Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Position Available In Etowah, Alabama

Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Etowah County Commission 800 Forrest Avenue, Gadsden, AL 35901

Title:

Emergency Management Agency Director Organization:

Etowah County Commission Job Type:

Unclassified, Exempt, Safety Sensitive Date:

Original June 9, 2025 Summary The Etowah County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director coordinates the emergency management program for Etowah County, Alabama. The EMA Director is responsible for engaging elected and appointed officials, identifying program needs, preparing, justifying, and managing budgets, supervising program personnel and volunteers, and managing a multitude of systems to support and enhance preparedness, mitigation, response, recovery, and communication activities. This position reports to the Chief Administrative Officer, Etowah County Commission. This position is responsible for overseeing, managing and implementing the financial, technical, political, and organizational aspects of the emergency management program’s planning processes, communications systems, progressive training program, external affairs and public relations, logistical processes and systems, and will support and lead other functions as required. Most work is conducted through face-to-face, telephone, and email collaboration. This position supervises at least two full-time employees as well as volunteers. This position must foster and maintain productive relationships with numerous external agencies to ensure interoperability among the plans, capabilities, and operations of public sector, private sector, and non-governmental organizations. The incumbent must be capable of providing pertinent, frank, trustworthy, and timely advice to policy-makers and emergency response officials during both pre-disaster and emergency conditions. Strong leadership, organizational and team-building skills are essential, as the incumbent will manage multiple and often conflicting priorities while working with a diverse and sometimes divergent group of stakeholders. Strong operational knowledge of emergency management is required, as work is performed with considerable independent judgment within the established policies of elected and appointed leadership. The work is highly reliant upon sophisticated technology and the incumbent must be comfortable with continually-evolving technological aspects of the emergency management field. Must be a resident of Etowah County or establish Etowah County residency within a reasonable period of time as designated by the Chief Administrative Officer and the Etowah County Commission. Incumbent is subject to 24-hour on-call and is required to carry a Commission-issued mobile phone and/or radio. Incumbent will be provided a Commission-issued vehicle and have a current Alabama driver’s license or the ability to readily obtain a valid driver’s license issued by the State of Alabama for the type of vehicle or equipment operated. This position is subject to a background check and verification of credentials. Contacts

• Reports to: o Chief Administrative Officer

Supervises:

o EMA Assistant Director o Public Information Officer (Shared with Chief Administrative Officer)

Other Internal Contacts:

o Elected Officials o Department Leaders o All Employees

External Contacts:

o Municipal Leaders o State Emergency Management Agency Representatives o Federal Emergency Management Agency Representatives o EMA Professional Association(s) Major Duties and Responsibilities Educate and engage local elected officials and policy makers to help ensure they are prepared for disasters, informed of protocol and procedures, and capable of leading their communities through a disaster and recovery. Manage and supervise assigned staff by initiating training, developing and approving procedures and protocols, evaluating employee performance, and taking disciplinary action as needed. Manage the financial aspects of the emergency management program, to include preparing and submitting proposed program and project budgets for local and state approval, as well as overseeing the preparation and regular submission of required reports and financial claims. Respond to actual emergencies and coordinate the provision of support resources through all available and appropriate mechanisms, to include coordinating numerous officials, employees, and volunteers from outside agencies during Emergency Operation Center (EOC) activations. Oversee and support a volunteer management and recruiting program to support local, state, and federal initiatives. Oversee and support a comprehensive emergency preparedness training program that serves diverse audiences both within the emergency response sector and in the community at large. Supervise the management, operations, and maintenance of community alert and notification systems, emergency public information systems, and emergency information sharing systems. Collaborate with other officials in order to prepare and analyze damage assessments following disasters or emergencies. Promote and participate in regional and metro-area emergency management initiatives to enhance preparedness, response, mitigation, recovery, and resiliency in the face of natural, man-made, and technological hazards. Coordinate disaster response and crisis management activities such as ordering evacuations, opening public shelters, and establishing logistical staging areas in collaboration with state, county and municipal authorities. Supervise the design and delivery of emergency/disaster preparedness training courses that teach people how to effectively respond to major emergencies and disasters. Develop and maintain liaisons with municipalities, county departments, and similar entities in order to facilitate plan development, response effort coordination, and exchanges of personnel and equipment. Supervise the development, revision and evaluation of emergency management plans and programs in accordance with state and federal regulations. Supervise the preparation of plans that outline operating procedures to be used in response to disasters/emergencies such as tornadoes, nuclear accidents, and terrorist attacks, and in recovery from these events. Supervise the maintenance and operations of the county Emergency Operations Center (EOC) facilities and equipment to ensure continuous readiness for immediate activation when needed. Engage with professional groups and local leaders to stay current in issues affecting emergency management at the local, state, and federal level and propose new policies when appropriate. Supervise the preparation, coordination, and dissemination of emergency situation status reports that describe response and recovery efforts, needs, and preliminary damage assessments. Apply for federal and state funding for emergency management related needs; perform administrative and reporting tasks associated with grants and cooperative agreements. Attend meetings, conferences, and workshops related to emergency management in order to learn new information and to develop working relationships with other emergency management specialists. Supervise a comprehensive public outreach and education program that includes the development of instructional materials for the public and providing presentations to citizens’ groups in order to provide information on emergency plans and their implementation process. Advocate for the acquisition and maintenance of updated and modern emergency preparedness capabilities and equipment to provide sustainable emergency preparedness for the community. Apply for and/or oversee application for federal, state, or other funding for emergency management facilities, emergency response support equipment, and other related items. Foster and maintain productive professional relationships with local media outlets. Supervise the development and delivery of public outreach material, risk communications, and emergency public information to the public using a variety of communication channels and media resources. Monitor and analyze public response and support for emergency management activities and programs through outreach, the media, and stakeholder feedback to ensure effective communications and to support continuous improvement. Other duties as needed or assigned. Knowledge

