Job Description

Posting number: RAA DHSEM 00412 1026

Department: Department of Public Safety

Division: Homeland Security and Emergency Management

Job classification: Telecommunications Specialist III

Posting type: Open & Promotional

Categories: Public Safety, Telecommunications, Emergency Management, Electronics

Summary

This position is open only to current Colorado state residents.

An eligible list established with this recruitment may be used to fill other similar positions within the Colorado Department of Public Safety in the next 12 months.

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Our Mission - Engaged employees working together to safeguard lives and to provide diverse public safety services to local communities.

Our Vision - Creating safer and more resilient communities across Colorado.

Our Core Values - Unity, Honor, Service

The State of Colorado strives to create a Colorado for All by building and maintaining workplaces that value and respect all Coloradans through a commitment to equal opportunity and hiring based on merit and fitness.

The State is dedicated to non-discriminatory practices in everything we do, including hiring, employment, and advancement opportunities.

At CDPS, our culture is driven by our commitment to creating a safer Colorado and guided by a public service focus. We strive to provide effective solutions and services to our fellow Coloradans. We model a culture of collaboration, innovation, and growth for our employees. We maintain a professional and inclusive workplace.

Careers with a purpose:

If you are passionate about public safety and public service, and are eager to dedicate your career to serving Coloradans, consider joining CDPS. Our team at CDPS consists of exceptional individuals and is an environment where you can challenge yourself and acquire new capabilities to build a rewarding and fulfilling career.

We are committed to providing public safety services to our communities including safety on our roads, preparing for and mitigating environmental disasters such as floods and wildland fires, disaster recovery, combating crime, promoting school safety, and victim services.

Classification and Salary:

Telecommunications Specialist III

Anticipated Hiring Range: $5,810 - 6,972/month; $69,720 - $83,664/year

Full Salary Range: $5,810 - $8,583/month; $69,670 - $102,996/year

Benefits:

We provide a wide range of benefits to our employees.

• Medical and dental options are available for permanent employees and their dependents. We also offer short and long-term disability coverage, and life insurance that includes legal resources and discounts.
• Eligible employees receive Basic Life and AD&D insurance equal to their annual earnings subject to a minimum benefit of $50,000 and a maximum of $250,000. Basic Life and AD&D are provided by the State of Colorado at no cost to employees.
• The State of Colorado's Wellness Program, State of Health, is a no-cost, year-long program that supports an employee’s health and wellness goals. This program offers personalized health coaching, skill groups and more. Participants can earn a $20 per month health insurance premium discount.
• Through BenefitHub, State of Colorado employees have access to discounts, promotions and special programs from hundreds of retailers, restaurants, travel and entertainment venues throughout Colorado and across the country.
• State contribution into a Health Savings Account when enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan.
• Eligible employees have access to medical leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the State of Colorado Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program (FAMLI).
• Eligibility for hybrid or other flexible work arrangements based on the nature of the role.
• We offer excellent retirement benefits including mandatory PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus optional 401K and 457 plans. For information on mandatory employee salary deferral (in lieu of contribution to Social Security), visit Colorado PERA for details.
• We provide generous time off including 11 paid holidays annually and accrued annual and sick leave and four annual wellness days.
• The Employee Assistance Program (C-SEAP) is available in every region of the state. It is our effort to support the well-being of employees and the workplace. EAPs provide short-term counseling, referrals and resources, as well as training and organizational development services.
• Tuition reimbursement and reduced college tuition at CSU Global and DeVry University.
• We offer Credit Union of Colorado membership eligibility.

To learn more about State of Colorado benefits, please visit State of Colorado benefits.

Examples of duties

About the Work Unit

This position is located within the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM). The division is a dynamic and diverse team that is committed to developing, administering and coordinating comprehensive and integrated statewide emergency management and homeland security programs. The Division’s work ensures the safety and security of Colorado and its infrastructure through unity of effort with local, tribal, state, federal, private, and nongovernmental partners.

The Office of Public Safety Communications (OPSC) provides critical and essential public safety two way radio communications to over 1,000 local, state, tribal and federal public safety and governmental agencies across the state. On average the system supports 8 – 9M calls per month and is one of the largest communications systems in the United States. It is currently the largest system in Colorado providing interoperability across a vast array of independent communications systems in every county jurisdiction and region of the state. Over 136,000 Colorado first responders use the system for routine operations, emergency operations, interoperability, mutual aid, for both naturally occurring and man caused large scale events.

The OPSC represents the State of Colorado, in all matters related to public safety communications, in partnership with political subdivisions, elected officials, state departments, local, regional, tribal and federal government. The OPSC team is made up of system engineers, network monitoring, program management, project management, transmitter site facility operations and maintenance. We are responsible for system design - expansion and architecture, establishment and enforcement public safety communications policy, procedures, standards, technological advancement, system security – system upgrade management, Federal Communications Commission licensing and compliance, radio programing and talk group assignment, transmitter site and tower construction, everything associated with what may directly impact the performance and reliability of the OPSC.

