Emergency Management Planner - Program Planner 3

Full Job Description

Job Description

The Emergency Management Planner supports statewide preparedness by coordinating planning, grant management, training, and exercise activities with local, state, and federal partners.

This position ensures that emergency management plans meet required standards, provides technical assistance to local jurisdictions, and serves as a liaison between the Department and county emergency management agencies.

The role also contributes to statewide training, exercise development, and interagency coordination to strengthen Iowa’s emergency management capabilities.

Who We Are

The Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management’s (HSEM) Mission Statement is Enhancing the quality of life for Iowans by preparing our State and building resilient communities. The person selected for this position will demonstrate actions and behaviors guided by the HSEM’s four core values:

MISSION ORIENTED - We are resolute in our service to Iowans

INTEGRITY - We conduct ourselves with honesty and are transparent in our actions

DISTINGUISHED - We are leaders in our field

ONE TEAM - We collaborate, connect, and share

What We Are Seeking

Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) is seeking a highly motivated, detail-oriented Emergency Management Planner to support statewide preparedness efforts through planning, grant oversight, interagency coordination, and training and exercise support.

This position requires a proactive professional who excels in communication, organization, and collaborative problem-solving, and who is committed to advancing HSEM’s mission of building a safer, more resilient Iowa.

Reporting to the Preparedness Bureau Chief, this position works closely with programs and bureaus across the department and is based at the Iowa National Guard Joint Forces Headquarters in Johnston, IA. Desired knowledge, skills and abilities include:

• Knowledge of emergency management principles, including mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.
• Knowledge of grant administration processes, including application review, monitoring, reimbursement, and closeout.
• Skills in project management, including organizing work, tracking progress, and meeting deadlines.
• Proficiency in building and maintaining collaborative relationships with local, state, federal, and community partners.
• Ability to provide technical assistance to local jurisdictions and guide them through planning or grant processes.
• Capability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and adapt to changing priorities or emerging needs.
• Represent the Department with professionalism and maintain positive working relationships across jurisdictions.
• Serve in various operational roles during emergencies or periods of high workload.

What you will do

You will be an integral member of the HSEM team by providing subject matter expertise and detailed planning in support of the department’s mission by:

Planning and Compliance

• Coordinating with state and county emergency management agencies to ensure compliance with departmental planning standards and applicable state and federal laws.
• Developing, reviewing, updating, and maintaining emergency management plans, including Response, Recovery, COOP/COG, and the State Distribution Plan.
• Providing technical assistance to partners during plan development and updates.
• Tracking planning activities and prepare reports on the status of state and local plans.
• Assisting in developing planning statistics, conducting research, designing planning tools, and maintaining planning files and training materials.
• Gathering and developing resource data and assemble background information for urban and regional planning initiatives.
• Providing technical assistance to local governments, schools, special districts, and community organizations on planning requirements and departmental initiatives.
• Representing the Department at public meetings and training events to communicate planning program objectives.

Grant Management

• Serving as the first-level reviewer for grant applications submitted by assigned local emergency management agencies.
• Providing technical assistance to local emergency managers throughout the grant application and performance period.
• Reviewing quarterly grant reports to verify completion of required activities.
• Processing reimbursement requests for assigned grants and subgrantees.
• Assisting with grant closeout activities.
• Serving as project officer for state-administered grants, including first-level review, quarterly reporting, and reimbursement oversight.

Interagency Coordination & Liaison Responsibilities

• Working with federal, state, and local partners to ensure coordination and integration across all planning efforts.
• Serving as an HSEM liaison to local emergency managers by attending district meetings and delivering departmental updates.
• Developing monthly Talking Points to ensure consistent statewide messaging.
• Maintaining regular communication with county emergency management agencies, serving as a conduit for non-emergency inquiries and information exchange.

Training and Exercise Support

• Assisting in identifying training needs for county emergency management coordinators and regional partners.
• Coordinating with the Department’s training officer to facilitate access to technical and non-technical training opportunities.
• Supporting exercise planning by assessing local and regional exercise needs and identifying related training or developmental requirements.
• Becoming familiar with each county’s education and training programs to better support exercise development.

Program Administration and Additional Duties

• Collaborating with management to develop and complete annual work plan tasks.
• Preparing technical reports and public informational materials for planners, government officials, and the public.
• Serving in various roles within the Department during emergencies or periods of high workload to support mission execution.
• Performing other duties as assigned by the Director, Chief of Staff, Response Division Administrator, or Preparedness Bureau Chief.

What We Offer You

• Competitive pay and benefits package including health, dental, flexible spending, and life insurance

• Opportunities for professional growth and development

• Paid time off effective immediately (biweekly vacation, separate sick leave, accruals rollover on a yearly basis, and 9 paid holidays per year)

• Iowa Public Employee Retirement System (IPERS) Retirement Package with employer match

• Retirement Investors Club (RIC) (Employer Sponsored Retirement Plan)

• Optional 401A plan with employer contributions: The State makes match contributions into the employee’s selection of investments in a 401(a) employer match account. The match is $1 for every $1 contributed up to a $75 monthly maximum.

• Employee Discount Programs from variety of vendors (vision, cellular, fitness, recreation, season passes, travel, counseling; legal, financial)

For additional information on benefits, please visit the Iowa Department of Administrative Services website at https://das.iowa.gov/human-resources/employee-and-retiree-benefits.

Travel

Some travel required.

This position will require a presence in the office on a regular basis. There will be a potential option for some remote work once on-boarding and training have been completed, but this is not a fulltime remote work position.

Working Hours

7:00am - 3:30pm or 7:30am - 4:00pm or 8:00am - 4:30pm

After on-boarding is completed, there is potential for some remote work, but this is not a full-time remote work position.

E-Verify and Right to Work

The State of Iowa participates in E-Verify, a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees.

Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States.

The State of Iowa also complies with the federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees’ rights to work without being required to join a labor organization.

For more information, please visit www.e-verify.gov.

Requirements

204 Emergency Planning (State and Local):
6 months experience, 12 semester hours, or a combination of both in the entire emergency planning process from meeting and working with partners to developing and writing the plan to working back through an approval process with the partners. Knowledge of emergency management and the systems and processes employed in Response, Recovery, Mitigation and Preparedness are essential.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification:

1) Seven years of full-time work experience in the administration or operation/execution (i.e., providing consultation and/or technical assistance to stakeholders, research and analysis, or enforcement of program guidelines/policies/procedures) of a program (i.e., the provision of a service or an administrative oversight/enforcement responsibility).
2) All of the following (a, b, and c):
a. One year of full-time work experience in the administration or operation/execution (i.e., providing consultation and/or technical assistance to stakeholders, research and analysis, or enforcement of program guidelines/policies/procedures) of a program (i.e., the provision of a service or an administrative oversight/enforcement responsibility); and
b. A total of four years of education and full-time experience (as described in part a), where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university course work in any field equals one year of full-time experience; and
c. A total of two years of graduate-level education and full-time experience (as described in part a), where twenty-four semester hours of accredited graduate college or university course work in any field equals one year of full-time experience.
3) Graduation from an accredited school of law.
4) Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes nine months of full-time work as a Program Planner 2 or twenty-seven months of full-time work as a Program Planner 1.

For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description.