Radio Communications Engineer I at County of Riverside in Riverside, California

Job Description:

ABOUT THE POSITION

The County of Riverside's Sheriffs Department is seeking a skilled and motivated Radio Communications Engineer I for their office in Riverside, CA.
To service the requirements of the County of Riverside's Sheriffs Department, the incumbent may be required to travel and work on an on-call schedule which may include occasional overtime including weekends, night shifts, and holidays depending on business needs.

The Radio Communications Engineer I will be responsible for the design, construction, maintenance, surveying or frequency licensing, radio frequency interference and troubleshooting of radio communication systems for the agency. This includes managing both analog and digital radio systems, overseeing frequency planning, and ensuring system reliability for public safety, emergency services, and other critical operations. provides technical direction, instruction and/or training to field technicians; performs other related duties as required.

The Radio Communications Engineer I is the first level classification in the Radio Communications Engineer series and reports directly to theRadio Communications Technology Managerin charge of the Public Safety Enterprise Communications (PSEC) 800 MHz Radio System project that services the County Sheriffs' Department.

The most competitive candidates will have extensive professional experience in telecommunications specifically within Public Safety Motorola P25 trunked radio systems; working with RF test equipment; AutoCAD; coverage mapping software; RF propagation modeling and system design; FCC regulation and licensing.

Possession of a valid FCC General Radiotelephone License issued by the Federal Communications Commission or APCO Certificate (public safety radio) is highly desired.

Meet the Team!

The law enforcement professionals of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department , with a staff of over 3,600 dedicated men and women, cover the expanse of over 7,300 square miles in southern California. The Sheriff's Department is dedicated to serving the citizens of its communities with integrity, professionalism, leadership, and loyalty and believes in service above self.

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES
• Assist in resolving difficult radio engineering problems in connection with the work involved in the planning, design and construction of the County Public Safety Enterprise Communications (PSEC) 800 MHz Radio System; act as project manager on assigned projects.

• Prepare design drawings specifications and related contract documents to be used in advertising construction projects for bids; compose articulate Requests For Proposals (RFP); maintain necessary records pertaining to survey and construction progress; prepare requests for change orders and final estimates on contracts.

• Provide technical information to officials of other governmental jurisdictions, other engineers and the public; coordinate communication interfaces with federal, state and local agencies, and/or vendors; work with public utility companies in matters of facility relocation and right-of-way.

• Engineer and design conventional and trunked radio and microwave systems, towers, sites, and antennae systems; advise and assist with the 800 MHz System planning design, repair and maintenance; coordinate with vendors on support of the radio system, as required.

• Isolate faults and analyze complex system failures and performance degradation and effects; advise on system recovery, restoration, and/or repair, either remotely or in the field; study system failures and alarm patterns, determining best methods for averting patterned outages.

• Initiate, review and analyze complex system performance and reliability measurements and reports; develop and implement cost effective recommendations to improve service delivery and efficiency through hardware and software changes.

• Install, configure and maintain radio communications components; troubleshoot system failures, performance deficiencies and circuit/wiring issues; research, evaluate, test, and recommend products, product versions and services to meet future business needs.

• Plan strategic and tactical disaster recovery survival scenarios based on different threat levels; develop and control security mechanisms to ensure against unauthorized access to the system software and databases.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, electronics, or a closely related field. (Additional qualifying experience may substitute for the required education on a year-for-year basis.)

Experience: Three years of professional telecommunications industry (700 MHz, 800MHz, or VHF) experience with one of those years in the planning, design and construction of radio communications projects that included experience with large, multi-site radio and/or microwave networks, both conventional and/or trunked radio systems.

Knowledge of: FCC rules and regulations; fundamentals of electronics engineering and radio telephony; mathematics and physics as applied to this engineering; computer use with experience in Microsoft Office Suit and Project; and familiarity with Auto Cad, Visio, RF Propagation study software, such as RAPTR or ComStudy; Motorola Astro25 system architecture are preferred.

Ability to: Design a variety of public works structures with skill and accuracy; perform difficult mathematical computations and keep neat and accurate field notes; maintain cooperative working relationships with others; operate an all-wheel drive vehicle off-road to and from remote rural locations.

Other Requirements
License/Certificate: Possession of a valid California Driver's License.

A successful Security Clearance conducted by the Sheriffs' Department is required for positions within the Riverside CountySheriff.

Highly Desired
Possession of a valid FCC General Radiotelephone License issued by the Federal Communications Commission. NABER Certificate (business and education radio) or APCO Certificate (public safety radio) is highly desired.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
What's Next?
This recruitment is open to ALL applicants.

GENERAL INFORMATION

For questions regarding this recruitment please contact Christopher Recinos at crecinos@rivco.org .

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APPLICATION INFORMATION

Veteran's Preference
The County has a Veterans Preference Policy applicable to new hires. To qualify, upload a copy of your (or your spouse's) Member-4 Form DD-214 indicating dates of service, and a copy of your spouse's letter of disability (if applicable) with your application. For privacy reasons, it is recommended that you remove your social security information from the document(s). A Human Resources Representative will review the materials and determine if you qualify for veterans' preference.The Veterans Preference Policy, C-3 is available here: https://rivcocob.org/board-policies

Reasonable Accommodations
The County of Riverside is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Qualified individuals with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter for the position noted above. For additional information and/or to obtain the appropriate form for requesting a reasonable accommodation, please visit the Disability Access Office web page located at: https://rc-hr.com/disability

Proof of Education
If using education to qualify or when requested by the recruiter, upload a copy of any license(s), official/unofficial transcript(s), degrees, and/or related employment documents to your NeoGov account at the time of application and before the closing date. Official or unofficial transcripts will be accepted.

