Emergency Planning & Response Officer

We have an excellent opportunity for the right candidate to join the Emergency Planning Team in Hackney Council. We are seeking a talented emergency planning/civil contingencies professional who can work with a multitude of stakeholders and enhance emergency preparedness capabilities in the borough. In the wake of the growing climate emergency and escalating international instability, Hackney is the place to put your skills to the test and make a difference to our diverse communities when they need help the most.

Hackney is London\’s most diverse and dynamic borough. Stretching from the edge of the City to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, it is an area of rapid economic growth, particularly in the tech, media, fashion and other creative industries. Hackney has more green space than any other inner London borough, some of the capital\’s best schools, and excellent transport connections which, combined with excellent local public services and a thriving arts, cultural and retail sector, are fast making it one of London\’s most popular areas to live, work and visit. The challenge for Hackney is to make sure that the borough\’s economic growth benefits everyone who lives here, and creates opportunities that will transform the lives of local people.

As part of the Emergency Planning Team you will report to the Emergency Planning & Response Manager and sit within the Community Safety, Enforcement and Business Regulation Service. The Emergency Planning team is responsible for ensuring that the organisation, community and local partnership is prepared and capable of responding to and recovering from emergencies impacting upon Hackney.

Hackney has been on a journey over the years, responding to a multitude of incidents. There is a strong foundation and history of successful responses that have put the needs of our communities first. The risk profile is continually evolving alongside the challenges of chronic national risks. The successful candidate will be looking at continuing on this journey with Hackney, to review, enhance and strengthen our capabilities as part of a team.

The successful candidate can expect to be tasked with in their first year amongst other projects:

• Grenfell Phase 2 Report recommendations: working with teams across the council to ensure all humanitarian assistance based learning has been fully embraced by the organisation. Influencing working culture, problem solving and revising procedures.
• Rest Centre process enhancement and data integrations. Working with ICT to redevelop our digital data collection process alongside centre operations, in order to enhance user experience and optimise flow through the centre to better support our residents in need.
• ID of vulnerable persons. Working with key stakeholders to streamline and modernise the borough resilience partnership\’s ability to identify, communicate with and support vulnerable groups during times of emergency.
• Power & Communications Outage Plan review. Taking the plan to an enhanced state of readiness, including training of council staff in key actions, aide memoirs and co-development of community hubs.
• Leading the continuous professional development of our Local Authority Liaison Officers cohort.

You will bring with you the ability to work in a pressurised and challenging environment. You will need to have an enthusiastic and positive approach with good organisational and administrative skills, combined with the ability to work to tight deadlines. A full manual car driving licence is required for this role (or willing to obtain it as part of your probation period).

The ideal candidate will be able to blend their strong academic prowess with the ability to implement and deliver within an active operational environment.

Flexibility is required for this role, as you will be required to participate in the on-call 24/7 duty rota after training and be willing to attend emergencies at short notice; a callout allowance is payable for periods on call. This role also attracts an on-call allowance and opportunities for overtime.

We welcome hybrid working, we typically operate three days in the office and two days working from home on average per week.

If you wish to discuss the role further please contact James Groom on 0208 356 5444.

As a Council, our most outstanding asset is our staff, who are highly dedicated to serving our residents and committed to our goals as an organisation.

If you want to work in a place where you can represent our values so we achieve the best for our residents, please click on the apply button below.

We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Therefore, we do not accept supporting statements or CV’s.

To proceed with your application, you will need to create an account and submit your application.

As part of the application process, you will need to complete a number of competency based questions. These questions allow you to demonstrate your suitability for the role and provide examples of your skills, knowledge and experience outlined in the job description.

We understand the benefits of using AI in the workplace. However, if you are thinking of using this tool to submit your application, we ask you to think about what value it will add. AI tools tend to lack the personal touch and authenticity we value in candidates. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.

This application process replaces a supporting statement.

Closing date for applications :1 September 2025 (22:59).

Interview date : 11th September 2025.

We are also working towards our vision, which is to be a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud; a place that celebrates diversity and where everyone can feel valued, included and involved. In order to achieve this, we look for people who are: Proud; Ambitious; Pioneering; Open; Proactive; Inclusive.

Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We also welcome those interested in flexible working. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, as this group is currently under represented in our workforce.

The Council has a dedicated employment support service (Hackney Works), which offers Hackney residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you are thinking about applying for a job, please contact the Hackney Works team to find out what support is available:

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