An Emergency Management Director plans and directs disaster response or crisis management activities, primarily for state and local governments. Directs preparation of emergency plans and disaster preparedness training. Surveys community resources available for emergencies, provides outreach to community groups and businesses on disaster and/or emergency response plans and procedures.
Houston, TX (Local Candidates Preferred) contract role Candidate must be located in the Houston, Texas area and be available to participate in Utilities' Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) activities, including emergency event mobilization, restoration support, preparedness exercises, and Emergency Operations Center activations as required. Position Overview We are seeking a senior utility professional with 15+ years of experience supporting Emergency Preparedness, Incident Response, Storm Restoration, and Utility Operations within large electric and/or gas utilities. The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience leading emergency management activities, coordinating restoration efforts during major weather events, and working within Incident Command System (ICS) frameworks. Experience supporting utilities in hurricane-prone regions and participating in Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activations is highly preferred. This role requires close collaboration with utility operations, grid modernization, customer operations, regulatory, and public safety organizations to ensure operational readiness and effective response to large-scale incidents. Key Responsibilities Emergency Preparedness & Response Leadership Lead planning, execution, and continuous improvement of Emergency Response Plans (ERP), Emergency Operations Plans (EOP), Storm Restoration Plans, and Business Continuity Programs. Serve in key leadership roles during emergency events including hurricanes, tropical storms, severe weather events, grid disturbances, cyber incidents, and major customer-impacting outages. Participate in utility Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activations and support Incident Command System (ICS/NIMS) processes during emergency response activities. Coordinate emergency preparedness exercises, tabletop drills, restoration simulations, and after-action reviews. Develop corrective action plans and drive continuous improvements based on lessons learned from restoration events. Utility Operations & Restoration Management Support electric transmission, distribution, substation, SCADA, OMS, ADMS, and gas utility operations during emergency situations. Coordinate outage restoration and service recovery activities involving internal operations teams, field crews, contractors, and mutual assistance organizations. Assist with damage assessment, restoration prioritization, resource planning, and field logistics management. Support critical infrastructure restoration efforts for hospitals, public safety facilities, water treatment plants, and other essential customer facilities. Incident Command & Stakeholder Coordination Operate within Incident Command System (ICS) and National Incident Management System (NIMS) frameworks. Coordinate with local, state, and federal emergency management agencies including emergency operations offices, public safety organizations, regulatory bodies, and utility partners. Facilitate communications between utility leadership, field operations, customer operations, regulatory agencies, and external stakeholders during emergency events. Support executive leadership with situation reports, incident briefings, restoration metrics, and operational status updates. Regulatory Compliance & Resiliency Support compliance activities related to emergency preparedness, storm response, operational resilience, and business continuity requirements. Assist with post-event regulatory reporting, audit preparation, and corrective action tracking. Partner with operational and planning teams to improve grid resiliency and enhance restoration performance. Support initiatives involving vegetation management, infrastructure hardening, automation, reliability improvement, and resilience planning. Technology & Operational Readiness Utilize utility operational technologies including SCADA, ADMS, OMS, GIS, Mobile Workforce Management, and asset management platforms. Leverage operational analytics and outage data to support preparedness planning and restoration decision-making. Support development of operational dashboards, situational awareness tools, and emergency response reporting solutions. Able communicate with multiple stakeholders at the utilities. Required Qualifications 15+ years of utility industry experience. Experience supporting large electric and/or gas utilities. Demonstrated experience in Emergency Preparedness, Emergency Response, Incident Management, Storm Restoration, or Utility Operations. Experience participating in Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) during major incidents. Strong knowledge of Incident Command System (ICS) and National Incident Management System (NIMS). Experience managing or coordinating hurricane, severe weather, wildfire, winter storm, flooding, or large-scale outage restoration efforts. Experience working with utility operations, transmission, distribution, customer operations, and field restoration organizations. Strong stakeholder communication and executive presentation skills. Ability to support emergency response activities during major storm and outage events. Preferred Qualifications Previous experience supporting US utilities. Experience with ERCOT operating environment. Experience with both Electric and Gas utility operations. FEMA, ICS, NIMS, Emergency Management, or Business Continuity certifications. Knowledge of ADMS, OMS, SCADA, GIS, and utility operational technologies. Experience coordinating mutual assistance programs and large contractor restoration organizations.
