PUBLIC SAFETY INTEROPERABILITY DIRECTOR

Mayor

Exempt | Location: Civic Center

Annual Salary

$109,500.00 - $160,200.00

contact information

Mayor's Office HR Team
213-978-0600
Mayor.Jobs@lacity.org

job description

LOCATION: Los Angeles City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles 90012

TERMS: Full-time, Exempt

SALARY: $109,500 - $160,200 (Mayoral Aide VII)

SUMMARY: The City of Los Angeles and its regional partners have made substantial investments in building a modern and secure interoperable communications system — the “System of Systems” — to connect first responders across jurisdictions. This system will play a critical role in major upcoming events, including the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Public Safety Interoperability Director will serve as the City’s lead coordinator for this effort, ensuring that technical implementation, stakeholder engagement, and funding strategies align with the Mayor’s public safety priorities and broader regional goals. The Director will provide project oversight, facilitate collaboration among partners, and address barriers to completion — particularly as the City approaches key federal grant deadlines and international event readiness milestones.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: The Director will serve as the Mayor’s Office lead and central point of coordination for the “System of Systems” interoperability initiative. This includes overseeing the City’s engagement in the effort, aligning City priorities with regional partners, and ensuring timely planning and deployment of infrastructure and encrypted communications systems. The Director will guide strategy, represent the City in regional forums, and provide senior leadership with regular updates and strategic counsel on system readiness and progress.

JOB DUTIES:

Lead citywide and regional strategy to advance interoperable communications for first responders.
Represent the City in regional working groups, stakeholder meetings, and UASI planning discussions.
Track implementation timelines, technical dependencies, and grant deliverables across partner agencies.
Coordinate with LAPD’s Communications Division and IT personnel to monitor encryption deployment.
Assist in developing and submitting UASI funding requests with City and regional partners.
Troubleshoot technical or administrative barriers that delay implementation or stakeholder buy-in.
Collaborate with LA-RICS, ICI, and other agencies to ensure compliance with national interoperability standards.
Monitor City readiness for the 2028 Olympic Games, identifying gaps and escalation points.
Draft reports, memos, and talking points for senior leadership on system status and progress.
Facilitate communication between the Mayor’s Office and external consultants, if retained.
Evaluate whether continued investment in the current system remains the most effective strategy.
Support public safety agencies with encryption readiness, fleet mapping, SOP development, and training.
Coordinate internal briefings for the Mayor, Deputy Mayors, and department heads.
Provide ongoing strategic counsel to maintain interoperability as a top City and regional priority.

REQUIREMENTS:

Minimum 7 years of experience in public safety, emergency communications, or intergovernmental coordination.
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-jurisdictional, multi-agency initiatives.
Strong knowledge of public safety radio systems, encryption, and communications infrastructure.
Experience with grant-funded projects (UASI or similar), including compliance and reporting.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to represent the Mayor in high-level forums.
Bachelor’s Degree required; Master’s Degree in Public Policy, Emergency Management, Communications Technology, or related field preferred.
Experience working with elected officials, department executives, and/or regional leadership.
Familiarity with LA-RICS, ICI, or comparable interoperable communication systems strongly preferred.
Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion.
Availability for evening and weekend work during emergency activations or deployments.

TECHNICAL SKILLS: The Director should be proficient in modern office and collaboration tools, including Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, and Workday, with the ability to manage data, track grants, and prepare clear reports. Strong skills in professional writing, briefing preparation, and public speaking are essential, as the role requires regular communication with senior leadership and regional partners. Familiarity with communications infrastructure, encryption standards, and related technical tools is also important to ensure effective oversight of system implementation.

WORK LOCATION AND OPERATIONAL HOURS: This position is based at Los Angeles City Hall. Occasional off-site meetings with regional partners and participation in evening/weekend working groups may be required. The Director may also need to be available on-call during critical deployment phases or major public safety events.

How to apply

Applicants should send a cover letter and resume to Mayor.Jobs@lacity.org with "Interoperability Director” in the subject line no later than Friday, October 31, 2025. Please note that applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, and suitable candidates may be contacted and hired before the application deadline. We encourage interested candidates to submit their applications promptly.

This is an exempt, at-will position. The individual appointed to this position will not accrue any civil service tenure, contractual employment rights, or due process rights. The incumbent may be removed, without any finding cause, by the hiring authority. The City of Los Angeles is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to its programs, services and activities. Please Call (213) 744-9300 if you need assistance.

exempt employment

If employment is said to be exempt, it is meant that the employment is exempted from the civil service provisions of the City Charter. In order to receive a regular civil service appointment, employees must have successfully participated in a civil service examination, received a high enough score on the examination to be placed on and receive an appointment from an eligible list, and they must serve a probationary period. Exempt employees do not compete in a civil service examination, they are not placed on an eligible list and receive an appointment from that list, nor do they serve a probationary period. As a result, exempt employees do not have what is referred to as a “property interest” in their job. Exempt employees serve at the will of the appointing authority and can be terminated at any time without cause. Employees with a property interest in their job, i.e. civil service employees, cannot be deprived of their employment(discharged or suspended) without due process.

General Information About Exempt Employment

Exempt employees serve at the will of the appointing authority, and as such, they may be discharged, suspended or otherwise disciplined without cause. Exempt employees have no property interest in their employment, and any procedural benefit or other prerogative extended to them by their appointing authority is not intended to create and does not create any such property interest. No officer or employee of the City may make to any other officer or employee any representation of a property interest in employment which does not correspond to Charter provisions unless the City Council, by ordinance, permits such representation. No unauthorized representation can serve as the basis of an employee's reliance on, or expectation of, a property interest.

Employees Seeking To Become Civil Service Employees

There is no protective leave for an exempt employee appointed to a civil service position. Upon receiving a civil service appointment and passing probation, the former exempt employee will be subject to the Civil Service provisions described in Article X of the City Charter. Upon appointment, the civil service employee will begin to accrue displacement and layoff seniority on the first day of his/her civil service appointment and may file for promotional examinations for which s/he qualifies. A full or half-time exempt employee appointed to a full or half-time civil service position continues to: contribute to the Retirement System; accrue vacation time; accrue sick time; receive anniversary date salary increases; and, receive health and dental benefits identical to those received in the civil service position.

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