Emergency Watch Officer

This position provides 24/7/365 night-shift Operations Watch Officers to support the Secretary of Commerce’s Commerce Information and Operations Center (CIOC). The Watch Officer plays a critical role in ensuring the Department of Commerce remains ready to respond to and recover from natural hazards, national security events, and unexpected incidents.

The role requires calm, decisive judgment; strong communication skills; and the ability to coordinate across multiple agencies, levels of government, and private-sector partners in both classified and unclassified environments.

Background & Work Environment

• Supports federal emergency management, continuity operations (COOP), and all-hazards situational awareness.

• Requires the ability to connect information quickly during fast-moving events, follow established SOPs, and communicate effectively across platforms.

• Work is performed in both unclassified office space and a SCIF at Commerce HQ in Washington, DC.

• Free parking is available for night shifts.

• May be required to deploy (via personal vehicle) to a Commerce continuity facility within a 2-hour drive.

Work Schedule

• Approximately 3 weeks of day-shift training, followed by 1 month of night-shift shadowing with an experienced Watch Officer.

• After training, the Watch Officer integrates into solo 12-hour night-shift operations.

• Night shift report time: 5:45 PM for 15-minute turnover; shift runs to 6:00 AM after turnover to federal staff.

• 2-week cycle totals 85.75 hours, using the following Work/Off rotation:

  • Week 1: WWOOWWW (61.25 hrs)

  • Week 2: OOWWOOO (24.5 hrs)

  • Then repeats.

Minimum Requirements (Must Haves)

• Approximately 4 years of Operations Watch Officer/Stander experience (Operations Specialist level).

• At least 2 years must be at the headquarters operations center of:
  USDA, DOC, DOE, HHS, DHS, DOS, DOT, or Treasury.

• Watch experience must include monitoring and reporting on both natural and man-made hazards.

• Backgrounds not accepted: purely DoD warfighting watch, IT/network outage monitoring, guard force operations, or intelligence-only watch.

• Active Top Secret clearance with SCI crossover eligibility (must currently be SCI-indoctrinated or debriefed within the last 23 months).

• Demonstrated skill coordinating and communicating on domestic and global emergency management issues.

• Ability to rapidly “connect the dots,” assess risk, and remain calm and decisive during fast-moving events.

• Experience supporting senior leadership communications at both unclassified and classified levels.

• Experience using an Emergency Notification System (ENS) (e.g., Everbridge).

• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to produce concise, accurate reports.

• Ability to learn quickly, follow SOPs, and make informed, risk-aware decisions.

• Dependable personal transportation for travel to the designated alternate CIOC site.

• Ability to consistently arrive on time and work solo 12-hour night shifts.

• Strong judgment and the ability to evaluate complex, multi-factor situations.

• Hands-on experience using SIPRNet and JWICS.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the sole night-shift Operations Watch Officer supporting CIOC 24/7/365 operations.

• Maintain situational awareness across natural disasters, national security events, human-caused incidents, and technological hazards.

• Coordinate timely emergency management awareness and response actions.

• Write operational reports, alert messages, notification summaries, and situational awareness updates in accordance with CIOC SOPs.

• Produce notification messages using the Commerce Emergency Notification System (Everbridge).

• Monitor and respond to classified network emails and watch officer phone lines.

• Collect, analyze, and elevate relevant message traffic.

• Prepare written and oral briefs for government leads and Commerce leadership.

• Conduct routine testing of voice, audio, and data communication systems.

• Develop templates and tailored reports to support incident and continuity operations.

• Assist with drafting, reviewing, and implementing updates to CIOC policies and SOPs.

• Deploy as required to a Commerce continuity facility within a 2-hour radius.