Planning Specialist (Contractual)

MDEM is looking for a diligent, detail-oriented individual who is excited about making Maryland a safer place to live and work by assisting with the Department’s Maryland Joint Operations Center, including dispatching of allied agencies, creating situational reports and obtaining information from local, State and Federal Agencies.

MDEM’s mission is to proactively reduce disaster risks and reliably manage consequences through collaborative work with Maryland’s communities and partners. MDEM is the department of State government with primary responsibility and authority for emergency preparedness policy, and for coordinating hazard mitigation, incident response, and disaster recovery. MDEM is a national leader in Emergency Management that provides Maryland residents, organizations, and emergency management partners with expert information, programmatic activities, and leadership in the delivery of financial, technical, and physical resources “to shape a resilient Maryland where communities thrive.” We do this by being Maryland's designated source of official risk reduction and consequence management information.

NOTE: This position operates within an on-call rotating schedule according to assignment within the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) to attend to all emergencies on a statewide 24/7 basis. This may involve working 12 hour shifts extended periods of time in support of 24 hour consequence management activities.

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This position reports to the Supervisor of the Planning and Assessment Unit . This position serves the State of Maryland, its State Agencies, and local jurisdictions in the following area: Serve as a Planning Specialist. Conduct and/or support deliberate consequence management planning efforts by utilizing the Maryland Plan Development Process. These planning efforts focus on natural, human-caused, and technological threats and hazards in addition to the administration and coordination of State, Federal, Local, and non-governmental resources and information sharing. Develop Act as the Program Manager of the following program: Consequence Management Planning Program. Develop, update, and teach off of instructional materials as needed to inform relevant SEOC personnel. I.e.; CMOP introductory course. Coordinate and participate in regional or subject-matter based working groups. This includes acting as a representative to the NCR for as needed preparedness initiatives. Provide support to the Preparedness Analysis for Threat and Hazard Identification Risk Analysis (THIRA) and Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR) products. Provide support to the Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program (REPP). Provide support to the other Unit and Programmatic areas within the Preparedness Branch and the Consequence Management Directorate to include the State Continuity Unit, State Cyber Preparedness Unit, Training & Exercise Unit, Local Support Branch, and the Response Coordination Branch. The position will also support Department programs, projects, and activities related to the overall Department mission, and may be tasked to support other duties as assigned by the Planning and Assessment Unit Supervisor. In order to fulfill these responsibilities, this position requires strong organization, communication, technical and presentation skills.

· Emergency and Disaster response and recovery operations as needed and/or assigned by Department Secretary, Directors, or Operations Personnel. Employee will be expected to staff the SEOC upon activation for consequence management activities.  Employee may be called to duty at any time, day or night, and is expected to report to the SEOC or assigned duty location within two (2) hours of notification. Employee will attend training and retain competencies to be appropriately prepared for SEOC staffing needs including understanding and mastery of all five components of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Maryland Emergency Management System (MEMS). Employee will support SEOC activities, which may involve extended work hours, as well as extraordinary stress levels, given that a disaster event would occur requiring SEOC activation.  Employee will be expected to perform command and supervisory functions for incident management needs with competence and reliability under NIMS and MEMS. Employee is expected to support ongoing recovery operations as it relates to their specific Branch roles/responsibilities. Employee may be required to report to an alternate location to perform SEOC duties in support of MEMS stakeholders or in the event of a Continuity of Operations Program (COOP) Plan activation.

· Serve as a member of the Planning and Assessment Unit , including conducting and leading consequence management planning and other planning activities for the Prevention, Response, and Recovery Mission Areas. This position will be responsible for using and applying the Maryland Plan Development Process for planning products. This position will lead major efforts to natural hazards planning and overall preparedness planning.

· Conduct Deliberate & Contingency Planning, This position conducts deliberate and contingency planning for consequence management and across the mission areas of prevention, protection, response, and recovery. Assume responsibility for the Consequence Management Planning Program.  This position may serve as a Planning Team Lead or as part of a planning team.

· Serve as a member of the Preparedness Branch, including the assistance of the delivery of training courses, exercises, and other preparedness readiness activities.

· Support and participate in Consequence Management Directorate and overall Agency initiatives and programs, as assigned by the Preparedness Branch Manager, Consequence Management Director, Deputy Executive Director, and/or the Executive Director. Support the MDEM Consequence Management, Disaster Risk Reduction, and Mission Support Directorates as needed.

· Training and Exercise Support: This position supports the Training & Exercise Unit with the development and delivery of training course; the development and delivery of exercises; the facilitation of discussion-based and operations-based exercises.

· Support the Agency’s statewide activities, including developing, promoting, and implementing assigned plans, documents, and other materials related to the Maryland Emergency Management System. This may include, but not be limited to, conducting capability assessments, and developing operational plans. Provide support and assistance for the development and delivery of training and exercise.

· Support MDEM’s strategic goals and objectives for emergency management.

· Support Maryland’s strategic goals and objectives for homeland security.

Education: Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate.

Experience: Five years of administrative staff or professional work.

Notes:

1. Candidates may substitute 30 credit hours from an accredited college or university for each year up to four years of the required experience.

2. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and one year of experience in administrative staff or professional work for the required experience.

3. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Master's degree from an accredited college or university for the required experience.

4. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer involving staff work related to the administration of rules, regulations, policy, procedures and processes, or overseeing or coordinating unit operations or functioning as a staff assistant to a higher ranking commissioned officer on a year-for- year basis for the required experience.

Please make sure that you provide sufficient information on your application to show that you meet the qualifications for this recruitment. RESUMES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED IN LIEU OF COMPLETING THE EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION. All information concerning your qualifications including any required certifications must be submitted by the closing date.  We will not consider information submitted after this date. Successful candidates will be ranked as Best Qualified, Better Qualified, or Qualified and placed on the employment (eligible) list for at least one year.

Employees in this classification may be assigned duties which require the operation of a motor vehicle. Employees assigned such duties will be required to possess a motor vehicle operator's license valid in the State of Maryland.

The assessment may consist of a rating of your education, training, and experience related to the requirements of the position. It is important that you provide complete and accurate information on your application. Please report all experience and education that is related to this position.

Contractual employees who work for an agency covered under the State Employee and Retiree Health and Welfare Benefits Program, have a current employment contract and work 30 or more hours a week (or on average 130 hours per month) may be eligible for subsidized health benefits coverage for themselves and their dependents. As a contractual employee, you will be responsible for paying 25% of the premiums for your medical and prescription coverage, including any eligible dependents you have enrolled. The State of Maryland will subsidize the remaining 75% of the cost for these benefits. You can also elect to enroll in dental coverage, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, and life insurance, but will be responsible to pay the full premium for these benefits.

Leave may be granted to a contractual employee who has worked 120 days in a 12-month period. This leave accrues at a rate of one hour for every 30 hours worked, not to exceed 40 hours per calendar year.

Online applications are highly recommended. However, if you are unable to apply online, the paper application and supplemental questionnaire may be submitted to: Maryland Department of Emergency Management, 5401 Rue Saint Lo Drive, Reisterstown, MD 21136. Paper application materials must be received in our office by the closing date for the recruitment. No postmarks will be accepted.

For questions regarding this recruitment, please call 410-702-3714, or email kiara.jones@maryland.gov. 

Appropriate accommodations for individuals with disabilities are available upon request by calling: MD TTY Relay Service 1-800-735-2258.

We thank our Veterans for their service to our country. People with disabilities and bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply.

As an equal opportunity employer, Maryland is committed to recruitment, retaining and promoting employees who are reflective of the State's diversity.