State department or agency, assists in the planning and implementation of programs designed to provide emergency communications capability and an adequate emergency warning system; administers, updates, and maintains current established state plans and/or department policies and procedures governing the establishment and operation of complex communications systems, networks, and/or warning systems; works with latitude in the exercise of independent judgment; work is reviewed through conferences, reports, or meetings for results obtained and conformance to established policies, procedures, objectives, rules, and regulations; supervises staff and work activities; prepares and signs official performance evaluations for subordinate staff; does other related duties as required.

Examples of work

• Supervises the work operations and/or functional programs and has responsibility for effectively recommending the hiring, firing, promoting, demoting and/or disciplining of employees.
• Reviews and updates state plans, emergency communications planning reports, standard operating procedures, or other department policies and procedures as they relate to communication during routine and emergency situations.
• Analyzes and evaluates situational problems regarding communications capability and information technology systems, and presents primary courses of action for resolution.
• Assists in the planning and implementation of statewide programs designed to improve or conduct emergency communications and warning capabilities.
• May be required to serve as an advisor to higher-level supervisory officials on all technical and operational matters pertaining to communications and warning.
• Coordinates and maintains a Quality Assurance Program to improve performance of staff and achieve desired goals for the unit.
• Conducts and participates in periodic tests or exercises of communications and information technology networks to ensure operational readiness and efficiency.
• Supervises the documentation of all verbal communication associated with environmental incidents, emergent and non-emergent, and/or police incidents, as well as the update or modification of the original report on file, if needed.
• Assists in the preparation of the communications budget; prepares purchase orders or maintenance agreements for the upkeep or upgrade of radio, telephone, computer recording devices, and other technology equipment and services related to the program.
• Prepares project applications for federal and/or state funds to provide for expansion of emergency communications and warning facilities.
• Establishes staffing patterns for emergency communications to ensure twenty-four hour a day coverage every day of the year including weekends and holidays.
• May be called upon to act as a witness at hearings or in court, and give testimony under oath.
• Prepares and/or supervises the preparation of reports, statistical data, memoranda, and other written materials, and supervises the maintenance of essential records and files.
• Supervises the maintenance and update of records in computerized indexes, such as the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and the State Crime Information Center (SCIC).
• Will be required to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or unit.

Education

Successful completion of an Associate's degree from an accredited college, vocational school, or military school.

Experience

Three (3) years of experience in work involving the monitoring, receiving, sending, transmitting, and relaying of electronic messages and/or electronic radio messages, and the receiving, relaying, and recording of complaints and requests for assistance which shall have included the use of computer-aided dispatch, data processing, or computer equipment and programs for a government department/agency, law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, and/or other first responders; one (1) year of which shall have been in a supervisory capacity.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Knowledge of the geographic areas of the state and the names of locations and facilities.
• Knowledge of the operation of radio, computer, and telephone equipment in a complex communications program.
• Knowledge of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules, regulations, and policies.
• Knowledge of the federal Incident Command System terminology and procedures.
• Knowledge of the federal and state laws pertaining to emergency management.
• Knowledge of computer-aided dispatch and other computer systems and records retrieval.
• Knowledge of the methods and techniques used in the review and analysis of administrative procedures.
• Knowledge of supervisory methods and techniques.
• Ability to supervise assigned staff and plan, organize, and implement projects within the unit.
• Ability to use coaching to motivate staff to achieve desired outcomes.
• Ability to assist in planning and implementing statewide programs designed to improve or conduct emergency communications and warning capabilities.
• Ability to establish staffing patterns or duty rosters and conduct periodic test, drills, and exercises.
• Ability to prepare project applications for federal and/or state funds to provide expansion of facilities.
• Ability to assist in the preparation of the communications budget.
• Ability to maintain a professional demeanor while working with a sense of urgency to complete assigned tasks during stressful incidents.
• Ability to analyze complex information and issues, define problems and evaluate alternatives, and recommend methods, procedures, and techniques for resolution of issues.
• Ability to strictly adhere to established procedures, protocols, and work in a law enforcement agency or other communication unit/center.
• Ability to understand and apply the laws, rules, regulations, standards, policies, and procedures of the agency as they relate to the work operations of a centralized and/or regional communications program.
• Ability to speak clearly, professionally, and in a calm but authoritative manner.
• Ability and willingness to work on any assigned shift to include weekends and holidays, times of inclement weather, and natural, man-made, and technological disasters.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of all personally identifiable information and/or police sensitive information received in the course of official duties.
• Ability to act with discretion and empathy when dealing with sensitive information and situations.
• Ability to act as a witness at hearings or in court, and give testimony under oath.
• Ability to coordinate and interact with others in response to emergent and non-emergent incidents.
• Ability to supervise the preparation of reports, statistical data, memoranda, and other written materials.
• Ability to supervise the maintenance of essential records and files in accordance with established procedures.
• Ability to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
• Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
• Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible if they can perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.

Note

The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.

Applicants who do not possess the required education may substitute two (2) additional years of experience for the Associate's degree.

If assigned to the Department of Environmental Protection, appointees must be available twenty-four (24) hours a day to deal with emergency situations and may be required to carry a state-issued cell phone or other communication device.

<b>LICENSE/CERTIFICATION:</b>

Appointees must possess certification in IS-100.c: Introduction to the Incident Command System, IS-200.c: Basic Incident Command System for Initial Response, IS-700.b: National Incident Management System (NIMS) an Introduction, and IS-800.c: National Response Framework, an Introduction.

The responsibility for ensuring that employees possess the required certification rests with the Appointing Authority.

Appointees may be required to possess certification by the National Emergency Communications Institute (NECI) as an Emergency Communications Officer; or Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) as a Public Safety Telecommunicator; or International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) as an Emergency Telecommunicator Communications.

Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.