• Public Safety and Security — Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Law and Government — Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Administration and Management — Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, and coordination of people and resources.
• English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for needs analysis, curriculum and course design and development, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Psychology — Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Customer and Personal Relationships — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Communications and Media — Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Computers and Electronics — Knowledge of computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Telecommunications — Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems. Skills
• Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
• Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Instructing — Teaching others how to do something. Abilities
• Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic.
• Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. Desired Work Style
• Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
• Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical.
• Stress Tolerance — Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
• Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
• Leadership — Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, offer opinions, and give direction, as appropriate.
• Analytical and Systems Thinking — Job requires analyzing information and using logic, considering interconnections, to address work-related issues and problems.
• Self-Control — Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in difficult situations.
• Cooperation — Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
• Adaptability/Flexibility — Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
• Persistence — Job requires tenacity in the face of obstacles.

Work Environment and Physical Demands The work is typically performed in an office and outdoors. Some work is typically performed while sitting at a desk or table or while sitting, standing, stooping, walking, bending, or crouching. The employee frequently lifts light and heavy objects, climbs ladders, uses tools or equipment requiring a high degree of dexterity, distinguishes between shades of color. The employee may be exposed to dust, dirt, grease, irritating chemicals, and hot, cold or inclement weather. Some work requires the use of protective devices including hats, masks, goggles, gloves, or boots. The work may involve high risks with exposure to potentially dangerous situations or unusual environmental stress which require a range of safety and other precautions, e.g., working under extreme weather conditions, long periods of standing and/or walking, hazardous materials/chemical spills, or mob conditions/physical attack. Certification, Education, and Experience Candidate must be Alabama EMA Certified Local Emergency Manager (CLEM) or otherwise be able to obtain said credential in accordance with pertinent guidance from the Alabama Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) within 12 months of hire. Candidate must meet the training requirements put forth as part of the Alabama Association of Emergency Managers (AAEM) Basic Level Emergency Manager (BLEM) or greater certification. The IAEM Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) credential is desired but not required. Candidate must possess a four-year bachelor’s degree or equivalent with studies in emergency management or allied fields such as geography, criminal justice, public administration, public safety, public health, biology, physics, chemistry, urban planning, psychology, sociology, communications, or business; and, candidates must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• At least five years of progressively responsible work experience in emergency management or a closely related field. Work experience must include at least three years of work in a full-time professional emergency management capacity performing interagency planning and work in at least three of the four emergency management phases: preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. Or,
• At least three years of work in a full-time professional emergency management capacity performing interagency planning.

Work experience must include at least of the four emergency management phases: preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery, combined with post-graduate education (masters-level, graduate certificate, or above).

Job Type:

Full-time Pay:

$70,000.00 – $85,000.00 per year

Benefits:

AD&D insurance Dental insurance Flexible spending account Health insurance Life insurance Paid time off Retirement plan Vision insurance

Schedule:

8 hour shift Day shift On call

Work Location:

In person