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Emergency Management Director Jobs (NOW HIRING)

$83K - $108K/yr

Participation in direct deposit is mandatory. * Membership in the Colorado Air National Guard ... Knowledge of emergency management and related directives, policies, regulations, procedures, and ...

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Emergency Management Director information

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$39K

$98.7K

$174K

How much do emergency management director jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 30, 2026, the average yearly pay for emergency management director in the United States is $98,658.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $72,500.00 and $121,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Emergency Management Director, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Emergency Management Director, you need expertise in disaster response planning, risk assessment, and crisis management, typically supported by a relevant bachelor's degree and experience in emergency services. Familiarity with emergency management software (like WebEOC), FEMA guidelines, and certifications such as CEM (Certified Emergency Manager) are highly valuable. Strong leadership, communication, and decision-making skills help coordinate teams and effectively collaborate with government agencies and the public. These skills and qualifications are crucial to ensure effective preparedness, response, and recovery during emergencies, minimizing risk and protecting communities.

What does an Emergency Management Director do?

An Emergency Management Director is responsible for developing plans and procedures to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies. They coordinate disaster response or crisis management activities, provide training and guidance to public agencies and the community, and ensure effective communication during emergencies. Their duties also include assessing hazards, implementing preparedness programs, and managing recovery efforts after incidents. Emergency Management Directors often collaborate with government agencies, first responders, and the public to protect lives and property.

What is the difference between Emergency Management Director vs Fire Chief?

AspectEmergency Management DirectorFire Chief
CredentialsEmergency management certifications, degrees in public safety or emergency managementFire science degrees, firefighter certifications, leadership training
Work EnvironmentGovernment agencies, emergency response agencies, planning officesFire stations, emergency scenes, command centers
Employer & IndustryLocal, state, or federal government agenciesFire departments, municipal government

While both roles focus on public safety, the Emergency Management Director oversees overall emergency preparedness and coordination across agencies, whereas the Fire Chief manages firefighting operations and personnel within a fire department. The roles often collaborate but differ in scope and daily responsibilities.

What Do Emergency Management Directors Do?

An Emergency Management Director assesses and develops policies and protocols for an organization or business to follow in the event of a crisis, emergency, or natural disaster in a metropolitan area. For this job, your responsibilities include conducting assessments of current policies, suggesting changes and new strategies, and training employees on the organization’s emergency management policies. You also work with local emergency services and first responders to develop effective emergency plans. In the event of a crisis, you are in charge of enacting and executing these procedures.

What are some common challenges Emergency Management Directors face when coordinating disaster response efforts?

Emergency Management Directors often encounter challenges such as rapidly changing situations, coordinating across multiple agencies, and ensuring clear communication during high-stress events. They must balance limited resources while prioritizing public safety and adhere to local, state, and federal regulations. Building strong partnerships and conducting regular training exercises help address these challenges, but flexibility and quick decision-making remain essential skills in this role.
What cities are hiring for Emergency Management Director jobs? Cities with the most Emergency Management Director job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Emergency Management jobs? The most popular types of Emergency Management jobs are:
Who are the top companies hiring for Emergency Management Director jobs? The top employers for Emergency Management Director jobs are:
What states have the most Emergency Management Director jobs? States with the most job openings for Emergency Management Director jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Emergency Management Director jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Emergency Management Director jobs are:
Infographic showing various Emergency Management Director job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 70% Full Time, 18% Part Time, and 12% Contract. Highlights an 99% Physical, and 1% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $98,658 per year, or $47.4 per hour.
Director Safety and Emergency Management

Director Safety and Emergency Management

Puget Sound Energy

Bellevue, WA

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 19 days ago


Key responsibilities

  • Leads and directs Safety, Fleet, System Damage Prevention, and Emergency Management organizations, ensuring strategic alignment and operational support.

  • Develops and implements strategies to strengthen safety culture, enhance operational readiness, reduce enterprise risk, and improve program effectiveness.

  • Oversees workforce planning, training, and development to ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and operational standards.


Job description

Puget Sound Energy is looking to grow our community with top talented individuals like you!  With our rapidly growing, award winning energy efficiency programs, our pathway to an exciting and innovative future is now.

PSE's Operations Solutions team is looking for qualified candidates to fill an open Director Safety and Emergency Management position!


Specific details regarding the work arrangements for this position will be discussed in further detail during the interview process.

