Emergency Planning Officer

When an emergency or major incident affects our communities, effective planning and preparation can make all the difference. As an Emergency Planning Officer
, you'll play a vital role in helping West Northamptonshire Council prepare for, respond to and recover from emergency situations, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of residents, businesses and communities across the area.

Working within our Customer and Response Service, you'll be part of a specialist team responsible for developing emergency plans, strengthening organisational resilience and coordinating responses to emergencies and business continuity incidents. This is a unique and varied role that combines project work, partnership working, training, planning and real-world incident response, offering the opportunity to make a genuine impact in a challenging and rewarding field.

You'll work closely with emergency services, health partners, neighbouring authorities, voluntary organisations and internal services, helping to ensure West Northamptonshire is prepared for a wide range of risks and incidents.

You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here:
Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.

You'll coordinate the development, implementation and review of emergency planning, resilience and business continuity arrangements across the Council. Working with a wide range of partners and stakeholders, you'll develop and maintain plans, policies and procedures, facilitate training, exercises and workshops, and support services to improve preparedness for emergencies and major incidents.

A key part of the role will involve leading and delivering projects from initial planning through to completion, researching complex issues, developing practical solutions and supporting multi‑agency preparedness activities. You'll build strong working relationships across local government, health, emergency services and community organisations, representing the Council in resilience meetings and helping to ensure a coordinated approach to planning and response arrangements.

As part of the Council's emergency response arrangements, you'll participate in a paid 24/7 standby rota approximately one week in six, acting as a first point of contact for emergency services and helping to coordinate the Council's response to incidents. This may involve providing expert advice to senior decision-makers, attending incidents and working under pressure to support effective response and recovery activities.

Time off in lieu is provided for emergency call‑outs where appropriate.

You're a proactive and resilient professional who enjoys solving problems, managing projects and working collaboratively with a wide range of people. You have experience in emergency planning, resilience, civil contingencies or a related field, alongside a strong understanding of emergency management principles and the ability to translate complex information into practical plans and solutions.

You'll be an excellent communicator with strong relationship‑building skills and the confidence to influence and work alongside senior stakeholders, emergency responders and partner organisations. Whether presenting information, facilitating workshops or responding to live incidents, you'll be comfortable adapting your approach and thinking on your feet when circumstances change.

Knowledge of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, emergency planning legislation and guidance, including the COMAH Regulations, together with an understanding of mass fatality planning and the National Risk Register, would be advantageous. Experience of working within a local authority environment would also be beneficial. Most importantly,…