Operational Communications Specialist

Job Introduction

About Us:

British Transport Police (BTP) is the national police force for the rail network throughout Great Britain. We are the ‘Guardians of the Railway,’ putting passenger safety at the heart of what we do. Our values are simple: We Care, We Do the Right Thing, We Strive to Be Better Every Day, We Are One BTP, and We Are Proud to Protect. Join us and help create an environment where we can all be our best every day.

The Opportunity: Operational Communications Specialist 

Salary: Up to £61,494.00 - £48,254,40 basic salary per annum with yearly increments based on performance plus non contractual/non pensionable Skills for the Information Age Supplement up to £3,986.95 (value awarded 0%,50% or 100% dependant on self- assessment) 10% On call Allowance plus London Allowance of £4,427.65

Contract Type: Permanent

Location: Buckingham Palace Road London  

Type of Working Arrangement: Blended approach of home and office-working is available

Hours: This is full-time role (37 hours per week) 

Are you looking for your next exciting career move? British Transport Police have an excellent opportunity for an Operational Communications Specialist. As an Operational Communications Support Specialist, you will be the technical expert responsible for the provision of operational business critical systems including Airwave, ICCS and other control room systems. Provide expert guidance on the use of BTP Comms systems for pre-planned, spontaneous events and incidents. 

Main Responsibilities:   

• Key point of contact between BTP and Emergency services, Home Office and other Government Agencies. 
• Represent the Force nationally and ensuring BTP is fully engaged across the emergency service environment 
• Work closely with external partners and suppliers with Management of the radio fleet ensuring BTP are fully compliant with security requirements.
• The role is responsible for the technical support of the Airwave radio service delivered to Force Control Rooms in London and Birmingham and the Silver Suite. This includes 5,000 Airwave hand portable radios, 500 Vehicle and
    fixed Airwave radios and 110 DSx000 ICCS workstations.

Essential Skills:   

• Accredited to ITIL Foundation Level or higher.
• Educated to degree level in a specific IT or engineering discipline or equivalent experience.
• ICCS Administration certified.
• Extensive experience delivering and supporting call handling and dispatch solutions in a safety critical environment.
• Good experience of working closely with suppliers to provide specialist technical support to users and stakeholders over multiple sites.
• Good experience of incident resolution, requests, changes and problem solving are delivered to agreed SLAs.
• Good experience of developing and delivering end user training and guidance relating to portfolio.

Additional Information:

Post is subject to an on-call rota, on-call rota to provide out-of-hours triage.

Further information about this vacancy can be found in the attached job description.

How to apply: 

Applications will be via an up to date CV and online application form, as part of this application please outline how your skills and experience demonstrate your suitability for the role.

Completed applications must be submitted by 11.59pm, 19th August 2025

 Vetting: Successful applicants will be required to pass Management Vetting and National Security Clearance (5 years minimum UK residency required), including a full background and financial disclosure. For more information and Top Tips, please see attached document. 

Medical: We’ll ask for relevant health and medical history details to support employee wellbeing.  

References: We'll ask for references to cover the past 5 years.

What we offer:

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing to 30 days after 5 years.
• Family-friendly policies, including up to 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave.
• Bespoke benefits platform and Blue Light Card access.
• Salary sacrifice options for cycles, home technology, gym membership, and electric vehicles.
• Interest-free annual rail season ticket loan after 6 months.
• Access to the Transport Benevolent Fund for health, welfare, and financial support.
• Development opportunities, including fully funded apprenticeships.
• Excellent Pension scheme:  We offer the BTP GPP Police Staff Pension Scheme, administered by Royal London. This group personal pension plan is available to all police staff and is a defined contribution scheme. It provides the flexibility to vary your pension contributions from 4.4% to 12% of your salary. For more information, visit the Royal London dedicated pension page or email us at Pension-Queries@btp.police.uk. Note: If you are an existing member of Police Staff in the RPS, your pension will not be affected.

Inclusion & Diversity: 

At BTP, we are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued. We believe diversity drives innovation and better decision-making. Our roles are open to everyone, and we encourage applications from underrepresented groups, including Black, Asian, and minority ethnic candidates, women, LGBTQI+ individuals, people with disabilities, and those who are neurodiverse. As part of our commitment we operate a ‘Disability Confident Scheme’ - all candidates who declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be offered an interview. 

For more information on Inclusion or the Disability Confident Scheme, please click the links Inclusion & Diversity Disability Confident Scheme

Join Us: 

Grow your career with us. We can’t wait to hear from you! See why BTP is right for you and click here for more information. For further information, please contact our Resourcing Team at RecruitmentTeam@btp.police.uk.