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Emergency Management Jobs (NOW HIRING)

$70K - $133K/yr

In this position, you will serve as an Emergency Management Specialist on the Resilience-National Preparedness Directorate. Typical assignments include: * Conducting emergency planning activities and ...

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Emergency Management information

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$38.5K

$89.2K

$145.5K

How much do emergency management jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 26, 2026, the average yearly pay for emergency management in the United States is $89,223.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $62,500.00 and $109,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the highest paying emergency management job?

The highest paying emergency management roles are often senior positions such as Emergency Management Director or Chief Resilience Officer, with salaries exceeding $100,000 annually. These roles typically require extensive experience, advanced certifications, and strong leadership skills, often overseeing large-scale disaster response and preparedness programs.

What does an Emergency Management job involve?

An Emergency Management job focuses on preparing for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies and disasters. Professionals in this field develop response plans, coordinate with agencies, and ensure public safety during crises such as natural disasters, health emergencies, or security threats. They work for government agencies, non-profits, or private organizations to minimize risks and improve disaster resilience. Strong communication, planning, and problem-solving skills are essential in this role.

What are some common challenges faced by emergency management professionals, and how do they manage them?

Emergency management professionals often face challenges such as rapidly evolving situations, coordinating with multiple agencies, and limited resources during emergencies. They manage these challenges by maintaining detailed preparedness plans, participating in regular training and drills, and using clear communication protocols with stakeholders. Staying adaptable and calm under pressure is essential, as is leveraging technology for real-time information and resource management. Working collaboratively within diverse teams is also key to ensuring a coordinated and effective response.

What kind of job is emergency management?

Emergency management is a profession focused on preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters and emergencies. It involves coordinating resources, developing plans, and working with agencies to ensure public safety, often requiring skills in communication, problem-solving, and certifications such as the Certified Emergency Manager (CEM).

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Emergency Management position, and why are they important?

To thrive in Emergency Management, you need expertise in disaster response planning, risk assessment, and incident command, typically supported by a relevant bachelor’s degree and certifications such as Certified Emergency Manager (CEM). Familiarity with emergency management software like WebEOC, GIS mapping tools, and federal response frameworks such as FEMA’s NIMS/ICS is often required. Strong communication, leadership, and decision-making skills help professionals coordinate effectively under pressure. These skills ensure effective crisis response, collaboration with agencies, and public safety during emergencies.

Is emergency management a good degree?

Emergency management is a relevant degree for careers in disaster response, preparedness, and recovery, often leading to roles in government agencies, nonprofits, or private companies. The degree typically includes training in risk assessment, crisis communication, and emergency planning, and may require certifications such as FEMA courses. It provides a foundation for working in high-pressure environments focused on public safety and resilience.

What jobs pay 2000 a day?

High-paying jobs in emergency management or related fields typically do not pay $2,000 per day regularly; such earnings are more common in executive roles, specialized consulting, or contract positions with significant experience and certifications. Most emergency management roles offer annual salaries, but top-level consultants or contractors working on large projects may earn daily rates approaching or exceeding this amount.
What cities are hiring for Emergency Management jobs? Cities with the most Emergency Management job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Emergency Management jobs? The most popular types of Emergency Management jobs are:
What states have the most Emergency Management jobs? States with the most job openings for Emergency Management jobs include:
Infographic showing various Emergency Management job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 2% As Needed, 41% Full Time, 48% Part Time, 2% Temporary, 6% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 99% Physical, and 1% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $89,223 per year, or $42.9 per hour.
Emergency Management Specialist (Preparedness)

Emergency Management Specialist (Preparedness)

Federal Emergency Management Agency

On-site, Remote

$70K - $133K/yr

Full-time

This job post has expired today. Applications are no longer accepted.


Federal Emergency Management Agency rating

8.4

Company rating: 8.4 out of 10

Based on 16 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

166th of 663 rated public administrative organizations


Job description

Summary
The ideal candidate will have experience supporting the development of emergency management doctrine and guidance; engaging with whole community partners using clear communication skills; and conducting research.
Learn more about this agency
Duties
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What will I do in this position if hired?
In this position, you will serve as an Emergency Management Specialist on the Resilience-National Preparedness Directorate. Typical assignments include:
  • Conducting emergency planning activities and initiatives to develop tools, projects, and programs related to the preparedness policies and strategies in regard to whole community level doctrine, evaluations, and assessments.
  • Communicating with counterparts, teammates, and supervisors to encourage understanding and acceptance of findings and recommendations, interpreting agency policies and guidance, and technical aspects of agency programs to stakeholders.
  • Collaborating with state, local, and tribal officials, regional and whole community partners to prioritize guidance for critical infrastructure protection and provision for the safety and security of the public.
  • Providing support and contributions to conferences, meetings, committees, and working groups that propose, defend, and/or criticize continuity and emergency preparedness criteria on a regional level to promote and maintain a proactive preparedness posture.
  • Working collaboratively and effectively with teammates to achieve goals and objectives and engaging with whole community stakeholders to develop, build, and sustain emergency preparedness capabilities.

