Entry Level Emergency Management Specialist Jobs

WORKING FOR THE CITY OF MCKINNEY

Working for the City of McKinney is more than a job. It is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. It is also an opportunity to have a hand in the development of one of the fastest growing communities in the nation. In 2023, McKinney was named one of the top workplaces in DFW by the Dallas Morning News. Although proud of that honor, everyone on our team is committed to making McKinney an even better place to live, work and raise a family. That’s why we exist.

City of McKinney employees work hard and at a very fast pace. However, we also look after and support one another. All of us are guided by four employee-inspired values – Respect, Integrity, Service, and Excellence (RISE). We are also supported by servant-based leaders who foster and support a healthy, family-oriented culture. All new employees are expected to embrace and live by our core values and commit to helping us sustain our exceptional work environment as a high performance organization.

Supports the administrative, technical, and preparedness activities of the City’s Emergency Management Program under general supervision of the Assistant Emergency Manager. This position is responsible for supporting activities through all phases of emergency management; keeping current on emergency management policies, laws, and practices; and assisting in maintaining emergency preparedness plans and associated products. This position has responsibility for enhancing and delivering public education programs and performs a variety of technical tasks relative to assigned areas of responsibility.

• Learn and demonstrate an understanding of how team, department, and City goals are interconnected.
• Contribute to a positive work culture.
• Maintain regular and reliable attendance.
• Ability to assess his/her work performance or the work performance of the team.
• Contribute to the development of others and/or the working unit or overall organization.
• Ability and willingness to work as part of a team, to demonstrate team skills, and to perform a fair share of team responsibilities.
• Ability to continuously learn and develop through a mix of internal and external training opportunities, and if applicable, encourage subordinates to do the same.

• Supports the development, implementation, monitoring and modification of emergency preparedness plans such as the city’s Emergency Management Plan and annexes, Continuity of Operations Plan, Hazard Mitigation Plan, and Disaster Recovery Plan.
• Provides administrative and technical support to the EMC in the continued development and maintenance of the City’s Emergency Management program including processing invoices, p-card reconciliation, and department purchasing.
• Serves as the emergency management Duty Officer on a rotational basis and monitors, evaluates, and recommends emergency preparedness related actions and precautions related to severe weather and other hazards or threats.
• Prepares and delivers public education presentations designed to enhance awareness and foster personal preparedness among the citizens of McKinney, civic and other local organizations, business and industry.
• Assists in the facilitation and coordination of training and exercises involving various City departments, local, state and federal partners and multiple external organizations.
• Maintains a current set of all response plans in various formats for reference and utilization during emergency situations.
• Coordinates the updating of the Emergency Management webpage as needed.
• Supports incidents involving multiple departments and agencies, and functions within the Emergency Operations Center or specified location during emergency and non‑emergency incidents including but not limited to major emergencies, disasters, training exercises and special events.
• Represents Emergency Management at various meetings, special events, trainings, conferences and seminars as requested.
• Assists in the coordination and delivery of the McKinney CERT program.
• Complies with all written City and departmental policies and procedures.
• Works in a team environment; contributes as a team member and treats co‑workers and customers with respect.
• Builds professional relationships with internal staff and customers.
• Balances multiple priorities while exhibiting flexibility and adaptability in a consistently changing environment.
• Drives to other City facilities and locations for meetings, etc.

• May represent the City of McKinney at local, state, regional, and federal emergency management meetings, conferences, seminars, and trainings.
• Provides support and logistical functions during extended emergency incidents as requested.
• Assists co‑workers and city employees with special projects as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned or directed.

• Ability to embrace and embody the City’s core values of Respect, Integrity, Service, and Excellence (R.I.S.E.).
• Ability to communicate effectively with peers, supervisors, subordinates, and people to whom service is provided.
• Ability to produce desired work outcomes, including quality, quantity, and timeliness.
• Ability to plan and organize work, time, and resources.
• Skill to gather, organize, analyze, and utilize a variety of data and information in an unbiased manner.
• Knowledge of the phases of Emergency Management – mitigation/prevention, preparedness, response and recovery; concept of an all‑hazards whole community approach to Emergency Management; familiarity with local, state and federal laws; understanding of the National Incident Management System, Incident Command System and Multi‑Agency Coordination System; knowledge of various plans relating to Emergency Management.
• Skill to operate, maneuver, and/or control the actions of equipment, machinery, tools, and/or materials used in performing essential functions.
• Skill to utilize a variety of audio‑visual training aids and computer applications.
• Skill to utilize a wide variety of advisory and/or design data and information.
• Skill to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; calculate decimals and percentages; utilize principles of fractions; and interpret graphs and charts.
• Skill to apply principles of rational systems; interpret instructions furnished in written, oral, diagrammatic, or schedule form; and to exercise independent judgment to adopt or modify methods and standards to meet variations in assigned objectives.
• Skill to write various planning documents, update City publications, and compose articles.
• Ability to provide guidance, assistance, and/or interpretation to others regarding the application of procedures and standards to specific situations and the ability to accept direction from supervisor or manager.
• Skill to perform simple movements requiring moderate coordination, such as those required to operate office equipment or computer equipment.
• Skill to operate a variety of computer hardware and software such as personal computers, scanners, modems, printers, word processing, relational databases, spreadsheets, and GIS software; requires the ability to extract, analyze, and correlate data obtained from computer programs.
• Ability to communicate in a clear and concise oral and written manner.
• Ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness, and creativity in situations involving a variety of generally pre‑defined duties which are often characterized by frequent change.
• Ability to apply the principles of rational decision making and analyze situations quickly in an objective manner.

• Bachelor’s degree in Emergency Management, Public Administration, or a related field and a minimum of one (1) year of experience working in a municipal, county, regional or state emergency management position.

• Previous experience in plan writing.
• Meeting facilitation and public speaking experience.
• Previous experience using WebEOC or equivalent incident management software.
• IS 100, 200, 700, and 800 certifications.

• Must pass a drug screen and background check.
• Must have Class C Texas Driver’s License or the ability to obtain one within thirty (30) days of employment.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS Tasks require the ability to exert very moderate physical effort. Typically involves some combination of climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching and crawling. May involve lifting, carrying, pushing/pulling of moderately heavy items weighing 20-50 pounds and/or the operation of an automobile or light equipment. Some tasks require visual, depth, odor color, sound perception, and discrimination and oral communications ability.

Tasks may risk exposure to extreme heat/cold, extreme weather conditions, strong odors, smoke and/or toxic chemicals.

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed as of the date of preparation and approval. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of the position. Employees holding this position will be required to perform any other job-related duties as requested by management. The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee, and all requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.

The City of McKinney is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) committed to an alcohol / drug free workplace and to providing equal opportunities regardless of age, race, color, gender, religion, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.