Communications Dispatcher

About the role

The Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) is a full-service police agency dedicated to maintaining a safe and secure environment that supports Harvard’s mission of teaching, research, and learning. Serving a diverse community of more than 22,000 students, 14,000 faculty and staff, and over 700 buildings across an open and accessible campus, HUPD provides professional policing grounded in partnership, respect, and constitutional values.

Responsibilities

• Receiving, transmitting, and disseminating information, both routine and emergency in nature, received from calls for service.
• Work alongside the police units in the field, utilizing various telecommunications equipment, including, but not limited to, Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD), a Motorola Radio system, and various alarm monitoring systems.
• Receive and respond to requests from police units for information needed to perform their duties.
• Querying various law enforcement databases (e.g., vehicle registrations, Board of Probation records, and warrants) and other related duties.
• Monitor emails from the community to the department and disseminate that information immediately to the appropriate personnel.
• Monitoring and responding to emails from supervisors and other department personnel.
• Keeping up to date on local, domestic, and international news to better serve the community.
• Attend Roll Call (zoom or in person) while on duty when applicable.

Requirements

• Basic Qualifications: High School Diploma or equivalent Minimum of three (3) years full-time, or equivalent part-time, paid experience in a customer service position. (Primary responsibility is triaging incoming calls and recording information for reporting purposes.) Experience with Microsoft Windows is required.
• Additional Qualifications and Skills: Preferred Qualifications: Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) certified Additional Qualifications: Prior experience as a Dispatcher for a public safety agency, ambulance company, taxicab service, or delivery service. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to type 40 words per minute.

Qualifications

• Basic Qualifications: High School Diploma or equivalent Minimum of three (3) years full-time, or equivalent part-time, paid experience in a customer service position. (Primary responsibility is triaging incoming calls and recording information for reporting purposes.) Experience with Microsoft Windows is required.
• Additional Qualifications and Skills: Preferred Qualifications: Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) certified Additional Qualifications: Prior experience as a Dispatcher for a public safety agency, ambulance company, taxicab service, or delivery service. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to type 40 words per minute.

Skills

• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods.
• Ability to bend and stretch and move between workstations.
• Ability to work in a climate-controlled environment.
• May be required to work from a vehicle (Mobile Command Center) at times.
• Strong sight and hearing abilities are needed to operate computer systems, telephones, and radios and to deal effectively with diverse emergencies.
• Ability to deal with stressful situations.
• Ability to work well under intense pressure.
• May need to move to an alternate working location.

Benefits

• Generous paid time off including parental leave
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one
• Retirement plans with university contributions
• Wellbeing and mental health resources
• Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement
• Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks

Pay

Salary Grade and Ranges This position is salary grade level 053. Please visit Harvard's Salary Ranges to view the corresponding salary range and related information.

Schedule

Shift hours are primarily 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM and serving a floater (filling in on the 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM or 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM shifts) four days on, two days off rotation.