Job Introduction
Communications Officers are required for permanent contracts with British Transport Police (BTP) based in our Force Control Room at Palestra House, London. Salary for this role is up to £42,277.67 (inclusive of 20% Shift Allowance, £3177.65 London Allowance and £1,500 Market Supplement). There are also travel concessions available subject to eligibility.
BTP is the national police force for the rail network throughout Great Britain, including London Underground, and is responsible for ensuring the safety and security of nearly 3 billion passenger journeys and over 100 million tons of freight every year. The nature of our work is fast-paced, operationally and commercially demanding, and constantly evolving.
As a Communications Officer, you will be working in a safety-critical role and be responsible for:
- Handling calls, dispatching radio messages, and managing police responses to incidents.
- Accurately recording information and assessing it to determine the appropriate level of responses.
- Demonstrating the ability to work as part of a team and meet tight deadlines.
- Working on a 24/7, 365 days a year schedule that includes early, late and night shifts.
- Effectively managing emergency telephone calls, evaluating the urgency of the incident, and prioritising police responses when necessary.
- Obtaining and evaluating information to determine response criteria and deployment levels using THRIVE and NSIR, prioritising public and officer safety at all times.
- Monitoring incidents and providing advice, deployment and direction of appropriate resources via radio to ensure a suitable and effective responses.
The working hours for this role can be unsocial as it involves a 24/7/365 shift pattern that include early starts, late finish times and night shifts (please see attached an example rota). Nevertheless, working as a Communication Officer for BTP offers a career that is incredibly stimulating, exiting and fulfilling.
Further information about this vacancy can be found in the attached job description.
The successful Communications Officers will be required to demonstrate the following:
- Effective communication skills
- Excellent customer service skills and the ability to make decision based on threat, risk and harm
- Manage situations in a calm and assertive manner
- Utilising different communication methods (e.g. telephone, radio, email)
- Proficiency in IT and the ability to use multiple integrated systems and with excellent keyboard skills. You must be able to capture information in a timely and accurate manner during the contact.
- Working as part of a team in a control room/contact centre environment.
In return for your experience, we can offer you:
- Up to £42,277.67 (inclusive of 20% Shift Allowance, £3,177.65 London Allowance and £1,500 Market Supplement). Please note that the basic starting salary for this role is £31,333.35.
- Yearly base salary increments
- 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
- Family friendly policies including up to 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave
- Bespoke benefits platform and access to Blue Light Card
- Development opportunities including fully funded apprenticeships
- Employee assistance programme and dedicated wellbeing hub
- Pension scheme
The recruitment process for this role involves a first stage telephone interview, followed by two short on-site tests, which upon successful completion will lead to an interview. If you are interested in applying for the Communications Officers role, please act promptly as interviews will be scheduled as soon as appropriate candidates are identified.
BTP is an employer who cares about the impact we have on the environment and the wider challenges of climate change, and as such we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and achieving Net Zero Carbon (NZC) through offsetting by 2035.
At BTP we are proud guardians of the railway and it is crucial that we represent the diverse communities we serve and protect. As ‘One BTP’ across the UK, we know that diversity, inclusion and belonging help us improve our decision making, foster creativity and drive innovation so all our people can thrive.
Our vacancies are open to everyone and all appointments are made based on merit. So that we can become more diverse we encourage applications from candidates from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds, women, people who have a disability, those who are neurodiverse and persons who identify as LGBTQI+. We use positive action to encourage potential candidates from underrepresented groups through targeted workshops or advice sessions. If you have the skills, experience and values that here in BTP we pride ourselves on then we would welcome you to apply.
For more information on Positive Action please click here or email the team on PART-Recruitment@btp.police.uk
If you have any questions about the application process, please email our friendly and helpful team where we will be happy to help you: RecruitmentTeam@btp.police.uk. If your question related to equality or diversity then you can also contact our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team directly at: PART-Recruitment@btp.police.uk To reassure you, anything you ask us will be in the strictest confidence and will not form part of your application.
In order to apply, you must have the permanent right to live and work in the UK and have been resident in the UK for the previous 3 years. You will be asked these and other questions to determine your eligibility to work for British Transport Police when you start your application and you must answer honestly.
BTP GPP Police Staff Pension Scheme is administered by Royal London and this is a group personal pension plan which is available to all police staff. It’s a defined contribution scheme, offering employees the flexibility to vary their pension contributions from 4.4% to 12% of their salary. For more information, visit the Royal London dedicated pension page or email us at Pension-Queries@btp.police.uk .Please note if you are an existing member of Police Staff in the RPS your pension will not be affected.
