Emergency Preparedness Coordinator (PPM II)

Full Job Description

Public Health – Seattle & King County’s Preparedness Section is seeking an Emergency Preparedness Coordinator (Project/Program Manager II) to support the planning, training, and exercising of chemical and biological-incidents.

Temporary opportunity. Term-Limited Temporary (TLT) positions are "at-will" positions that are eligible for benefits. This TLT is currently anticipated to last for up to 18 months.

However, funding sources for this work remain uncertain and dependent upon decisions actively being made at both the federal and local levels.

As a result, the end date of this position may be adjusted based on those decisions. The County and the Department continue to work to secure long-term funding sources.

This vacancy can also be filled as a Special Duty opportunity.

For Special Duty Assignment interest, you must be a Career Service, Career Service Exempt or other regular (non-temporary) employee in King County who has completed their initial King County probation.

You must have supervisor approval prior to taking a Special Duty Assignment.

This posting will create a list of qualified candidates that may be considered for selection of additional vacancies of the same position type over the next 6 months.

Position Summary

The Emergency Preparedness Coordinator will primarily be responsible for updating plans, developing trainings and co-leading a series of exercises focused on responding to accidental and intentional chemical incidents.

The position will also support efforts related to biological incidents.

This position will report to the Emergency Preparedness Planner (Project/Program Manager III) within the Preparedness Section, situated in the Office of the Director.

Background

As old threats re-emerge and new emergencies develop, Public Health – Seattle & King County remains committed to the health and well-being of its community, centering anti-racism and health equity practices in response to some of the greatest public health challenges of our time.

The Preparedness Section contributes to these practices by leading the cycle of planning, organizing, equipping, training, exercising, and evaluating Public Health – Seattle & King County’s readiness for emergency responses.

They use response plans and detailed procedures to help Public Health – Seattle & King County equitably and effectively deliver health, medical, and mortuary services during an emergency.

Preparedness partners with other King County Departments, organizations like healthcare and emergency medical service agencies, and local emergency management agencies to coordinate the delivery of these services.

Plans and procedures are frequently tested and exercised. The Preparedness Section also ensures systems and resources essential to an emergency response are maintained and ready to be deployed.

The Preparedness Section is responsible for maintaining emergency response plans that describe and guide the department's response activities within the scope of Emergency Support Function #8: Public Health and Medical Services.

Public Health – Seattle & King County ("PHSKC", "Public Health", or "the department") is the Public Health Department for King County, Washington which includes 39 cities, including the City of Seattle, and unincorporated areas. Public Health is one of the largest metropolitan health departments in the United States with over 1,600 employees. With a biennial budget of nearly $1 billion, the department serves approximately 2.3 million people of King County who reside in urban, rural, shoreline, foothill, and mountain communities with distinct environments and unique public health needs. We operate primary care, dental, sexual and reproductive health, parent child health, and other health care-related services throughout King County across 40 sites and mobile clinics. King County is an international port of entry, welcoming nearly 40 million visitors annually. Over 100 languages are spoken by King County residents.

Commitment To Equity and Social Justice
Named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.

The county government has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all – in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.

We recognize that structural racism consists of principles and practices that cause and justify an inequitable distribution of rights, opportunities, and experiences across racial groups. Since declaring Racism is a Public Health Crisis in June 2020, King County and Public Health committed to being intentionally anti-racist and accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.

To learn more, please visit: http://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/equity-social-justice.aspx.

Work Schedule
The typical work week is Monday through Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm, 40 hours per week with some flexibility within those business hours. This position is designated as hourly/non-exempt under the regulations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which means it is overtime-eligible. You must receive prior approval from your supervisor before working any necessary overtime hours to meet your position responsibilities.

Work Location
Chinook Building – 401 5th Avenue Seattle, WA 98104. During an emergency response, there could be situations where you may be required to report to other worksites located throughout King County.

Remote and Onsite Work

The Preparedness Section works in a hybrid model, with days in the office as well as telecommuting. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change.

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely.

The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment.

Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.