Job Description

Puget Sound Energy is Washington’s largest and most established energy company, serving more than 1.7 million customers across a region with dynamic and rapidly evolving energy needs. With significant growth underway, and new technology reshaping the energy landscape, there has never been a more exciting time to join PSE. From new generation to new construction, there is an incredible amount of infrastructure to design, build, and deliver as we operate at the forefront of energy innovation. We embrace contractor partnerships and rely on data-driven decision making to shape the future of our business. Our culture is grounded in collaboration ensuring that every employee goes home safe at the end of the day.

We are seeking an experienced and visionary leader to lead and direct our Safety, Fleet, System Damage Prevention, and Emergency Management organizations. In this role, you will lead strategy, governance, regulatory compliance, operational support, and continuous performance improvement across these critical functions. You will be responsible for setting the vision, defining priorities, and ensuring effective execution to protect employees, customers, contractors, the public, and company assets.

This leader will develop and implement strategies that strengthen PSE’s safety culture, enhance operational readiness, reduce enterprise risk, and improve program effectiveness. You will direct the design, management, and delivery of cross-functional and transformational initiatives aligned with PSE’s evolving operational and strategic priorities. Success in this role requires a strong ability to lead through change, influence across a complex organization, and drive meaningful, measurable outcomes.

You will uphold the safety compliance standards inherent in PSE’s operating and field procedures while actively promoting a culture of total safety in every aspect of the organization. You will lead by example, ensuring that all work is performed responsibly and that safety remains our highest priority.  Experience working with a represented workforce in a complex and highly regulated environment is preferred.

This position also requires a strong ethical foundation. You will demonstrate a consistent commitment to conducting business honestly and ethically in alignment with PSE’s core values and Code of Conduct. You will ensure that all responsibilities are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards.

