Manager, Dispatch Operations

About Us

The Department of Emergency Management is responsible for leading disaster and emergency planning, preparedness, response and recovery activities on behalf of the Province of Nova Scotia.  The objective of the Department is to ensure that Nova Scotians are safe, prepared and resilient in the face of disasters and emergencies. The Department leads the coordination and co-operation of partners and resources during provincial-level critical incidents, supports municipal and other partners in regional-level and local events, administers the Province's 911 service, maintains critical communications infrastructure and supports operations of our regional emergency management centres.  The Department also works to ensure critical government services continue to function during and after critical events. 

The Incident Management and 911 Branch is dedicated to ensuring the safety and resilience of our Province by:

• Rapidly coordinating provincial response and critical infrastructure partner resources 

• Effectively managing incidents to minimize impact and restore normalcy as quickly as possible  

• Ensuring integrated emergency responses through the Provincial Coordination Centre
• Strengthening critical communications infrastructure through the establishment and oversight of the Public Safety Field Communications Agency. The Agency's mission is to create a Centre of Excellence in the delivery of public safety communications, dispatch, and related technologies across Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada

• Managing and modernizing the emergency 911 system, including the move to Next Generation 911  

About Our Opportunity

The Public Safety Field Communications Agency is responsible for managing public safety, two-way radio communications, infrastructure, and dispatch services on behalf of the Province.

Reporting to the Director of Client Services, the Manager of Dispatch Operations leads the day-to-day operations and ongoing development of a 24/7 operations centre and its backup centre, supported by a team of approximately 20 staff. The centre delivers dispatch, call notification, and related services to client agencies across all levels of government – municipal, provincial, and federal – as well as to private-sector partners.

Many of these clients are policing and enforcement agencies, fire departments, and other public safety organizations for whom accurate and reliable dispatch support is critical. Ensuring a consistently high quality of service and the accuracy of information provided to user agencies is the central focus of this role.

Primary Accountabilities

The position combines operational leadership with business planning and strategic development. The Manager is responsible for establishing and maintaining the centre's service delivery model and for developing and ensuring the program complies with applicable legislative and regulatory requirements.

The Manager of Dispatch Operations is accountable for:

• Provide steady, real-time leadership to Team Leads during routine and crisis situations, ensuring clear communication, rapid decision-making, and continuity of service.
• Build and sustain a resilient, high-performing workforce by actively coaching employees, setting and evaluating performance targets, and supporting mental well-being in a demanding 24/7 environment.
• Ensure the effective management of human and financial resources by promoting diversity and a healthy workplace, demonstrating leadership competencies, respecting corporate human resources practices, and fostering teamwork and individual development.
• The Manager is accountable for establishing an