Communications Officer

Job Overview

A career in 9-1-1 Emergency Communications is exciting and rewarding. Join our vibrant and energized team of highly trained professionals who are dedicated to making a positive difference in all communities within Gallatin County. If you are considering a career in public safety, Gallatin County 911 in beautiful Bozeman, MT, encourages you to apply. You will learn emergency communications through our fully paid training program, and find a career of a lifetime!

Gallatin County 911 offers a generous benefit package including a competitive salary, medical, dental, vision, paid sick/vacation, and PERS retirement.

This position provides support services for community members, Police, Fire, and EMS. Dispatcher trainees will learn emergency and non-emergency call‑taking, radio dispatching, and documentation functions using Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD). Duties include screening and prioritizing calls; documenting all phone traffic received in computer‑aided dispatch system; and performing a variety of other duties as assigned, or as needed in response to emergency situations.

The position reports to a 911 shift supervisor and does not supervise other county personnel.

The position requires knowledge of standardized emergency and non‑emergency dispatch rules, procedures, and operations. The position requires the ability to speak English clearly verbally; communicate at a rapid speech rate under stressful, confused and/or hectic circumstances; record names and numbers rapidly and accurately and to quickly recall details and essential information; consistently think clearly and respond quickly in a wide variety of emergency situations, connecting events otherwise potentially unrelated, received from multiple sources and relaying information to recipients in need of the information;

to work as a team member; and to establish and maintain good working relationships.

The required knowledge, skills, and abilities are typically acquired through a combination of education and experience equivalent to graduation from high school, completion of dispatch training at the Law Enforcement Academy, plus additional training courses in domestic violence, emergency medical dispatch, and radio operation, in addition to extensive on‑the‑job training. NAED Emergency Medical and Fire Dispatch certification is required, and training will be provided upon completion of call‑taker training.

Applicants for this position must possess a valid driver’s license issued by the state of Montana or obtain a Montana driver’s license within the 1st 6-months of employment, and be insurable under the County’s liability policies.

As a condition of hire, the final candidate will be required to successfully pass a criminal history check and background investigation.

Gallatin County does not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, political ideas, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, national origin, physical or mental disability, or any other protected class status in violation of any applicable law.

Currently we have multiple openings. Qualified applicants will be placed in a pool up to 12 months for consideration of future openings.