Monitoring Operator - Harris County (TX) : Job Details

Salary: Depends on Qualifications Location : Houston, TX Job Type: Regular Full-time Job Number: 14380 Department: Universal Services Opening Date: 01/27/2025 Closing Date: 7/13/2025 7:41 AM Central Max Number of Applicants: 275 Position Description About Harris County and Universal Services: Harris County Universal Services (Universal Services) is transforming the way the County does business and seeking an experienced, Monitoring Operator to join our team. Universal Services is the enterprise IT solutions center for the departments and offices of Harris County, providing Information Technology, Public Safety and Justice Technologies, 311 Constituent Engagement Services, Fleet Services, and Records and Information Governance Services. Harris County is the third largest and most diverse county in the nation, with a population of more than 4.7 million, rivaling the size of the entire state of Louisiana. Harris County Commissioners Court, the County's governing body, directs a budget of more than $4 billion providing essential services including flood control, infrastructure, healthcare, housing, and justice administration. This is a great time to join Universal Services as we enhance critical services to Harris County residents and internal customers. Position Summary: The Monitoring Operator responds to alarms by following the information provided on instruction screens and takes necessary actions, including making outgoing calls to verify alarms, dispatching the appropriate authorities, and notifying responsible parties. All alarm handling procedures are properly documented within the designated system. Alarm processing is completed in accordance with departmental guidelines, and clear reset instructions are provided to customers during both outbound alarm calls and inbound callback inquiries. Additionally, inbound calls related to alarm callbacks are received and addressed as needed. The Day-to-Day Responsibilities:

• Monitors fire, security and duress systems and responds appropriately to all alarm situations, emergencies, and calls.
• Prepares accurate, current, and thorough recordings and reports of all situations.
• Retrieves information and performs data entry using appropriate computer programs.
• Reviews and analyzes surveillance video.
• Communicates diplomatically on a routine basis with elected and appointed officials, County employees, contractors, vendors and user tenants.
• May issue and maintain accounts of County access and identification cards.
• May be required to work alone in a secured area for eight hours or longer with all breaks being confined to within the sound of telephone and alarm monitors and may be required to remain on-site for extended periods during emergency conditions.
• May assist supervisor with clerical and administrative support and training of less experienced co-workers.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer If you need special services or accommodations, please call (713) ###-#### or email [email protected]. This position is subject to a criminal history check. Only relevant convictions will be considered and, even when considered, may not automatically disqualify the candidate.Requirements All applicants must register and take the HRRM Clerical Skills Test and score a minimum of 80% with a typing speed of 35 wpm and 80% accuracy. Please see testing instructions in the General Information section below. Education:

• High School Diploma or GED

Experience:

• Minimum 2 years' experience as monitoring operator or in a Customer Service environment.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Must be skilled in the use of personal computer.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to generate grammatically correct written reports, log-entries, and correspondence.
• Typing 35 WPM
• Must have the ability to react in a calm, polite, patient and efficient manner in times of highly stressed or emergency situations, and a proven ability to multi-task in a fast pace, team environment.
• Must be a self-starter, able to work productively without immediate supervision, and assume additional responsibilities as necessary.

Applicants for this position will be subject to a criminal background check that includes being fingerprinted. This applies to any position with network access to Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) or access to an area where CJIS is received, maintained or stored either manually or electronically (i.e. custodian, maintenance). Automatic Disqualification:

• Convictions, probation, or deferred adjudication for any Felony, and any Class A Misdemeanor
• Convictions, probation, or deferred adjudication for a Class B Misdemeanor, if within the previous 10 years
• Open arrest for any criminal offense (Felony or Misdemeanor)
• Family Violence conviction

NOTE: Qualifying education, experience, knowledge and skills must be documented on your job application. You may attach a resume to the application as supporting documentation but ONLY information stated on the application will be used for consideration. See Resume will not be accepted for qualifications. Preferences Education:

• Some college

Experience:

• Minimum 3-year experience as monitoring operator or call center environment.
• Working knowledge of security, fire and access control systems

General Information Register Online for the HRRM Clerical Skills Test using the following link:

