The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) is recruiting for a Program Specialist II to join our team. The position will work as an integral member of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Community Risk Reduction Team primarily focused on delivering fire and life safety education and programs to youth, families, high-risk, under-served and vulnerable populations. The successful candidate will be a key team member responsible for planning, developing, implementing, delivering, and presenting programs to reduce risk and enhance safety and health in the community.

About the Department

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS), an accredited agency, is a full spectrum life safety agency protecting about 500 square miles and over one million people who live and work in Maryland’s most populous jurisdiction. MCFRS is a combination system (volunteer/career) in the suburban Washington, D.C. area. MCFRS Responds annually to over 120,000 emergency calls for service and is staffed by nearly 2,700 career and volunteer responders.

What You’ll Be Doing:

The Program Specialist II duties include, but are not limited to:

• Prepare, organize, and deliver age and audience appropriate fire and life safety education presentations and programs using traditional and virtual training methods and techniques.
• Develop and implement comprehensive community outreach programs focused on school-age children, families and vulnerable populations based on community risk data and the department’s Community Risk Assessment.
• Work with schools, government departments, agencies, organizations, public/private businesses, faith-based groups, and others to strengthen and drive awareness of community risk reduction programs and services for children, families and underserved populations.
• Provide staffing for the department’s Infant and Child Car Seat Program, perform inspections/installations of car seats, attend events, and provide education in the community.
• Plan, schedule, organize, and staff community outreach events and programs.
• Collaborate and work closely with the department’s Community Risk Reduction Team and fire department representatives to assess needs, ensure cohesive messaging and alignment of education, outreach and services and programs.
• Develop program objectives and lesson plans for school-based programs that target specific fire, life safety and injury prevention topics to maximize the learning experience.
• Assist in the preparation and analysis of program data and analytics.

Who we are seeking:

To be a successful Program Specialist II you must:

• Possess strong communication skills both orally and in writing.
• Focus on customer service, working with the public and a culturally diverse population.
• Work effectively as part of a team and independently, exercising effective judgment and critical thinking and adapt to changing priorities and work in a fast-paced environment.
• Knowledge of the importance of fire and life safety concepts and the ability to effectively convey that information through various methods.
• Ability to regularly work evening and weekend hours to attend community events/meetings.

Additional Information:

• Bilingual applicants are encouraged to apply. If the candidate selected for this position possesses multilingual skills, they will be required to successfully pass an examination assessing oral communication, reading comprehension, and interpreting skills. For Advanced proficiency, the candidate must also pass an examination requiring translating text to English and vice versa.
• The position will be required to operate a motor vehicle t travel to locations throughout the county, transport materials and equipment to perform required duties, attend meetings, and provide community outreach and training.

Selected candidates will be required to pass a pre-employment criminal background check and medical clearance with a drug and alcohol screening.

For information about Montgomery County’s comprehensive benefit offerings, please visit the MCG Careers Total Rewards webpage and check out our competitive benefits!

The anticipated salary range in hiring for this position is: $61,788 - $80,008.

OHR reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position/IRC.

Montgomery County Government is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources via email to OHR@montgomerycountymd.gov. Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.

Montgomery County Government also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, please refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference.

All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for interview.

If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.

Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.

Experience: Two (2) years of professional experience developing, implementing, and delivering educational programs using traditional and virtual training methods and techniques focused on children, families and vulnerable populations.

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree.

Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

License: Possession and maintenance at all times of a valid Class "C" (or equivalent) driver’s license from the applicant's state of residence when required for job related duties.

Physical Ability: This position requires that the selected candidate to be able to physically lift up to 30 pounds, carry equipment, climb ladders and use small tools to during home safety visits, organize, set up and breakdown event displays, tents, tables and drive a vehicle.

There are NO Preferred Criteria Assessments. All applicants will be reviewed by the Office of Human Resources (OHR) for minimum qualifications. Those applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be rated “Qualified”, placed on the eligible list, and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting the qualifications of the same grade or higher will be placed on the Eligible List as “Transfer” candidate and may be considered for an interview.

Preference for interviews will be given to applicants with experience in the following:

• Experience planning, organizing, scheduling, promoting, and staffing community events and educational programs.
• Experience working with children, families, underserved and vulnerable populations.
• Strong written and oral communication skills and experience in public speaking.
• Knowledge of fire and life safety, fire prevention, risk mitigation, child passenger safety and/or emergency preparedness programs.
• Knowledge of fire safety and prevention issues including an understanding of local and state fire code requirements.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365.