Telecommunications Specialist

East Texas Council of Governments is a voluntary association of counties, cities, school districts and special districts within the fourteen-county East Texas region. We assist local governments in planning for common needs, cooperating for mutual benefit and coordinating for sound regional development. Either directly, or through our contractors, ETCOG provides programs and services for East Texas seniors, employers and job seekers. We also build the 9-1-1 emergency call delivery system, provide peace officer training and homeland security planning services; and deliver rural transportation services, business finance programs, grant writing services and environmental grant funding for the region.

Qualifications:

Job Purpose: Provide technical assistance and troubleshooting for all reported 9-1-1 disruptions of service for eighteen East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) and host sites, local exchange carriers and vendors.

Education: High school diploma or equivalent required; Associate Degree with major coursework in Information Technology (IT), telecommunications, public safety, emergency services, public administration, GIS, or related field is preferred; must become Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) certified.

Experience: A minimum of two years’ experience working in the IT field; previous experience with radios, 9-1-1 telephone equipment, telecommunications system design and installation of wiring infrastructure is strongly preferred; equivalent combinations of education and experience will be considered; Public Safety Vesta certification required, or ability to obtain certification at first offering within six months of hire date.

Skills and Abilities: Knowledge and understanding of 9-1-1 dispatch call taking equipment/software; plus voice, data or video telecommunications equipment, network or systems equipment, and mapping as it relates to 9-1-1; must be able to work any hour of the day or night for the length of time needed to complete the job or service disruption, this is a 24/7, 365 days a year on call position; must be able to pass a background check to be able to enter into all ETCOG PSAP’s and host site locations; the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and complete accurately within specified deadlines; must possess a high level of attention to detail and organizational skills; must have strong interpersonal skills, be highly motivated, goal oriented, persistent, efficient and patient; ability to identify problems and develop workable solutions; ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines; must have good leadership skills with an expectation of excellence and professionalism; ability to exercise appreciable initiative and independent judgment; effective communication skills to include oral and written means.

**Please review our complete job description when applying for this position, it is available on our website. We look forward to receiving your application!