Emergency Management Specialist (response) Operations Branch Director

Incident Management Assistant Team

This position is being announced under FEMA's Incident Management Assistant Team (IMAT) Program. This is a two-year temporary appointment in the excepted service. This position is located on a Type II Regional IMAT Team and has a salary range of $55.63 per hour to $63.98 per hour. The maximum salary possible in this position is $72.34 per hour. Salary listed includes locality pay.

Responsibilities: In this position, you will serve as an Emergency Management Specialist (Response) Operations Branch Director and report to the Operations Section Chief and coordinate federal support for response and recovery to disasters that result in considerable levels of damage or disruption that severely impacts the affected population and infrastructure requiring sustained federal recovery support. When deployed, you will ensure information is rapidly and effectively shared throughout the incident organization and to/from the disaster start. You will coordinate with FEMA Stafford Act program managers to ensure the delivery of programs are consistent, meets customer needs, and is implemented in accordance with Stafford Act requirements and FEMA policy. You will also develop strategies and tactics in support of incident objectives. When not deployed, you will participate in exercises at the national, regional and state level and all required training with states, territories and other federal agencies. You will provide input for development of and participate in the execution and documentation of functions and plans affecting critical aspects of FEMA's mission, operational responses and programs. You will provide basic instruction on disaster-related topics to regions, states and local authorities. You will participate in the development of regional catastrophic planning for all-hazard responses. You will assist in the development of plans, goals, and objectives for new initiatives and programs. You will evaluate and provide recommendations for improving effectiveness of existing programs and activities.

What else do I need to know? At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters, and every employee at FEMA has a role in emergency management. Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.

This announcement is for a position as an IMAT CORE (Incident Management Assist Team, Cadre of Response/Recovery Employee). IMAT CORE employees are full time employees hired to directly support the response and recovery efforts related to disasters. IMATs are the first FEMA personnel deployed to an incident and manage the field-level federal response and early recovery with a primary focus on critical infrastructure stabilization, especially life-saving and life-sustaining efforts. Appointments to IMAT CORE positions are four years in duration and may be renewed based upon workload needs and funding availability. Employees are hired under the Robert T. Stafford Act and are excluded from the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing jobs in the competitive service. They can be hired under a streamlined process instead of a competitive process. After three years of continuous service, Stafford Act employees may be granted competitive eligibility to apply for permanent full-time positions at FEMA. This position will be hired into a temporary two-year, excepted service appointment. Appointments may be renewed based on workload, funding, and supervisory approval.

Conditions of Employment: To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo, successfully pass, and maintain a background investigation for Public Trust - High Risk as a condition of placement into this position. This may include a credit check after initial job qualifications are determined, a review of financial issues, such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs (please visit: Mythbuster on Federal Hiring Policies for additional information). For more information on background investigations for Federal jobs please visit OPM Investigations.

Qualifications: All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. To qualify for this Emergency Management Specialist (Response) Operations Branch Director position at the IT-03 level, you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the IT-02 level in the Federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the federal government, a state or local government, or private sector, and must demonstrate the following: developing and maintaining emergency response or recovery plans; integrating or assisting with the integration of partner agencies into a unified response and/or recovery structure in support of senior leadership priorities and intent; and leading a team by engaging in activities such as providing guidance, communicating priorities, and/or delegating authority.