West Suburban Consolidated Dispatch Center (WSCDC)
Deputy Director of Operations

The West Suburban Consolidated Dispatch Center (WSCDC), located in River Forest, Illinois, is seeking to fill a newly created position of Deputy Director of Operations.  The position will focus on the day-to-day operational needs to ensure delivery of high quality, customer focused services.  WSCDC established in 2002, is the 9-1-1 center (primary PSAP – public safety answering point) responsible for dispatching services for the communities of Elmwood Park, Forest Park, Oak Park, Park Ridge, and River Forest; WSCDC only dispatches for police for the City of Park Ridge whose fire dispatch is handled by Red Center. WSCDC is the primary dispatch center for the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) Division 11 and is a recognized Call Center Partner with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Missing Kids Readiness Project. 

Located approximately 11 miles west of downtown Chicago (inner ring suburban communities) and 9 miles southeast of Chicago O’Hare International Airport, WSCDC serves a population of approximately 140,000 people residing in over a densely populated 18 square mile area.  WSCDC also serves thousands of businesses and visitors in the member municipalities.   

The WSCDC staff consists of an Executive Director, two Deputy Directors, four (4) shift Supervisors, twenty-eight (28) Telecommunicators and one Administrative Assistant.  A governing body comprised of the Village/City Managers of the member communities serve as the Agency’s Board of Directors.  The fire and police chiefs of the member communities make up the Operations Committee.  Meetings for these groups are held every other month. 

The Deputy Director performs direct supervision of the shift Supervisors, and through them, the Agency’s Telecommunicators ensuring effective administration of the collective bargaining agreement.  She/he coordinates and supervises the day-to-day operations of the system, assists in the development of policy and procedures, and thoroughly investigates operational problems and complaints. The Deputy Director oversees quality assurance and staff training activities and is involved in a myriad of additional responsibilities and tasks. 

Qualified candidates will be expected to have:

  • A minimum of five years of successful administrative/supervisory public safety communications experience, preferably in a similarly sized multi-agency fire, police and EMD environment.
  • APCO, NENA and EMD certifications.  Responsibilities of the position will require EMD- Q certification. EMP and RPL are highly desirable candidate qualifications. 
  • Graduation from a four year degree program is desired; a combination of years of experience and training may also be considered.  Candidates with a graduate degree will be favorably positioned to deal with the wide variety of responsibilities commensurate with this position.
  • Skills, knowledge and ability to understand and administer all technical functions of a progressive emergency communications center.
  • An effective communicator with a history of effective leadership and skilled management practices; ability to successfully manage personnel in a union environment.
  • Excellent oral and written communications skills. 
  • Ability to understand the roles in governance of the Agency; establish a professional, positive working relationship work with a Board of Directors, Operations Committee and Agency staff at all levels. 

While these attributes have been identified as essential for this position, candidates with an equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities may be considered. 

The salary range for this position is $95,000 - $103,000 per yearwith excellent benefits.  Submit resume, cover letter and contact information for five professional references by February 12, 2020 to Kathleen Rush and Paul Harlow at www.GovHRjobs.com. Electronic Submissions are required.  

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