Requirements

• Assisting with reviewing and updating the Chemical, Radiological and Nuclear (CRN) annex to ensure department capabilities and responsibilities are well documented.
• Supporting the facilitation of internal and external partner input and engagement to ensure subject matter expertise and various agency roles and responsibilities are integrated.
• Developing planning and response documents related to the CRN annex.
• Supporting the design of chemical exercises to ensure the exercise aligns with relevant response plans, protocols, procedures, and grant deliverables.
• Drafting and tracking exercise documents, such as task lists, exercise plans, Master Scenario Event Lists (MSEL), Situation Manuals, and presentations.
• Assisting with training and exercise planning administrative tasks, including, but not limited to: drafting planning meeting agendas and taking notes, creating and tracking registration forms, scheduling planning meetings and exercises, and communicating with exercise participants.
• Supporting the design and development of trainings to support exercises, such as training curriculums and materials.
• Coordinating with the Preparedness Evaluation Manager to ensure corrective action items for the exercises align with relevant response plans, protocols and procedures.
• Ensure exercise corrective action items are incorporated into relevant documents and subsequent exercise.
• Updating planning, readiness, and response documents related to biological incidents, including infectious disease emergencies and bioterrorism incidents.
• Facilitating readiness discussions related to biological incidents.
• Serving as a back-up subject matter expert related to medical countermeasures.
• Serving in a response role in the event of a Public Health emergency activation.
• Performing other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Our ideal candidate will demonstrate the following (Minimum Qualifications):

• Experience with exercise planning and understanding of the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) and the Planning, Organizing, Equipping, Training and Exercising (POETE) cycle.
• Familiarity with core emergency management and public health emergency preparedness capabilities.
• Experience applying equity and social justice principles to emergency response and preparedness activities.
• Awareness of the incident command system (ICS), such as the completion of ICS 100, 200 and 700 courses.

Additional Information

To ApplyIf you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully.

If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions, please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

Who May Apply

We welcome applications from all qualified applicants. We value diversity, diverse perspectives, life experience, and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.

Application Process

The following items are required to be considered for this vacancy:

• NEOGOV Job Application (The responses on your job application should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Supplemental Questions (The responses to the supplemental questions should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Writing Sample – A procedure, guidance document, presentation, or report you created relating to a Public Health emergency incident or response.

(Please note: Cover letters, resumes, and additional attachments will not be reviewed as part of the evaluation process if not outlined as a required application material as outlined above).

Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the relevant information in your application. Cover letters and/or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application.

Applications and/or Supplemental Questionnaires that state "see my resume" or "see my personnel file" are considered incomplete and will not be accepted.

ContactIf you have questions or would like more information about the application process, please contact Falisha Forgash, HR Analyst at fforgash@kingcounty.gov.

Union Membership This position is not represented by a labor union. Necessary Special Requirements

• The selection process may include evaluation of application materials and supplemental questions, interviewing, and testing. You must completely fill out the application with your relevant education and work experience.
• The selected candidate must be able to provide proof of Basic Life Support (BLS)/CPR. (if applicable)
• The selected candidate must be able to pass a thorough background investigation and Pre-employment Physical, but findings may not necessarily disqualify an applicant for employment. (if applicable)
• For more information on our selection process, please refer to www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/jobs/hiring. For tips on interviewing, please visit https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/audience/employees/learning-and-development/Interview_Tips.ashx?la=en.
• Employees are required to protect the privacy and security of protected health information as defined in State and Federal Law.
• Public Health – Seattle & King County relies on office automation (Microsoft Office) and web-based enabled tools, therefore candidates must be proficient and comfortable with computer use to perform functions associated with on-going work.
• Employees are required to adhere to OSHA/WISHA guidelines including but not limited to completing their mandatory trainings on time and obtaining required immunizations.
• Regular and reliable attendance, effective communication skills, and development of effective working relationships are requirements of all Public Health – Seattle & King County positions.

When Public Health responds to an emergency, and in accordance with relevant CBA language and/or KC policy and procedures, we may assign duties outside your regular job description.

This may involve responding at any time, including nights and weekends, with possible deployment to locations other than the department.

• If you need a disability accommodation in the application or testing process, please call the contact number listed on the job announcement.

Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce.

To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity.

Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles--we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards.

We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) EmployerNo person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class.

Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.