• Click the above link to the HRRM Clerical Skills Test registration page
• Click on Apply to submit your request for testing
• You will receive a test invitation and instructions via e-mail within 48 hours
• You will have no more than 5 calendar days to access and complete testing
• Your score will be automatically uploaded to your application
• The test may be taken once every 30 days
• Most recent test scores are retained for up to 6 months

Location:

• 406 Caroline St., Houston, TX 77002

Work Schedule:

• 4:00 pm - 12:00 am
• 40 Hours per Week | Monday - Friday
• Subject to Early Mornings, Evenings, Nights, Weekends & Holidays as Needed

Employment may be contingent on passing a drug screen and meeting other standards. Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.HARRIS COUNTY EMPLOYEE BENEFITS Harris County offers a highly competitive benefits program, featuring a comprehensive group health plan and defined benefit retirement plan. The following benefits are offered only to Harris County employees in regular (full-time) positions: Health & Wellness Benefits

• Medical Coverage
• Dental Coverage
• Vision Coverage
• Wellness Plan
• Life Insurance
• Long-Term Disability (LTD) Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Healthcare Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account

Paid Time Off (PTO)

• Ten (10) days of vacation leave per year (accrual rate increases after 5 years of service)
• Eleven (11) County-observed holidays
• One (1) floating holiday per year
• Paid Parental Leave
• Sick Leave

Retirement Savings Benefit

• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan

The following benefits are available to Harris County employees in full-time and select part-time positions:

• Professional learning & development opportunities
• Retirement pension (TCDRS defined benefit plan)
• Flexible work schedule*
• METRO RideSponsor Program*

* Participation may vary by department. In accordance with the Harris County Personnel Regulations, group health and related benefits are subject to amendment or discontinuance at any time. Harris County Commissioners Court reserves the right to make benefit modifications on the County's behalf as needed. For plan details, visit the Harris County Benefits & Wellness website: 01 Which of the following best describes your highest level of education completed as it relates to this position?Qualifying information must be documented in the Education section of your application.

• High School or GED diploma
• Associate Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree or higher
• None of the above

02 Please describe your educational background including level of education completed, area of study and completed major and minor programs. 03 Which of the following best describes your verifiable experience as monitoring operator or in a customer service environment/call center environment?(To be considered, qualifying experience must be documented in your application's employment history)

• Less than two (2) years
• Two (2) years but less than three (3) years
• Three (3) years but less than four (4) years
• Four (4) years or more
• I do not have this experience

04 Please provide the dates of employment during which you obtained experience working as a monitoring operator or in a customer service environment/call center environment. Provide the month and year that began and ended the experience. Example: January 2020 - December 2023 If this experience is not clearly documented in the Work Experience section, your application will be disqualified. If you do not have this experience, type N/A in the space provided. 05 Do you have working knowledge of security, fire and access control systems?

• Yes
• No

06 Which of the following describes your level of proficiency using a personal computer and common office software such as MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook). Please select your level of proficiency based on the following descriptions:Advanced:A person with this level of skills is able to produce very large, complex formal documents that require a table of contents, footnotes, endnotes, bookmarks, and other special elements; a wide range of graphic effects, and use advanced techniques for analyzing and manipulating data. Has full mastery of Macro commands and skills to tie the objects together into a cohesive system by using Macros and Visual Basic for Applications code. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons.Intermediate:A person with this level of skills is able to customize toolbars, import and insert graphs, embed Excel data, and elaborate reports. Understands the concepts of databases and is able to work with charts and to use the list management capabilities of Excel. Able to use complex query techniques, create efficient forms and reports, and create Macros to automate these forms. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons.Basic:A person with this level of skills is able to use basic formatting, editing, printing functions, and understands the document page setup. Has the ability to enter and correct data, modify a workbook, format a worksheet, and use printing functions. Understands the different database concepts and structures and is familiar with data validation and is able to create a simple presentation in PowerPoint, run it, and print it.Entry Level:A person with this level of skills has the ability to open, create, save and modify documents in Word, send and receive email in Outlook and create spreadsheets in Excel. Format documents for printing, comfortable using the printer menu to preview documents. Has ability to change the font, the margins, insert or delete pages and use the built-in spellchecker and grammar check.

• Advanced
• Intermediate
• Basic
• Entry Level
• Not proficient

Required Question