Salary : $100,603.88 - $125,718.06 Annually
Location : City of Sumner - City Hall, WA
Job Type: Full-Time Permanent
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Job Number: 202600219
Department: Administrative Services
Division: Human Resources
Opening Date: 06/11/2026
Closing Date: 6/28/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
Description
Hiring Range: $3,869.38 - $4,325.19 biweekly, with growth to $4,835.31
The City of Sumner is looking for a proactive, adaptable, and responsive Emergency Manager to help keep our community prepared for whatever comes next. From planning for natural disasters and coordinating emergency response efforts to leading training exercises and strengthening community resilience, this is a dynamic role where no two days are the same. As our Emergency Manager, you'll be at the center of it all, building partnerships, coordinating with local, state, and federal agencies, developing critical emergency plans, managing the Emergency Operations Center, and helping ensure the City is ready to respond when it matters most. You'll work across every department, collaborate with regional partners, engage with the community, and play a key leadership role during emergencies, disasters, and major public events. If you're someone who enjoys solving complex challenges, building strong relationships, thinking ahead, staying organized and focused when the unexpected happens, this could be the perfect opportunity. Join a team that values innovation, preparedness, and public service while making a real difference in the safety and resilience of our community. Help us prepare today for whatever tomorrow brings.
This position is a full-time, Fair Labor Standards Act, exempt position. This is designated as a Safety Sensitive position. The regular work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Hybrid and flexible schedules may be available. This position requires additional availability and extended workdays outside of regular business hours to respond to urgent/emergent situations such as floods, fires, natural disasters, and other emergency situations. The incumbent in this position is not a Civil Service employee or under union representation.
General Purpose:
Reporting to the Deputy City Administrator, the Emergency Manager develops and coordinates the City's Emergency Management and Emergency Preparedness programs. This position works under limited supervision and is primarily responsible for providing oversight, consultation and technical guidance of City activities in all phases of emergency management planning, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery; and performing grant, contract, or budgetary research and analysis. The Emergency Manager uses discretion and independent judgement in determining courses of action over significant matters related to emergency management, and works in close collaboration with the Sumner Police Department and other departments within the City as well as outside emergency management agencies.
About Sumner:
The City of Sumner's vision is to set the standard of excellence for a progressive small city. In working to achieve that vision, Sumner prioritizes and celebrates diverse perspectives, life experiences and differences. The City actively seeks and encourages people with diverse backgrounds and characteristics to apply and all come together with a goal of continuing to learn and improve to better serve the residents, businesses and visitors of our community. Sumner remains a traditional city of just over 11,000 residents with agricultural roots, known for decades as the Rhubarb Pie Capital of the World. At the same time, its compact, walkable layout aligns perfectly with progressive planning trends, as its classic Main Street becomes repurposed for boutiques, independent restaurants and daily services such as legal offices, financial advisors and doctors. While Sumner retains historic neighborhoods of Craftsman houses and an active high school right on Main Street, it also offers over 16,000 manufacturing and distribution jobs for companies such as REI, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Amazon.com, and Dillanos Coffee Roasters. With a downtown Sound Transit station with buses and trains, it is well connected to the Puget Sound region while striving to be a full-service city with the largest YMCA facility in the state of Washington as well as a link trail system that will connect the Foothills and Interurban trails. Like the community, the city government is large enough to be professional but small enough to be creative. The City has won a variety of awards from the Governor's Smart Planning Award to recognition at the International Association of Chiefs of Police for its groundbreaking police work on victims' assistance. With a strong mayor format, the City has just over 140 employees who operate a cemetery, wastewater treatment facility, accredited police department, animal shelter, parks, senior center, full service public works and administration.
Examples of Duties
The job duties and responsibilities in this job description in no way imply that these are the only duties to be performed. Employees occupying the position will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by a supervisor. While requirements may be representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills and abilities to perform this job successfully, the employee will possess the abilities or aptitudes to perform each duty with proficiency.
Typical duties may include:
- Serves as the City's Emergency Manager and principal staff resource for emergency preparedness, mitigation, response, recovery, and continuity planning activities.
- Represents the City in regional, county, state, federal and intergovernmental organizations including the East Pierce Interlocal Coalition (EPIC) emergency management group, Pierce County Department of Emergency Management, Washington State Emergency Management Division, FEMA and other partner agencies.
- Develops, coordinates, maintains, and updates the City's Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP), Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), Continuity of Operations (COOP) plans, hazard mitigation strategies, evacuation procedures, and related emergency management policies and procedures.
- Participates in strategic planning, policy development, and organizational resilience initiatives that support the City's long-term emergency management objectives.
- Attends and assists with the planning, preparation, and coordination of large community events to ensure appropriate emergency management considerations, resource allocation, interagency coordination, and public safety measures are incorporated into event operations.
- Ensures City compliance with the National Incident Management System (NIMS), Incident Command System (ICS), and applicable federal, state, and local emergency management requirements.
