Vacancy Information
This role is within a unit where Surrey Police and Sussex Police work in collaboration, whilst continuing to be two separate legal entities/employers with different terms and conditions.
Both Surrey Police staff and Sussex Police staff are employed in this unit on their own force terms and conditions.
Successful candidates may be appointed on the terms and conditions of employment of either Surrey Police or Sussex Police, depending on organisational requirements. A discussion will be held with the successful candidate to confirm the details of location, salary, allowance and hours.
Division / Department - Regional Collaboration
Status - Full Time
Contract Type - Fixed Term Contract
Grade - Surrey Police Band 2 / Sussex Police M1
Salary Grade Range - Surrey Police £38,979 - £56,223 / Sussex Police £42,207 - £46,437
Politically Restricted -
Unsocial Hours Allowance -
Location - See Advert
The starting salary for this role will usually be at the bottom of the salary range and will be pro-rata if the working hours are less than full time.
The Role
The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) is a Home Office initiative to replace the current critical communications system (Airwave) with a new digital network, known as Emergency Services Network (ESN).
The South East and South Central Regional Programme covers four forces Hampshire, Thames Valley, Surrey and Sussex: with a single implementation team and management structure. The guiding principle of the programme is to deliver an operationally focused critical communications replacement for Airwave, as well as a shared vision for digital access and operational usage across the four forces.
Regional ESMCP implementation is a key enabler for future strategic collaborations between the four forces. This is an exciting time for ESMCP, with the green light from the Home Office for an incremental phased transition and Airwave shut down by December 2024. The South East & South Central Programme are now recruiting for various roles to grow our team to be in the best position to deliver ESN for the four Forces by the end of Airwave shut down.
We are looking to recruit a talented and motivated Technical Support Specialist for this high profile transformational and technical Programme. The role is vital to the delivery of ESN as the replacement of the Airwave critical voice network. The successful candidate will liaise with stakeholders and users at all levels across the four forces.
Candidates must have a good standard of education, strong oral and written communication skills and relevant technical experience or the ability to gain appropriate skills. Detailed knowledge of one or more of the following is required; IT Networks, Airwave TETRA Communications, and ICCS Control Room systems.
Good IT skills are essential, especially in MS Office applications including Project, Visio, Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
Close attention to detail, management or supervisory experience, and a proven ability to communicate and influence successfully is essential.
Candidates will be required to travel across the four Force areas. An enhanced level of vetting is required for all roles on the team.
Key Responsibilities
Provide technical expertise and act as the ESMCP SME working alongside the regions Airwave and supporting infrastructure teams. This includes overt Airwave devices, Integrated Communications Control System (ICCS), Airwave fleet mapping, and Airwave coverage.
Engage within the region to identify and quantify existing capability and performance of Emergency Services communication and associated technologies, using this as a springboard to identify options for improvement in the move to ESN.
Provide expert network and communication infrastructure knowledge to direct projects and change initiatives as required.
Support the transition from Airwave, ICCS, telephony, to a new ESN infrastructure from development and test environments into live usage.
Represent the ESMCP team at various local, regional and national meetings & forums as a technical representative and ensure an appropriate level of information sharing back into the team where appropriate. To include internal and external meetings including other emergency services, Home Office and third party equipment suppliers.
Represent the department within the Force offering advice and knowledge on Force systems where appropriate. Provide advice and guidance both within the organisation and inter-force on technical matters and policy relating to Business processes and data and their deployment within information systems
Contribute and support the Senior Project Manager where necessary with commercial negotiations with external third party equipment suppliers.
The role holder will provide technical assurance, feeding into the decision to transition from Airwave to ESN for their respective region.
The role holder will work closely with Radio Communication Teams across the four Forces and will be required to work with the programme team at the relevant locations although primarily based in one region SC or SE.
The role holder will be the technical liaison with third party equipment suppliers.
Works under general supervision but uses discretion in identifying and resolving problems seeking confirmation from senior staff on technical, design, development and support matters.
Work is received usually as specific instruction or as part of a planned work package issued by the Senior Project Manager.
The role holder will work with subject matter experts across the region using negotiating skills to identify and promote best practise.
Skills & Experience
• Technical knowledge of Integrated Communication Control System (ICCS) and an understanding of the deployment of network coverage and infrastructure.
• Able to understand how the application of mobile and radio technology impacts the Forces operational Policing, business objectives and processes.
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral) with a proven ability to negotiate and influence.
• Must be a team-worker who is flexible and adaptable but can also work with little direct supervision.
• Experience with technical documentation, such as: system reviews, Impact assessments, creation of high-level designs and requirements, process improvement and consolidation.
• Must be security vetted to SC level or willing to undergo vetting SC level.
• Liaise with other police forces, emergency services organisations and external organisations to ensure that opportunities for adopting best practice principles are fulfilled for ESN project deliverables.
• Recent experience of communicating, influencing and negotiating successfully at all levels with internal/external customers and suppliers.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to form effective relationships with stakeholders.
• Be responsible for the identification and escalation of project risks and issues, including assisting in the development of contingency plans.
• Knowledge or experience of working within a project or programme environment and related software applications. E.g. Excel, Word, PowerPoint.
• Knowledge or experience of Airwave Device and Fleet mapping/Talk groups
Further Information
For more information about this vacancy, please contact: Brian.Barnes@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
Internal candidates will be offered this role on a secondment.
Additional Information
Following submission of your application you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your application attached. Occasionally emails from this address can fall into spam/junk folders so please ensure this is checked regularly. You may wish to consider adding noreply@surreysussexpolice.as.recruitmail.com to your address/contact list to ensure you receive all communications.
Surrey Police and Sussex Police work together in collaboration for this role, however they remain two different employers, with differing pay scales, allowances and terms and conditions including hours of employment.
If you are an internal candidate and are conditionally offered the role your attendance record and any reasonable adjustments already in place will be discussed with yourself and your current line manager. If you are successful in your application, you may be required to resign and transfer your employment, taking on the Terms & Conditions and pay scales of the Lead Force (if this is not your existing Home Force).
This post is being advertised in parallel with Force redeployment processes. Any redeployees who are identified will be given preference. This may result in the post being withdrawn at any point during the recruitment process.
Surrey Police and Sussex Police Special Constables, Volunteers and Agency Staff (excluding self employed workers) covered under the Agency Worker Regulations (AWR) are eligible to apply for internal advertised posts.
Diversity Statement
We are only as good as our people. It's really important that our officers and staff can be themselves in the workplace and we know that as an organisation we'll grow from the variety of thinking, approach and skills that diversity brings; all of which help us deliver a better policing service. We strive to ensure how we deliver our services, provide information and how we recruit is open and accessible to all.
We have multiple staff support groups who help to improve our understanding of minority issues and ensure they are reflected in our work. We are proud members of the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index and Disability Confident, a signatory of the Race at Work Charter and aligned with the Armed Forces Covenant and the HeForShe movement.
We value the differences that people bring from all backgrounds and communities. Regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, social status or religious beliefs, we would love to hear from you.
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