Response Coordination Senior Planning Specialist

MDEM is looking for a diligent, detail-oriented individual who is excited about making Maryland a safer place to live and work by assisting with the Response Coordination Branch, including dispatching of allied agencies, creating situational reports and obtaining information from local, State and Federal Agencies.

MDEM’s mission is to proactively reduce disaster risks and reliably manage consequences through collaborative work with Maryland’s communities and partners. MDEM is the department of State government with primary responsibility and authority for emergency preparedness policy, and for coordinating hazard mitigation, incident response, and disaster recovery. MDEM is a national leader in Emergency Management that provides Maryland residents, organizations, and emergency management partners with expert information, programmatic activities, and leadership in the delivery of financial, technical, and physical resources “to shape a resilient Maryland where communities thrive.” We do this by being Maryland's designated source of official risk reduction and consequence management information.

NOTE: This position operates within an on-call rotating schedule according to assignment within the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) to attend to all emergencies on a statewide 24/7 basis. This may involve working 12 hour shifts extended periods of time in support of 24 hour consequence management activities.

The Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM) is the department of State government with primary responsibility and authority for emergency preparedness policy, and for coordinating hazard mitigation, incident response, and disaster recovery. MDEM works to ensure that all Marylanders are prepared, and to make Maryland more resilient. The Response Coordination Branch is a critical part of MDEM’s mission. This position reports to the Response Coordination Branch Manager. This position serves the State of Maryland, its State Agencies, and local jurisdictions in the following areas:

• Development, revision, and maintenance of consequence management plans and response products;
• Conduct inter-agency planning;
• Serve as a Planning Section Chief during Advance Team and SEOC activations;
• Support the development of regional plans and planning projects related to response, particularly natural hazard preparedness and response, SEOC activations, and planning section position specific trainings;
• Provide technical assistance for planning for SEOC operations, the State Hurricane Program, the Maryland Search & Rescue Coordination Task Force, State Duty Officer Program, and Maryland Joint Operations Center (MJOC) COOP;
• Supports the development and delivery of training and exercises;
• Coordinates and facilitates the planning and implementation of the Delmarva Evacuation Guide and programs related to the RCPG Delmarva Evacuation Guide;
• Support planning and implementation of Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) and Maryland Intrastate Emergency Management Assistance Compact (MIEMAC) procedures.

The position will also support Department programs, projects, and activities related to the overall Department mission, and may be tasked to support other duties as assigned by the Manager of the Response Coordination Branch. In order to fulfill these responsibilities, this position requires strong communication, managerial, supervisory, and leadership skills, as well as strong technical and presentation skills.

Emergency and disaster prevention, response, and recovery operations as needed and/or assigned by agency Secretary, Deputy Executive Director, Directors, or Consequence Management personnel. Employee will be expected to staff the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) upon activation for real-world emergency/disaster incidents and exercises. Employee will attend training and retain competencies to be appropriately prepared for SEOC staffing needs including all levels of the National Incident Management System’s Incident Command System (NIMS/ICS) and WebEOC, which the SEOC will utilize.

Employee will support SEOC activations, which may involve extended work hours, as well as extra-ordinary stress levels, given that a disaster event would occur requiring SEOC activation.

Employee will be expected to perform command and supervisory functions for incident management needs with competence and reliability under the NIMS/ICS.

Employee may be required to report to an alternate location to perform SEOC duties, in the event of a COOP Plan activation.

Serve as a Senior Response Planning Specialist: This position serves as a member of the Response Coordination Branch conducting consequence management planning and planning activities across the mission areas of response and recovery.

Provide Planning Technical Assistance: This position provides planning technical assistance and support to State departments/agencies, regional organizations, and local jurisdictions.

Response Coordination Branch Support: This position supports the Response Coordination Branch, Branch sponsored activities as well as the Branch’s projects including Training & Exercise, State Hurricane Program, State Coordinating Function Leadership Group, Duty Office & Director On Call Program, MD Search & Rescue Coordination Task Force, WebEOC, State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), and the Maryland Joint Operations Center (MJOC).

Support the Department’s statewide activities: This position supports Department activities including developing, promoting, and implementing assigned plans, documents, and other materials related to the Maryland Emergency Management System. This may include, but not be limited to, conducting capability assessments, and developing operational plans. Provide support and assistance for the development and delivery of training and exercise.

Support MDEM’s strategic goals and objectives for emergency management.

Support Maryland’s strategic goals and objectives for homeland security.

Support and participate in Consequence Management Directorate and overall Department initiatives and programs, as assigned by the Response Coordination Branch Manager, Consequence Management Director, Deputy Executive Director, and/or the Secretary. Support the MDEM Consequence Management, Disaster Risk Reduction, and Mission Support Directorates as needed.

Education: Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate.

Experience: Six years of administrative staff or professional work. 

Notes:

1. Candidates may substitute 30 credit hours from an accredited college or university for each year up to four years of the required experience.

2. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and two years of experience in administrative staff or professional work for the required experience. 

3. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Master's degree from an accredited college or university for five years of the required experience.

4. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer involving staff work related to the administration of rules, regulations, policy, procedures and processes, or overseeing or coordinating unit operations or functioning as a staff assistant to a higher ranking commissioned officer on a year-for-year basis for the required experience.

• Five (5) years experience in emergency management; particularly in planning functions
• Three (3) years experience functioning within a state, local, or departmental emergency operations center
• Two (2) years experience planning and delivery of training programs

Contractual employees who work for an agency covered under the State Employee and Retiree Health and Welfare Benefits Program, have a current employment contract and work 30 or more hours a week (or on average 130 hours per month) may be eligible for subsidized health benefits coverage for themselves and their dependents. As a contractual employee, you will be responsible for paying 25% of the premiums for your medical and prescription coverage, including any eligible dependents you have enrolled. The State of Maryland will subsidize the remaining 75% of the cost for these benefits. You can also elect to enroll in dental coverage, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, and life insurance, but will be responsible to pay the full premium for these benefits.

Leave may be granted to a contractual employee who has worked 120 days in a 12-month period. This leave accrues at a rate of one hour for every 30 hours worked, not to exceed 40 hours per calendar year.

Online applications are highly recommended. However, if you are unable to apply online, the paper application and supplemental questionnaire may be submitted to: Maryland Department of Emergency Management, 7229 Parkway Dr Hanover, MD 21076. Paper application materials must be received in our office by the closing date for the recruitment. No postmarks will be accepted.

For questions regarding this recruitment, please call 410-702-3714, or email kiara.jones@maryland.gov. 

Appropriate accommodations for individuals with disabilities are available upon request by calling: MD TTY Relay Service 1-800-735-2258.

We thank our Veterans for their service to our country. People with disabilities and bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply.

As an equal opportunity employer, Maryland is committed to recruitment, retaining and promoting employees who are reflective of the State's diversity.