- Coordinates emergency preparedness, training, response, recovery, mitigation, and resilience initiatives across all City departments and advises department leadership on emergency planning and operational readiness.
- Manages and maintains the City's Emergency Operation Center (EOC), including readiness assessments, equipment maintenance, operational procedures, resource inventories and activation protocols.
- Serves in a leadership role during emergency incidents, disasters, and planned events; may activate, coordinate, and manage EOC operations and serve as liaison with responding agencies and governmental partners.
- Plans, develops, coordinates, and delivers emergency management training programs, workshops, exercises, drills, and tabletop exercises for City employees, elected officials, volunteers, and partner organizations.
- Coordinates multi-jurisdictional preparedness activities and emergency exercises to evaluate plans, improve operational readiness, and strengthen regional response capabilities.
- Conducts hazard and vulnerability assessments and evaluates emerging threats and risks affecting the City and surrounding region; recommends strategies to improve preparedness and resilience.
- Researches, prepares, administers, and monitors emergency management grants and funding opportunities; ensures compliance with grant requirements and prepares related agreements, reports, and reimbursement documentation.
- Provides technical expertise and professional guidance to City leadership, departments, elected officials, and community stakeholders regarding emergency management best practices, regulatory requirements, and program development. Participates in public relations activities and makes public presentations, as appropriate. Coordinates necessary studies and implementation efforts with appropriate City officials, Council, staff, and other governmental entities.
- Serves as the point person to obtain Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other public assistance grants; tracks and gathers/documents completion of grants for reimbursement.
- Develops and maintains emergency notification, public warning, and crisis communications systems; coordinates public information and community outreach programs to promote emergency preparedness.
- Conducts research on all hazards and threats to the Western Washington region by reading records, plans and documents to include attending presentations and interviews; ensures the City is in compliance with all Federal, State and County requirements for an emergency management plan.
- Provides preparedness presentations to the community on a regular basis; identifies gaps in emergency planning and addresses them as resources as allow.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Any combination of experience, education, and training that would substitute for the requirements, providing the desired skills, knowledge, and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job will be considered.
- A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in Emergency Management, Public Administration, Homeland Security, Public Safety, Business Continuity, or a closely related field and three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in emergency management, disaster preparedness, safety management, risk management, business continuity or a related field.
- Additional qualifying experience in emergency management, safety management, public administration, or related fields may substitute for education on a year-for-year basis.
- Completion of the Federal Emergency Management Institute coursework, including the Emergency Management Professional Program (EMPP) Basic Academy or attainment of Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) or Associate Emergency Manager (AEM) credentials is highly desirable.
Required Certifications:
- Current NIMS training (IS Level 100, 200, 700, and 800 certifications) or must obtain these certifications within six (6) months of date of hire.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience coordinating emergency management programs and coordinating EOC response efforts.
- Extensive knowledge of Federal, State and local laws regulations, standards and best practices relating to emergency management specific but not limited to NIMS, SISHA, OSHA and applicable Washington State emergency management requirements.
- Experience developing, implementing, and maintaining Comprehensive Emergency Management Plans (CEMP), Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP), or emergency response procedures.
- Experience planning and conducting emergency exercises, drills, tabletop exercises, and after-action reviews.
- Experience administering emergency management grants, including Emergency Management Performance Grants (EMPG) or FEMA reimbursement programs.
- Experience using WebEOC or similar emergency management information systems.
- Experience serving in an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during activations or incidents.
Special Requirements:
- Must possess and maintain a valid Washington State driver's license, including a driving record acceptable to the City and the City's insurance carrier.
Necessary Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
Knowledge of:
- Principles, practices and methods of Emergency Management preparedness, mitigation, response, recovery, continuity planning, and resilience programs. Including applicable local, Federal, and State codes, laws, and regulations governing emergency management.
- Principles and practices of local government administration, public-sector operations, budgeting, procurement, contract administration, and financial management.
- Development, implementation, coordination, and evaluation of emergency management.
- Emergency Operations Center (EOC) operations, Incident Command System (ICS), National Incident Management System (NIMS), and interagency emergency response coordination.
- Principles and practices of grant research, application development, administration, compliance monitoring, and reporting.
- Effective business communications, technical writing, report preparation, presentation development, public outreach, and stakeholder engagement.
- Modern office practices, procedures, technology, software applications, and equipment used in public administration, emergency management, and safety programs.
- Principles, practices and methods of project management, strategic planning, program evaluation, performance measurement, and data analysis.
- Principles, practices and methods of contract preparation, grant research and administration, compliance monitoring and reporting and administration.
Skill in:
- Exercising sound judgment, discretion, diplomacy, and professionalism while representing the City and addressing sensitive or complex issues.
- Interpreting and applying laws, regulations, policies, procedures, and technical information; developing practical solutions and recommendations.
- Planning, organizing, and managing multiple projects, priorities, schedules, and deadlines while maintaining accurate records and documentation.
- Communicating effectively both orally and in writing, including preparing reports, presentations, correspondence, and other business documents.
