Job title: Emergency Planning Officer

Salary: PO2 £39,862 - £42,839

Hours: 37hrs per week

Contract: Full Time, Permanent

Location: Leeds City Centre, surrounding areas & hybrid

As an Emergency Planning Officer, you’ll thrive on protecting communities, strengthening resilience, and ensuring Leeds is ready to respond when it matters most. The role requires a full, valid driving licence and the ability to take part in an out-of-hours on-call rota, providing support during incidents when required.

It’s not about sitting behind plans on a shelf – it’s about real-world impact, working with partners, and helping the city prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions

About you

As an Emergency Planning Officer, you will bring to the role:

Experience or developing knowledge of emergency planning, resilience, and business continuity, ideally within a local authority, public sector or similar environment
A solid understanding of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and other relevant legislation, guidance and professional standards relating to resilience and emergency preparedness
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships with internal teams and external partners
The ability to analyse complex issues, interpret legislation and statutory duties, and develop clear, robust plans and reports
Confidence and capability to plan, organise and deliver training, briefings and exercising activity, helping to build preparedness across services and partner organisations
Confidence in managing competing priorities and making sound decisions under pressure
A flexible and resilient approach, including willingness to take part in an out-of-hours emergency rota and occasionally work outside normal hours to engage with communities and support resilience activity

About the role

This is a great opportunity to contribute to keeping Leeds safe and resilient. You’ll support the Council’s work to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies, working as part of a small, supportive team at the centre of the Council’s resilience arrangements.

As an Emergency Planning Officer, you’ll help the Council meet its statutory duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, supporting key activities across emergency planning and business continuity management. This will include assisting in the development and maintenance of plans, supporting training and exercises, and working with services to strengthen their preparedness.

You’ll work closely with council services, emergency responders, voluntary organisations, and regional partnerships such as the West Yorkshire Resilience Forum. A key part of your role will be supporting services to embed business continuity planning, helping them maintain critical functions during disruption and ensuring alignment with legislation and good practice. You will also engage with local communities and partners, helping to build awareness, preparedness and community resilience, this may occasionally involve meetings or events outside of normal working hours.

The role sits within the Resilience & Emergencies Team, where you’ll contribute to delivering robust, legally compliant planning, training and response arrangements, while building your knowledge, skills and experience across a wide range of resilience activities.

We support flexible working arrangements, recognising the importance of work-life balance, alongside the need for flexibility to respond to incidents and community needs when they arise.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidance for further advice on completing your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact Leanne Cummings, Resilience & Emergencies Team Manager. Call 0113 3788673 or email leanne.cummings@leeds.gov.uk.

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visaroute before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job Purpose: Leeds City Council is required under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 to meet a range of statutory resilience duties and responsibilities, including emergency planning and business continuity. The purpose of the Emergency Planning Officer role is to co-ordinate and work with all Council services, external partners and voluntary organisations to ensure that hazards and threats are identified and managed. This includes work in anticipation, assessment, prevention, preparation, and response and recovery management.

Responsibilities:

Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade
Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities as necessary to ensure up to date knowledge and skills
Improve own practice through observation, evaluation, discussion with colleagues and appropriate CPD programmes.
To work collaboratively with colleagues, knowing when to seek help and advice.
Contribute to the overall ethos, work, and aims of the service by attending relevant meetings, training days/events as requested.
Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures e.g., child protection, health, safety and security, confidentiality, and data protection, reporting all concerns to an appropriate person
Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, and promoting the values, standards, and equal opportunities of Leeds City Council.
Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse of equal opportunities, ensuring compliance with relevant policies and procedures.
The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.
The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and this role will be expected to work within these parameters.
To be part of a team working together to ensure that the Council complies with its duties under the requirements of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and implementation of the objectives of the LCC Resilience Policy including:
Ensuring that hazards and threats to Council and City resilience are identified and assessed and that plans and arrangements are developed and maintained in readiness to respond (this includes maintenance and development of the Council’s Incident Response Plan).
Assist with embedding emergency and business continuity planning in the organisations culture.
Providing advice and support to directorates and external organisations in the preparation of their emergency and business continuity planning arrangements and reviewing the adequacy of emergency preparedness and response activities.
Ensuring that arrangements are in place to mobilise and manage the Council’s response to an emergency including effective liaison and co-operation with the emergency services and other partner agencies.
Ensuring that information and alerts for staff, elected members and the public are effectively disseminated.
Design, development and delivery of resilience related briefings, training and exercises.
To build interoperability with representatives of partner agencies (including participating with the West Yorkshire Resilience Forum) to develop multi-agency working

