Emergency Planning Officer

• These posts will be based in the Emergency Planning Response and Recovery Team at County Hall in Taunton. The Team operates a hybrid working model. We aim to be in the office together two or three days a week on average.
• All officers in the Emergency Planning Team are expected to join the on-call rota. Training is provided and participation in the rota attracts an on-call payment.
• 37 hours per week
• There are two Emergency Planning Officer vacancies, one is a permanent appointment, and one is for a nine-month fixed term

Because Somerset Council is a new unitary authority and is going through transformation, this is a great opportunity to be part of a team that is building resilience into the new structure. The majority of the time is spent on planning and preparing (including for scheduled events such as Glastonbury Festival) but emergencies can happen at any time, so flexibility is key. And the Emergency Planning Team are at the heart of the council’s emergency response arrangements.

We’re working to improve the lives of people in Somerset – and you’ll be a key part of that. The Emergency Planning Team deliver a variety of projects and activities to help ensure that Somerset Council is ready to respond to emergencies. This could include working with the emergency services, voluntary sector, commercial partners (Hinkley Point and Gravity sites) and community representatives.

Your day-to-day work may include:

• Developing and updating emergency plans.
• Devising and refreshing supporting capabilities eg emergency call out processes, emergency equipment etc.
• Working on emergency training and exercises for colleagues across the Council. And taking part in multi-agency exercises with partner agencies including, police, fire, ambulance, Environment Agency, health organisations etc.
• Supporting communities to develop their own local resilience plans through our Somerset Prepared Partnership.
• In emergency situations, you will be supporting the Emergency Planning Manager and Duty Emergency Planning Officer in the Incident Control Room.

We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But it will really help if you:

• Are educated to degree level or equivalent in an emergency planning or related subject.
• Have knowledge or experience of Emergency Planning, Integrated Emergency Management, Business Continuity Management or a related discipline.
• Have knowledge or experience of dealing with emergency incidents.
• Are good at working as part of a team.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Nicola Dawson, Emergency Planning Manager [email protected] 07796 610211

Interviews will take place on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th July 2025.

The salary for these roles is £27,711 - £31.067 per annum

When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.

If you have all the information you need, just hit the apply button - we can’t wait to hear from you.