Our teams are geographically and strategically stationed at 13 regional technical service centers throughout the state to ensure an immediate response and accelerated restoration of communications continuity of operations. This includes, but is not limited to knowledge and proficiency of all computer software programs operating various components of the system, installation, service and maintenance of all backup power generators, environmental conditioning units, UHF – VHF – Microwave, transmitters – receivers, coaxial waveguide - antenna systems and communications tower structures in excess of 400 feet.

All engineering and technical specialist are trained in winter survival and safe snow-cat operations in effort to safely access high altitude mountain communications sites in Colorado’s ever changing and extreme weather conditions and have been called upon in the event of emergencies and extreme weather events to assist in first responder search and rescue missions. This support unit responds to 24-hour system monitored alarm notifications indicating component trouble or failures, routine and preventive maintenance ensuring the highest level of system performance and preventing interruptions in service and loss of availability.

Work Environment

100% In-person position

Work unit core business hours: Mon. - Fri. 8 am- 5pm

Requires to be on-call, done on a rotation basis with other team members.

About the Job

This position is that of a working technical expert supporting federal, state, Tribal and local government agencies by maintaining microwave, telephone, two-way radio, digital trunked radio (DTR), data and video communications equipment and systems. This position has the responsibility to provide technical expertise in the installation and maintenance of the aforementioned equipment.

This position offers technical support to other Telecommunication Specialists through demonstration of tasks, quality review and instruction, to include the installation, modification, fabrication and calibration of new equipment and systems. This position will follow established procedures to provide on-going preventive and failure maintenance of systems and support equipment, creating and updating circuit and equipment records to fill public safety needs and inter-government requirements and tracing and repairing circuits that may be intermittent. The technical experts in this position are required potentially for call-back and available to respond to call out assignments 24 hours a day on rotation with other employees

Key Responsibilities

Technical Assistance & Support

• Assist in establishing installation, maintenance and operating processes and procedures.
• Provide field modifications, develop and construct circuits, systems and peripheral communication assemblies using the manufacturer’s instructions, best practices and industry standards.
• Install and repair equipment and systems where little or no documentation is available.
• Support supervisors and regional engineer(s) with estimates of manpower resources, time, and costs for materials and equipment to upgrade and maintain communications systems.
• Update instruction manuals and schematics involving various types of equipment serviced by the division.
• Conduct remote monitoring of microwave and statewide wireless networks daily to ensure availability and reliability.
• Perform required repairs and/or calibration activities when faults or issues regarding levels of service are detected.
• Participate in maintenance and installation of microwave systems, base/repeater station systems, two-way mobile radio, and auxiliary equipment.
• Perform maintenance and repairs of transmitter site buildings, grounds, fences, antennas, and towers.
• Climb towers to install, repair, remove, and assess the condition of structures and equipment.
• Assist in the design and fabrication of new and untried electronic equipment.
• Maintain proficiency in TDM circuits, -48 VDC power systems, and related telecommunication standards.
• Stay current on all training and certification requirements and act in a Work Lead capacity as needed.

Documentation and Communication

• Maintain a professional representation of Communications Services through high standards of written and verbal communication, as well as personal appearance, suitable for the role.
• Consult with supervisors regarding intergovernmental and service level agreements relevant to remote site access, responsibilities, and client locations.
• Identify and suggest necessary modifications to existing documented procedures.

Documentation and Communication

• Represent Communications Services professionally in all verbal and written correspondence.
• Attend customer meetings and deliver presentations on system operations.
• Update instruction manuals, schematics, and equipment records for the division.
• Consult on inter-governmental and service level agreements (SLAs) for site responsibilities.

Emergency Assistance and Response

• Respond to emergency outages and facilitate service restoration through 24/7 on-call and call-back availability.
• Perform installation, maintenance, and comprehensive repairs to ensure the full functionality of public safety communications networks.
• Utilize specialized transport, including four-wheel drive vehicles or all-terrain snow-cats, to access isolated transmitter sites during extreme weather events.
• Support search, rescue, and recovery missions as required via vehicle operation.
• Evaluate the unique demands of remote site environments and deploy with appropriate equipment, protective gear, and technical tools.

Vehicle Maintenance

• Coordinate and perform normal maintenance and repair of assigned snow-cat (all-terrain vehicle).
• Ensure access to remote sites and other service locations by coordinating and performing the repair of service roads.
• Provide preventative maintenance to emergency power plants, batteries and environmental control systems.

