Emergency Communications Director

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

Q Comm 911 

Annual Salary:

• $95,000 - $130,000 DOE/DOQ

Application Deadline:

• Friday, March 27, 2026

About QCOMM911:

Quad Cities Emergency Communications (QCOMM911) is a consolidated, state-of-the-art public safety communications center located in the Milan Municipal Building in Rock Island County, Illinois. QCOMM911 provides 9-1-1 call processing and radio dispatch services for four police departments and nine fire departments throughout the region, including Moline Police and Fire; East Moline Police and Fire; Silvis Police and Fire; Milan Police; and the Blackhawk, Hampton, Carbon Cliff - Barstow, Coal Valley, Coyne Center, and Reynolds Fire Departments. Technical systems support is provided in partnership with the Rock Island County Emergency Telephone System Board (ETSB), which is co-located within the Milan Municipal Building.

Formed through an Intergovernmental Agreement pursuant to the Illinois Intergovernmental Cooperation Act (5 ILCS 220/1), QCOMM911 operates as an independent unit of local government with all standard governmental powers except the authority to levy taxes or issue bonds. The agency is governed by an eight-member Board of Directors composed of four voting City / Village Administrators and four non-voting public safety representatives. The Board establishes bylaws, adopts the annual budget, hires the Director, and provides oversight of finances, personnel, policy and long-range planning.

Role of the Director:

As Director, you will serve as the chief executive officer of QCOMM911, providing strategic leadership and direction under the authority of the Board. You will guide the organization's operational performance, fiscal stewardship and regulatory compliance while ensuring the delivery of reliable, high-quality 24/7 emergency and non-emergency communications services.

You will champion workforce development and organizational resilience, foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement, and ensure that QCOMM911 remains responsive, technologically advanced and mission-ready.

The Executive Director is expected to be available to provide leadership support during major incidents, system disruptions, or other critical operational events, as needed.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide executive leadership and strategic direction for QCOMM911 in a unionized, 24/7 public safety communications environment, ensuring stable operations, workforce accountability and service excellence.
• Administer, interpret and enforce collective bargaining agreements; serve as management's lead representative in labor negotiations and grievance resolution; and maintain constructive labor-management relationships.
• Oversee staffing strategy, workforce deployment and scheduling practices to ensure reliable 24/7 coverage and operational continuity.
• Direct managers, shift supervisors and lead personnel to establish clear performance expectations, accountability standards and professional workplace culture.
• Ensure delivery of high-quality emergency and non-emergency communications services through oversight of quality assurance, call review, policy development and continuous operational improvement.
• Lead the organization during major incidents, system disruptions and emergency activations to ensure coordinated response and sustained communications center performance.
• Develop and implement strategic and capital plans aligned with Board priorities; prepare and adminster the annual budget; and provide regular operational and financial reporting to the Board.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state and industry standards, including APCO, NENA, NAEMD, FCC and CJIS requirements, and oversee cybersecurity governance, system redundancy and continuity planning.
• Serve as liaison to participating municipalities, public safety agencies, the Rock Island County ETSB, State 9-1-1 authorities and professional organizations.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Demonstrated leadership experience in a unionized, 24/7 public safety or critical operations environment.
• Strong expertise in workforce management, staffing models and shift scheduling for continuous operations.
• Proven experience administering collective bargaining agreements and managing labor relations matters.
• Comprehensive knowledge of public safety communications operations, standards, quality assurance practices and training requirements.
• Knowledge of emergency communications infrastructure, including CAD systems, radio networks, telephony systems and cybersecurity principles.
• Ability to navigate multi-jurisdictional governance structures and work effectively with governing boards and elected officials.
• Strong strategic planning, organizational management and financial oversight capabilities.
• Demonstrated crisis leadership and ability to make sound decisions under emergency conditions.
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university in Criminal Justice, Public Administration, Business Administration, or other related field, and six (6) years progressively responsible supervisory experience in the public safety and/or local government field.
• Equivalent combinations of education, training, and experience that provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities will be considered.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Senior leadership experience in a unionized public safety communications or other 24/7 public sector environment.
• Demonstrated success in collective bargaining negotiations and labor-management relations.
• Experience stabilizing or improving performance in a continuous operations setting.
• Experience within a multi-jurisdictional or intergovermental governance structure.
• Professional certifications such as APCO RPL, NENA ENP or related public safety leadership credentials.

Licenses and Certifications:

• Valid Illinois driver's license or equivalent.
• Must obtain and maintain eligibility for access to CJIS and LEADS systems within six (6) months of hire.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, occasionally required to stand, walk and lift or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral visions, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Work is performed primarily in an office and emergency communications center environment and may include periods of elevated noise levels and heightened operational activity during emergency incidents.

To Apply:

Click the "APPLY" button and submit letter of interest, resume, and five recent work-related references to Leah Madsen, City of Moline Director of Human Resources.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Salary/Compensation: $95,000 - $130,000 per year

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