To support the co-ordination of a Council response to an emergency incident including provision of advice and judgement on the best course of action to managers, officers, elected members, the public and officers from partner agencies
To support Directorate Resilience Groups in ensuring that directorate level capability is in place and maintained to be able to respond to incidents and emergencies.
To research, develop and implement policies, projects and initiatives relating to resilience, emergency planning and security including responding to changes to current and proposed legislation. This includes input at local, county, regional and national levels.
To take part in the on-call ‘out of hours’ rota for emergency incidents (for which additional payment is received) including authorisation to act on behalf of the Resilience and Emergencies Team Manager in the event of ‘out of hours’ incidents. This requires remaining in areas of ICT connectivity whilst ‘on-call’.
Provision of resilience related advice and guidance for communities, businesses, and voluntary sector organisations.
Preparation of reports, briefing notes and situation reports for senior managers, elected members etc. as required.
To develop, direct and/or play into exercises with Council staff and external agencies to maintain emergency preparedness at local and countywide levels.
To ensure that appropriate technical and communications support is in place to underpin emergency planning and response capabilities.
To work flexibly across a range of thematic areas which might include;
Safety Advisory Groups (Events)
Mass fatality planning
Reception Centre co-ordination
Emergency and Business Continuity planning
Community resilience initiatives
Command, Control and Communication
Cyber security
Evacuation planning
Counter Terrorism
Warning & Informing
Severe weather and flooding
Pandemic influenza planning
Adverse weather (heat wave/cold weather/air quality)
Health outbreak planning
Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear planning
To undertake any other duties of a similar nature appropriate to the grade as directed by the Resilience and Emergencies Team Manager.
To take responsibility (in conjunction with the Resilience and Emergencies Team Manager) for continual personal and professional development to ensure the necessary knowledge and skills requirements of the role are met and maintained.
The post holder will need to be available to work out of hours as part of the on call rota and also as part of the team in response to a major emergency

Qualifications

The post holder will ideally hold a recognised qualification in emergency/crisis management or business continuity planning/related discipline or demonstrable experience of working in a resilience related field, such as emergency and/or business continuity planning. A driving licence is desirable.

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS: It is essential that the Candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities: Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate on the application form that they meet all the essential requirements

Method of Assessment will be through one or more of the following Application Form, Test, Interview, and Certificate

Skills Required

Able to work flexibly across different work locations and areas as appropriate.
Excellent communication, facilitation and negotiation skills with people at all levels in a wide range of environments.
Able to prepare plans, reports and documentation on complex themes in a clear, concise, accurate and consistent fashion.
Able to interpret legislation and policies.
Good decision-making skills and able to analyse problems to find solutions to complex and sensitive issues.
Able to meet conflicting deadlines and to prioritise work.
Able to use MS-Office, other ICT applications and communications equipment to a good level of proficiency.

Knowledge Required

An understanding of the legislation (CCA 2004), standards and processes underpinning emergency planning/business continuity and how this relates to local authorities.

Experience Required

Of preparing reports and/or research papers for meetings or management decision making

Behavioural & other Characteristics required

Committed to continuous improvement.
Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council Equal Opportunities Policy.
Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health & Safety Policies.
Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities to ensure up to date knowledge, skills, and continuous professional development
Understand and embrace our values, behaviours and codes of conduct.
To abide by the Council’s Equal Opportunity Policy in the duties of the post and as an employee of the Council.
To take personal responsibility under and abide by the Council’s Health & Safety Policy.
Awareness of and an ability to respect the sensitive and confidential nature of the work.
Conscientious and committed approach towards completing tasks accurately and to deadlines.
Diplomatic and assertive with senior Council Officers and representatives of other agencies.
Willing to work co-operatively and flexibly in a small team, including participating in an out of hour’s on-call rota (based on one day per week and one weekend in five, however flexibility is required to cover for any fluctuations in staffing levels).
Resilient, resourceful and able to maintain control during an incident.
Commitment to high standards in all areas of work.
Commitment to own personal development and learning.

DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS: It is desirable that the Candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities: Candidates are not required to meet all the desirable requirements however these may be used to distinguish between acceptable candidates.

Skills Required

Able to chair, plan and positively contribute to meetings with management or other stakeholders.
Able to set aims, objectives, and targets, and develop strategies and action plans to achieve them.
Able to make assessments of risk and vulnerability.
Able to design, organise and deliver effective training sessions, briefings and exercises.

Knowledge Required

Good understanding of the roles and responsibilities of key partner agencies/Category 1 responders.
Awareness of the work of the West Yorkshire Resilience Forum.
Awareness of Leeds City Council and its range of departments and services.
A degree or other qualification relevant to emergency planning and/or business continuity.
Full clean driving licence.
An appropriate level of security clearance.

Experience Required

Of working in an emergency planning and/or business continuity related environment.
Of working on projects.
Of working in local government or partner agency.
Of developing training events and or briefings for a range of participants.
Of operating effectively under pressure.