If your education was completed outside of the United States, you will need to provide a copy of your Foreign Education Equivalency evaluation from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services ( NACES ) or Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. ( AICE ).

Equal Opportunity Employer
The County of Riverside is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of the County of Riverside to provide equal employment opportunities for all qualified persons. All applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, ancestry, medical condition (cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, or denial of medical and family care leave, or any other non-job-related factors.

Pre-Employment
All employment offers are contingent upon successful completion of pre-employment requirements including a criminal background investigation, which involves fingerprinting. (A felony or misdemeanor conviction may disqualify the applicant from County employment). A pre-employment physical examination and background check may be required.

Probationary Period
As an Approved Local Merit System, all County of Riverside employees, except those serving "At Will," are subject to the probationary period provisions as specified in the applicable Memorandum of Understanding, County Resolution, or Salary Ordinance. Temporary and Per Diem employees serve at the pleasure of the agency/department head.

General Information
Current County of Riverside and/or current employees of the hiring department may receive priority consideration. Qualified candidates may be considered for future County vacancies.

Job postings may close without notice based on application volume. Submit your complete application by the recruitment close date; no late applications are accepted. Ensure all relevant experience/education is reflected on your application/resume, as a failure to demonstrate position requirements may disqualify applicants. A description of job duties directly copied from the job classification or job posting will not be considered.

Please read and follow any special application instructions on this posting. Click the 'Apply' link located on this page to submit your application. For additional instructions on the application process, examinations, Veteran's preference, pre-employment accommodation or other employment questions, please refer to our web site, www.rc-hr.com .

If you are experiencing technical problems, you may contact the governmentjobs.com applicant support desk Monday through Friday, 6 am to 5 pm Pacific Time at support@governmentjobs.com or toll-free 1-855-524-5627.

MEDICAL/DENTAL/VISION INSURANCE: A choice of different medical, dental and visions plan are available to elect. The County provides a Flexible Benefit Credit contribution as governed by the applicable SEIU Memorandum of Understanding to contribute towards the cost of these plans.

Note: Employees on assignment through the Temporary Assignment Program (TAP) receive different benefits. See the list here .
MISCELLANEOUS RETIREMENT: County of Riverside has three retirement Tiers through the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS).

• 
  Tier I (Classic Member - Formula 3% @ 60): Applicable to current and former County of Riverside local miscellaneous employees hired prior to 08/24/2012 and did not withdraw CalPERS contributions. The employee contribution is eight (8%) percent.


• 
  Tier II (Classic Member - Formula 2% @ 60): Applicable to local miscellaneous employees 1) hired after 08/23/2012 through 12/31/2012; 2) Previously employed with another CalPERS contracting public agency or a reciprocal retirement system, with a break in service of less than six months between the separation date with the previous employer and the appointment date with the County of Riverside. The employee contribution is seven (7%) percent.


• 
  Tier III (PEPRA New Member - Formula 2% @ 62): Applicable to CalPERS local miscellaneous new members hired on or after the implementation of the Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA) which took effect January 1, 2013. Effective July 1, 2023 employee contributions are 7.25% and will increase to 7.75% effective July 1, 2024.
  

A new member is defined as any of the following:

A new hire who enters CalPERS membership for the first time on or after January 1, 2013, and who has no prior membership in any California Public Retirement System.

A new hire who enters CalPERS membership for the first time on or after January 1, 2013, and who was a member with another California Public Retirement System prior to that date, but who is not subject to reciprocity upon joining CalPERS.

A member who first established CalPERS membership prior to January 1, 2013, and who is rehired by a different CalPERS agency after a break in service of greater than six (6) months.

CalPERS refers to all members that do not fit within the definition of a new member as "classic members".

Contribution rates are subject to change based on the County of Riverside annual actuarial valuation.

Note:

This summary is for general information purposes only. Additional questions regarding retirement formulas can be sent to retirement@rivco.org or by calling the Benefits Information Line at (951) 955-4981,
Option 2.

If you have prior service credit with another CalPERS agency or within agencies, please contact CalPERS at (888) 225-7377 to determine which retirement tier would be applicable to you. CalPERS is governed by the Public Employees' Retirement Law. The Retirement Law is complex and subject to change. If there's any conflict between this summary and the law, the law will prevail over this summary.
DEFERRED COMPENSATION: Voluntary employee contribution with a choice between two 457 deferred compensation plan options.

VACATION ACCRUAL (Bi-Weekly Accrual):

0< 3 year = 80 Hours (10 Days)

4< 9 years = 120 Hours (15 Days)

10 or more years = 160 Hours (20 Days)

Maximum Vacation leave accumulation is 480 hours.

SICK LEAVE: Four (4) hours Sick Leave accrual per pay period with unlimited accrual.

HOLIDAYS: Normally 12 paid holidays per year.

BEREAVEMENT LEAVE: Allowed 5 days (3 days are County paid; 2 additional days can be taken from accrued Sick Leave balance).

BASIC LIFE INSURANCE: Equal to one times annual base salary not to exceed $50,000 of term life coverage. Premiums are paid by the County. Additional Supplemental Life plan is available for employee purchase.

DISABILITY: Short-term Disability benefit pays up to a maximum of $461.54 weekly, payable up to a maximum of 52 weeks.

POST RETIREMENT MEDICAL CONTRIBUTION: A monthly contribution is made by the County towards retiree health insurance offered through the County as governed by the applicable SEIU Memorandum of Understanding.

OTHER: There may be other benefit provisions as specified in the applicable Memorandum of Understanding. Please contact the recruiter listed on the job posting directly for more information.

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