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Emergency Management Officer

Government Jobs, Escondido, California, United States, 92025

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Overview

Emergency Management Officer Join the San Diego County Water Authority! We welcome veteran or transitioning military to apply. The San Diego County Water Authority is an independent public agency that serves as San Diego County's regional water wholesaler. The mission of the Water Authority is to provide a safe and reliable water supply to its 22 member agencies serving the region's $268 billion economy and 3.3 million residents. The Water Authority is executing a long-term strategy to diversify the region's supplies, make major investments in the region's water delivery and storage system, and improve water use efficiency. The Operations & Maintenance Department is responsible for operating the Water Authority's aqueduct delivery system; ensuring facility security and emergency preparedness; and maintaining and managing the fleet and various other assets. The ideal candidate is a seasoned emergency management professional with a proven track record of leading preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation programs in a complex, multi-agency environment. They are well-versed in SEMS, NIMS, and incident command principles, with the ability to translate these standards into effective plans, training, exercises, and real-world operations. They excel at building collaborative relationships—bringing together member agencies, government partners, and community stakeholders to coordinate emergency management activities and ensure regional readiness. With strong analytical skills, they can assess risks, evaluate policies, and develop innovative solutions that strengthen organizational resilience. This candidate is equally comfortable in strategic planning sessions, Emergency Operations Center activations, and field-based coordination during incidents. They have exceptional communication skills, are adept at presenting complex information to diverse audiences, and can guide decision-makers during high-pressure situations. In addition to technical expertise, the ideal candidate is a natural leader who fosters trust, drives cross-agency cooperation, and maintains composure under pressure—ensuring the Water Authority and its partners are prepared for any emergency. The Emergency Management Officer plays a critical leadership role in keeping the San Diego County region safe and resilient. This position oversees the development and implementation of comprehensive emergency management programs, including disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. As a regional coordinator, the Officer leads the San Diego County Water Agency Emergency Collaborative (WAEC) and works closely with member agencies, government partners, and community stakeholders to ensure seamless emergency coordination. The Emergency Management Officer will report directly to the Director of Operations and Maintenance with lead direction from the Risk and Safety Manager. The role also supports the Water Authority's Emergency Operations Center, helping maintain readiness and guiding response efforts during incidents. This is an exciting opportunity for a proactive, strategic thinker who thrives in high-impact, collaborative environments and is committed to strengthening regional emergency preparedness and resilience. Representative Duties Develops, administers and maintains a wide variety of programs, procedures and initiatives related to emergency management, such as emergency plans, response operations, relief, recovery, mitigation, and preparedness plans. Coordinates emergency and disaster preparedness activities to include a range of consultation, coordination, developmental, planning, and evaluation duties with internal and external stakeholders. Collaborates and contributes to the development of tabletop exercises, regional drills and full-scale exercises with internal, local and regional partners and stakeholders. Serves as a Water Authority representative with city, county, state, and federal emergency management organizations and agencies; develops, maintains and coordinates mutual aid agreements to support the Water Authority's overall emergency management program and member agencies. Under direction, leads the San Diego County Water Agency Emergency Collaborative (WAEC); coordinates WAEC activities, meetings and regional engagements. Ensures the Water Authority's emergency management programs are in compliance with applicable regulations, policies and guidelines. Coordinates, supports and maintains the Water Authority's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) readiness, activation, and staffing; ensures the EOC remains in a constant state of readiness; oversees training, logistics, staffing, and procedures; serves as the Water Authority EOC representative or liaison during EOC activation for emergency response. Tracks and ensures compliance with National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) training for employees. Advises, assists, and coordinates the work of employees in emergency preparedness plans and operations and EOC activation. Serves as a point of contact for San Diego County Office of Emergency Services; coordinates with appropriate emergency management preparedness agencies. Administers emergency preparedness and disaster recovery grants; researches federal, state and local grant opportunities; develops grant applications and proposals; monitors grant progress, tracks grant expenditures and ensures compliance with grant requirements. Manages Water Authority related disaster claims for relief and reimbursement to Cal-OES and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Establishes and maintains effective communications and collaborative working relationships with Water Authority staff, local, state and federal agencies, emergency management representatives from other agencies, civic and business groups. Prepares and delivers emergency management-related presentations and briefings to Water Authority staff, Board, member agencies, local, state, and federal elected officials and their staff and other regional emergency management stakeholders. Evaluates federal, state and local legislation, including other related regulations and best practices that govern emergency management functions, recommends action required for compliance, and monitors to ensure compliance. Conducts research and analyses pertaining to emergency management operations, programs, and other related functions; identifies problems and issues, determines analytical approaches, evaluates alternative courses of action and makes recommendations. Ensures that all emergency radio systems utilized by Water Authority and member agencies are operational. Provides guidance and subject matter expertise to executive leadership, emergency response personnel and local officials on methods for executing effective emergency operations. Develops and maintains emergency management materials in physical and mobile friendly formats. Trains all Water Authority staff on the Water Authority's emergency management plans, disaster service worker status, and response expectations. Prepares program budget recommendations; monitors expenditures and ensures expenditures remain within budgetary limitations as they relate to emergency management programs. Performs records management functions. Maintains current knowledge of new trends and innovations in the field of emergency management. Working Hours and Optional Hybrid Work Schedule : Employees assigned to work at the Escondido office work a 4 / 10 schedule, 10-hour days from Monday through Thursday. The Water Authority offers an optional hybrid work schedule to employees. Qualification Guidelines : A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in emergency management, business or public administration, or a closely related field supplemented by five years of increasingly responsible experience in developing or administering emergency management, emergency response or recovery programs, preferably in a governmental agency. An Associate Emergency Manager (AEM) or Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) certificate issued by the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), or similar is desired. Licenses and Other Requirements : A valid California driver's license and the ability to maintain insurability under the Water Authority's Vehicle Insurance Policy. ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-300, IS-700 and IS-800 must be obtained within six months of appointment. Application Procedure : To be considered for this position, please submit an employment application and supplemental questionnaire by Sunday, October 12, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed application and supplemental questionnaire. All applications and supplemental questionnaires will be evaluated in relation to the criteria outlined in this job announcement. The selection process may consist of an appraisal interview, writing exercise, and / or other appropriate screening devices. The San Diego County Water Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy status), gender, gender identity and / or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, genetic information, mental or physical disability (whether perceived or actual), ancestry, military or veteran status, citizenship status, medical condition, and / or national origin. The San Diego County Water Authority welcomes veterans or transitioning military. If you have questions whether your Military Occupational Specialties or rating qualifies you for a job opening, please visit TIPS & RESOURCES FOR VETERANS APPLYING FOR JOBS IN WATER on the Water Authority's regional workforce development website, SanDiegoWaterWorks.org. Should you have any questions regarding the recruitment process or require accommodations pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact Patricia Duran, Senior Human Resources Analyst, at (858) 522-6663.

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