Job Responsibilities
  • Employee Safety, Development & Team Building
    • Provides leadership for employee safety, development, and team effectiveness across all areas of responsibility.
    • Promotes a culture of total safety by addressing hazards, near misses, and at-risk behaviors through audits, inspections, and active engagement.
    • Sets clear expectations and holds employees accountable for performance, safety, and compliance outcomes.
    • Oversees workforce planning, staffing, training, and development; ensures required training and certifications are completed.
    • Provides coaching, feedback, and leadership support to drive employee engagement, safety performance, and business results.
    • Ensures adherence to legal, regulatory, and operational standards.
    • Conducts performance reviews and supports development planning.
  • Safety Leadership, Strategy & Culture
    • Provides enterprise leadership for Safety, Fleet, System Damage Prevention, and Emergency Management, aligning strategy, culture, and operational execution.
    • Establishes and executes a multi-year strategy for safety, workforce capability, emergency preparedness, and operational improvement aligned with enterprise priorities.
    • Integrates safety culture, skill development, and change leadership to strengthen operational readiness and resilience.
    • Leads safety initiatives through process improvement, operational excellence, and technology enablement.
    • Develops and utilizes metrics, dashboards, and data (including telematics and camera systems) to identify risk, improve performance, and coach leaders.
    • Promotes safe driving practices and implements programs to reduce vehicle incidents.
    • Sets expectations and ensures accountability for safety, compliance, performance, and change adoption.
    • Ensures training, certifications, and leadership development programs are sustained and future-focused.
    • Builds organizational alignment and engagement to support continuous improvement and safety outcomes.
  • Fleet Management
    • Provides strategic oversight of fleet operations to ensure safe, reliable, and cost-effective performance.
    • Leads fleet safety, maintenance, lifecycle planning, utilization, and replacement strategies.
    • Uses data and analytics to reduce incidents, improve reliability, and manage risk.
    • Ensures compliance with safety, environmental, and transportation regulations.
    • Partners with Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance to optimize fleet performance and investment.
  • System Damage Prevention
    • Leads enterprise programs to prevent damage to PSE infrastructure.
    • Oversees 811 coordination, excavation safety, investigations, and corrective actions.
    • Partners with internal teams and external stakeholders to reduce risk and increase public awareness.
    • Develops metrics and accountability processes to drive continuous improvement.
    • Ensures compliance with applicable damage prevention regulations.
  • Emergency Management & Preparedness
    • Leads PSE’s emergency management program and response readiness.
    • Oversees preparedness, response, recovery, continuity, and continuous improvement efforts.
    • Leads ICS training and readiness programs to strengthen response capability.
    • Directs emergency planning, exercises, and after-action reviews.
    • Ensures alignment with regulatory, mutual assistance, and industry standards.
    • Partners with internal and external stakeholders to enhance readiness and supports executive leadership during major events.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
  • Bachelor’s degree in safety management, engineering, industrial health, business, public administration, or a related field. An equivalent combination of education and progressively responsible experience may be substituted.
  • Ten (10) years of experience leading safety programs in a regulated, high hazard operating environment, such as electric, gas, construction, industrial, or other critical infrastructure sectors.
  • Five (5) years in a senior safety or operations leadership role with accountability for enterprise or multi-site safety performance.
  • Professional safety certification (e.g., CSP, CIH) or equivalent demonstrated expertise in safety leadership and systems.
  • Demonstrated experience advancing safety culture across field operations, leaders, contractors, and labor environments.
  • Strong working knowledge of utility operations and field work risks, including construction, maintenance, fleet operations, emergency response, and contractor management.
  • Proven expertise in safety management systems (SMS), risk assessment, incident investigation, corrective action programs, and leading and lagging safety indicators.
  • Demonstrated experience ensuring compliance with the Washington Administrative Code (WAC), OSHA, or comparable safety regulations applicable to utility or critical infrastructure operations, including direct interaction with regulatory authorities such as Washington State L&I / DOSH or equivalents.
  • Experience leading or supporting regulatory inspections, audits, investigations, and corrective action implementation with state and federal regulators.
  • Ability to influence and partner across operations, labor, contractors, and executive leadership to drive consistent safety outcomes.
  • Demonstrated ability to translate safety strategy into executable programs that deliver measurable safety and operational performance improvements.
  • Strong analytical, organizational, and program management skills.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex safety topics to executives, regulators, and frontline audiences.
  • Demonstrated leadership attributes including sound judgment, managerial courage, integrity, and the ability to balance independent safety oversight with collaborative partnership.
  • Experience managing budgets, resources, and external service providers in support of safety objectives.
Desired Qualifications
  • Advanced degree in applicable fields and/or advanced safety or emergency management certifications.
  • Utility industry experience; understanding of utility operations, economics, accounting, finance, regulatory frameworks, and industry trends.
  • Expertise in enterprise risk identification, risk calculation, and risk reduction methodologies, including hazard analysis, exposure assessment, and prioritization of mitigation strategies in high-risk operating environments.
  • Experience with fleet management and system damage prevention programs.
  • Expertise in emergency management, including incident command, emergency preparedness and response, and critical infrastructure restoration for electric, gas, or other utility systems.
  • Demonstrated ability to collect, analyze, and interpret safety, operational, and risk data to inform decision making, including the use of advanced analytics, digital tools, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence to improve safety performance and risk mitigation.
  • Demonstrated experience supporting executive leadership during major incidents, emergencies, or system restoration events.
Additional Information

At PSE, we value our employees and provide them with opportunities to excel. We offer a competitive and comprehensive total rewards package. To learn more about why PSE is a great place to work, see our Employee Value Proposition, which highlights our commitment to employee growth, work-life balance, and meaningful career opportunities in the energy sector.

The pay range for this position is $173,900.00 - $372,000.00, and this position is eligible for annual goals based incentive bonuses. 

PSE offers a suite of benefits to our employees. Employees are eligible for medical, dental, vision, basic life, and short- and long-term disability insurance.  There are additional voluntary options of supplemental life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, flexible spending accounts for health care and dependent daycare, and an Employee assistance program (EAP).  For long term savings, PSE offers a 401(k) investment option and a cash balance retirement plan.  Employees will also receive Paid Time Off (PTO) and Paid Holidays throughout the calendar year. Detailed benefit overviews can be found on our Career page - Why Work For Us (pse.com). 

Families and businesses depend on PSE to provide the energy they need to pursue their dreams. Our steadfast commitment to serving Washington communities with safe, dependable and efficient energy started in 1873. Today we're building the Northwest's energy future through efforts like our award winning energy efficiency programs and our leadership in renewable energy. 

Puget Sound Energy is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all qualified applicants. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status or presence of a disability that with or without reasonable accommodation does not prevent performance of the essential functions of the job, or any other category prohibited by local, state or federal law.

Should you have a disability that requires assistance and/or reasonable accommodation with the job application process, please contact the Human Resources Staffing department at jobs@pse.com or 425-462-3017.