What else do I need to know?
At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters, and every employee at FEMA has a role in emergency management. Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.
Promotion Potential: Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval.
Requirements
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Conditions of employment
To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo, successfully pass, and maintain a background investigation for a Public Trust as a condition of placement into this position. This may include a credit check after initial job qualifications are determined, a review of financial issues, such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs (please visit: Mythbuster on Federal Hiring Policies for additional information). For more information on background investigations for Federal jobs please visit OPM Investigations
Please ensure you meet the qualification requirements described below.
Key Requirements:
  1. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
  2. You must successfully pass a background investigation.
  3. Selective Service registration required.
  4. Current federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements.
  5. You must be able to obtain and maintain a Government credit card.
  6. You must be able to deploy with little or no advance notice to anywhere in the United States and its territories for an extended period of time.
  7. Please review the Additional Information section for additional key requirements.

Qualifications
Current Federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent grade band in the Federal service. The qualification requirements listed below must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
The qualification requirements listed below must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
To qualify for this position at the GS-09 level, you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the federal government, a state or local government, or private sector, and must demonstrate the following:
  • Participating in the research and analysis of emergency management data and reports; AND,
  • Supporting the development and delivery of emergency management guidance; AND,
  • Using collaboration software to develop reports, briefings and information materials.

OR
The successful completion of a Master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL.B. or J.D.) or at least two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a related field (Transcript required).
OR
Possess a combination of specialized experience, as described in the vacancy announcement, and related graduate level education, beyond the first full year of graduate level study, that when combined, meet the qualification requirements for this position (Transcript required).
To qualify for this position at the GS-11 level, you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the federal government, a state or local government, or private sector, and must demonstrate the following:
  • Assisting in the planning, writing and/or delivery of emergency preparedness activities; AND
  • Preparing reports and/or briefs on emergency management preparedness for management review; AND
  • Supportively participating in working groups and crosscutting efforts.

OR
The successful completion of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or at least three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M. in a related field (Transcript required).
OR
Possess a combination of specialized experience, as described in the vacancy announcement, and related graduate level education, beyond the first full year of graduate level study, that when combined, meet the qualification requirements for this position (Transcript required).
To qualify for this position at the GS-12 level, you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the federal government, a state or local government, or private sector, and must demonstrate the following:
  • Leading tasks and analyses of emergency preparedness programs and policies; AND
  • Preparing reports and/or briefs on emergency management preparedness for leadership and other stakeholders; AND
  • Actively participating in working groups and crosscutting efforts.

Please read the following important information to ensure we have everything we need to consider your application:
  • Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

  • Please limit your resume to two pages. The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages.
  • Your resume serves as the basis for experience related qualification determinations, and you must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable), as it relates to this job opportunity. Please use your own words, be clear, and specific when describing your work history. We cannot make assumptions regarding your experience.

Are you qualifying based on your work experience?
  • Qualifications are based on your ability to demonstrate in your resume that you possess one year of the specialized experience for this announcement at a comparable scope and responsibility. To ensure all of the essential information is in your resume, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS online Resume Builder. If you choose to use your own resume, it must contain the following information organized by experience/position: (1) job title, (2) name of employer, (3) start and end dates of each period of employment (from MM/DD/YY to MM/DD/YY), (4) detailed description of duties performed, accomplishments, and related skills, and (5) hours worked per week (part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience). Federal experience/positions must also include the grade level and dates in which you held each grade level.

  • Are you a current or former FEMA Reservist/DAE employee? To accurately credit your experience from intermittent positions and Reservist Deployments, you must list the dates (from MM/DD/YY to MM/DD/YY) of deployments that are relevant to your qualifying experience, along with the job title and specific duties you were responsible for during each deployment.

  • Determining length of General or Specialized Experience is dependent on the above information. Failure to provide the above information in your resume may result in your application being found "not qualified."

  • Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills, and provides valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

  • For additional information on crediting experience and/or education, please reference the OPM General Schedule Qualification Standards

Education
Education substitution: This position permits applicants to qualify based on education (or a combination of education and experience), as outlined in the "requirements" section. If you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your transcripts (unofficial are acceptable) with your online application. Once selected and prior to appointment, applicants must provide official college transcripts.
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. For example, specific courses accepted for college-level credit by an accredited U.S. college or university, or foreign education evaluated by an organization recognized for accreditation by the Department of Education as education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. college or university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. Visit the Department of Education's Recognition of Foreign Qualifications for more information.
Additional information
  • If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.
  • The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Homeland Security and its Components from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to FEMA-Misconduct@fema.dhs.gov.
  • DHS uses E-verify, an internet based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.
  • The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to

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