Assistant Emergency Planning Officer

Salary £29,071 - £33,119 per annum | Permanent, Full Time 37 hours per week | Preston

Please note that we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role

Help Lancashire prepare for emergencies

Lancashire County Council’s Resilience Team helps ensure the council is ready to respond when emergencies affect our communities or the services they rely on.

We work closely with emergency services, councils and other partner organisations to plan for emergencies, test our arrangements and support the response and recovery when incidents happen.

We are looking for an Assistant Emergency Planning Officer to join the team. This is a great opportunity for someone who is organised, curious and a strong communicator to build a career in emergency planning and resilience.

You do not need to already be an emergency planning professional. We are interested in the skills and experience you can bring to the role and your ability to learn and develop.

The role

No two days in emergency planning are quite the same. You could be helping review an emergency plan, organising a multi-agency exercise, researching an emerging risk or supporting the council during a live incident.

You will manage your own areas of work while being part of an experienced team, using judgement and initiative to analyse information, solve problems and deliver work to agreed standards and deadlines.

Key responsibilities include:

- Support the development and maintenance of emergency plans, procedures and operational information.
- Helping to plan and deliver emergency training and exercises.
- Supporting the Council’s response to and recovery from emergencies.
- Working with colleagues and partner organisations to strengthen emergency preparedness.
- Researching and analysing information and turning it into clear plans, briefings and reports.
- Coordinating your own areas of work, actions and priorities

What we are looking for

You don't necessarily need previous emergency planning experience. We are looking for someone with the ability and potential to develop within the profession.

You will need to be:

- A strong communicator who can build effective working relationships with different people and organisations.
- Organised and able to prioritise, including when circumstances or priorities change.
- A good writer and problem solver, able to understand information, identify what matters and communicate it clearly.
- Confident with technology, including Microsoft 365, and comfortable learning new systems and ways of working.
- Able to use your own initiative, manage your workload and know when to seek advice.

Experience or qualifications in emergency planning, resilience, business continuity, risk management or a related area would be an advantage, but are not essential.

Working in emergency planning

Emergencies don't always happen during normal working hours. You will need to be willing to support the Council's response to emergencies when required, which may include working outside normal hours.

The role also involves working with organisations across Lancashire, so you will need to be able to travel across the county when required.

In return, you will have the opportunity to develop your knowledge and experience across emergency planning, training and exercising, multi-agency working, response and recovery.

You'll be joining a team where you'll be supported to develop your professional knowledge and take on greater responsibility as your experience grows.

Why join us?

This is an opportunity to build a career in an area of work that makes a real difference to Lancashire's communities.

You'll gain experience of working with a wide range of services and partner organisations and contribute directly to Lancashire's preparedness for emergencies.

Lancashire County Council also offers a range of employee benefits, including a local government pension and annual leave entitlement.

Interested?

If you'd like an informal discussion about the role, please contact:

Kevin Topping, Emergency Planning Manager, 01772 533396 [email protected]

Applications are welcomed from people with transferable skills as well as those who already have experience in emergency planning or resilience.

Closing Date: 22/12/2026 Interview Date: w/c 07/12/2026

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications.

Local Government Reorganisation

The Government has confirmed that local government across Lancashire will be reorganised, with the current 15 councils being replaced by four new unitary councils covering North, South, East and West Lancashire from April 2028.

If you are successful in your application, you will initially join Lancashire County Council. However, as part of the planned transition, your employment will transfer to one of the new unitary councils from April 2028, subject to the implementation of the reorganisation and relevant employment legislation.

Throughout this period, our focus remains on delivering excellent services to our communities. By joining us now, you'll play an important role in shaping the future of local government and helping to build a strong new organisation that will serve residents for years to come.

Job Description & Person Specification