Emergency Management Specialist

General Description

POSTING TYPE: Open competitive
DEPARTMENT: Risk Management
HOURS: Full-time
HIRING RANGE: $70,518- $79,333 /year (2025 rates) (Grade Level 108)
SALARY RANGE: $70,518- $110,185 /year
LOCATION: ADC Hastings
UNION: None
CLOSE DATE: 4:30 p.m. on 12/27/2024

Who We Are

Dakota County is Minnesota’s third largest county and home to more than 400,000 residents. Our motto is “Be More” and we strive every day to achieve excellence in public service, with a focus on four values: Service, Integrity, People and Innovation.

Dakota County aims to create an environment that is welcoming and inclusive of diverse people, backgrounds and experiences. Our goal is to have a workforce that is reflective of the communities and individuals we serve. We promote an equitable and culturally aware work environment where everyone can be their authentic selves.

This role coordinates with Dakota County departments and municipal communities within the county. This may include local first responders, public health, public works, communications, administration and elected officials. This coordination includes planning, training, exercising, responding to and recovering from disasters or incidents that impact Dakota County and its regional, state, and federal partners.

Provides training and resources to the public and county partners to promote community preparedness and resilience.

The position requires periodic work outside of core business hours (Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m., to 4:30 p.m.) to include evenings and weekends and response to emergency events as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in emergency management, or a closely related field; AND
• Two years of full-time experience in Emergency Management, or a closely related field.

• An equivalent combination of education and experience necessary to perform the essential functions of the position including experience with developing, implementing, and managing projects and plans.

• Experience establishing and maintaining productive working relationships with groups including internal and external partners.
• Completion of National Incident Management System (NIMS) courses IS (100, 200, 700 and 800) and ICS 300 and 400 within the first twelve months.

• Experience with grant administration, continuity of operations plans, mitigation plans, facilitating training or public speaking, exercise design, and emergency operations center experience.
• Experience with the Microsoft Office Suite.
• Previous experience developing plans and training in a team environment.
• Certification as an Emergency Manager by the State of Minnesota OR an equivalent certification by another state or the federal government.

Duties & Responsibilities

These examples do not include all possible tasks in this work and do not limit the assignment of related tasks in any position of this classification. Regular attendance according to the position's management approved work schedule is required for all positions.

• Perform emergency response functions as trained and assigned within the department's emergency response plans.

• Update the county-wide Emergency Operations Plan.

• Assist in the design, maintenance, and operation of the county Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

• Manage the process to update and implement the multijurisdictional All Hazard Mitigation Plan.

• Coordinate, conduct and evaluate training, ensuring compliance with requirements of the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) for local, county, and regional exercises.

• Assist with the management of the County Continuity of Operations Plan.

• Administer homeland security grant programs and identify grant opportunities.

• May represent Dakota County's interest at internal and external homeland security meetings.

• Assist in identifying and evaluating emerging technologies for emergency management.

• Develop reporting forms, spreadsheets, and graphs for analysis.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: 1 through 7

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities and Work Environment

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

• Ability to develop working relationships with all levels of employees including senior management, elected and appointed officials, and other local units of government.

• Skilled in developing and facilitating team-oriented organizations.

• Basic knowledge of emergency management programs and practices.

• Ability and skill to plan, organize, direct and coordinate the activities of both internal and external professional and administrative support personnel.

• Skilled in administrative functions with emphasis on grants, budgeting, report writing, programs design, development and execution.

• Ability to make informed decisions.

• Ability to work independently.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Work is predominantly sedentary involving office (90%) and outside field work (10%). Lifting requirement may include occasional lifting up to 30 pounds. Routine travel between government centers, cities in Dakota County and within greater Twin City Metropolitan Area. May occasionally be assigned to actual emergency response activities that are outside and in an uncontrolled environment.

SELECTION PROCESS: The examination/selection process for this classification will consist of a rating of your training and experience from the application materials submitted. The top scoring candidates will be forwarded to the hiring department for further consideration.