Qualifications

Note, to be considered for this position, you must meet one of the following options for consideration.

Proven Experience, Knowledge, Skills

Three (3) years of hands-on technical experience with land mobile radio (LMR), microwave, two-way radio, or related RF technologies.

OR Education and Experience, Knowledge, Skills

A combination of related formalized apprenticeship program or higher level course work from an accredited, non-correspondence, vocational or trades school and hands-technical experience with land mobile radio (LMR), microwave, two-way radio, or related RF technologies equal to three (3) years.

Preferred Qualifications and Competencies

• Strong working knowledge of RF Microwave Communication
• Hands on technical experience
• Technical Instruction experience
• Current Tower Certification
• Current FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL)

Conditions of Employment

• Requires successful completion of a background investigation that includes a polygraph exam, a fingerprint based criminal history search, reference checking, driving history.
• Must be a Colorado resident at the time of application
• Must have a valid Colorado Driver's License
• Must be on on call
• Must be able to work with chemicals such as engine coolants, fuels, battery acid, grease, ATF hydraulic fluid, and lead.
• Must possess physical strength and agility to climb communication towers to 350 feet, climb across tower arms and perform required work while suspended.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain the following trainings and certifications within 6 months of hire:
• FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL)
• Tower rescue training and tower climbing certification
• Sno-Cat certification
• Winter Survival training
• Avalanche Awareness training
• First Aid and CPR
• Must be able to be able to work in all weather conditions

Appeal Rights

If you receive notice that you have been eliminated from consideration for the position, you may protest the action by filing an appeal with the State Personnel Board/State Personnel Director within 10 days from the date you receive notice of the elimination. Also, if you wish to challenge the selection and comparative analysis process, you may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board/State Personnel Director within 10 days from the receipt of notice or knowledge of the action you are challenging. Refer to Chapters 4 and 8 of the State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures, 4 CCR 801, for more information about the appeals process. The State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures are available at www.colorado.gov/spb. A standard appeal form is available at: www.colorado.gov/spb. If you appeal, your appeal must be submitted in writing on the official appeal form, signed by you or your representative, and received at the following address within 10 days of your receipt of notice or knowledge of the action: Colorado State Personnel Board/State Personnel Director, Attn: Appeals Processing, 1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver, CO 80203. Fax: 303-866-5038. Phone: 303-866-3300. The ten-day deadline and these appeal procedures also apply to all charges of discrimination.

Supplemental information

Disability Accommodation

If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure equitable opportunity applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to Human Resources at: cdps_hr@state.co.us.

The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

Colorado Department of Public Safety is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship.

Recruitment Timeline Information and Important Notices

• Applications are considered complete and accurate at the time of submission. Therefore, additional information may not be solicited or accepted after your application has been received.
• Closing Date: All applications that are received by the closing of this announcement will be reviewed against the Minimum Qualifications in this announcement. Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications may proceed to the next step. Colorado Revised Statutes require that state employees are hired and promoted based on merit and fitness through a comparative analysis process.
• Supplemental Question: Effective responses to Supplemental Questions will directly relate to your professional experience, career accomplishments, and views about organizational values and approaches, and how they relate specifically to this position and requirements as you understand them. Answers generated by AI-tools will typically be unresponsive.
• Transcripts: An unofficial copy of transcripts must be submitted at the time of application should education be used as qualification. Transcripts from colleges or universities outside the United States must be assessed for U.S. equivalency by a NACES educational credential evaluation service. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and must be included as part of your application materials. Failure to provide a transcript or credential evaluation report may prevent your application from moving forward in the selection process.
• Military Veterans: If you are a military veteran you must submit a copy of your DD-214, Member 4 Copy, and VA disability letter if available/applicable at the time of application so we can determine if you are eligible for veteran's preference points. Military personnel who are stationed outside of Colorado may be eligible for this position by submitting the completed DD-2058 "State of Legal Residence" form.
• Application Tips: For an overview of State of Colorado application process and application tips, please view this video.
• Resumes, Cover Letters, or other documents submitted will not be reviewed, assessed, or used in the initial stages of the comparative analysis (transcripts submitted to verify that the applicant meets either the education requirement or minimum qualification substitution are exempt from this).
• Notifications: All correspondence regarding your status in the selection/examination process will be sent via email to the email address listed on your application. Include your current working email address on your application and check the email provided on your application frequently as you could receive time sensitive correspondence regarding this position. We highly recommend that you set up your email to accept messages from "state.co.us" and "info@governmentjobs.com" addresses. It is your responsibility to ensure that your email will accept these notices and/or review your junk mail and spam filtered email.
• e-Verify: CDPS uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.
• Comparative Analysis Steps may include :
• Structured application review by a panel of SMEs
• Panel Interview