Emergency Preparedness Coordinator

Closing Date: May 12, 2025
$38.07 to $50.13 DOQ

Position Objective

Performs difficult work providing leadership, planning and implementation expertise to ensure a coordinated approach to prepare for, mitigate, respond to and recover from an all-hazard event or incident with public health implications, gathering data and assisting with annual reports, working collaboratively with other departments and community partners in the County on All Hazards planning, Zoning collaboratives or advisory committees, and related work as apparent or assigned. Work is performed under the limited supervision of Public Health Community Health Supervisor and Administrator.

Essential Functions

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable an individual with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Emergency Preparedness and Response

• Develop, exercise, and maintain preparedness and response strategies and plans, in accordance with established guidelines, and to address a range of events including natural or other disasters, communicable disease outbreaks, environmental emergencies, or other events, which may be acute or occur over time.
  • Develop, implement, and maintain written policies and procedures (e.g., ESF-8) to activate and alert public health personnel and response partners during an emergency.
  • Develop, maintain, and update emergency preparedness and response plans based on identified risk preparedness and response competencies in collaboration with appropriate stakeholders.
  • Establish the response and recovery role of public health in other partners' plans for all types of disasters and emergencies.
  • Effectively inform staff and appropriate stakeholders on the capabilities and role of public health in the emergency preparedness and response plan
  • Provide staff training on the preparedness and response plan with appropriate frequency.
  • Collaborate with community-based organizations and partners to provide training exercises.
• Integrate social determinants of health, and actions to address inequities, including ensuring the protection of high-risk populations, into all plans, programs, and services.
  • Build and maintain relationships with the public and partners to establish trust with governmental public health.
  • Convene cross-sector partners to identify strategies or initiatives for community-based organizations and governmental partners.
• Lead the Emergency Support Function 8 – Public Health & Medical for the county, region, jurisdiction, and state.
  • Ensure staff are adequately trained on emergency preparedness and response competencies, including interoperability within the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS) frameworks.
  • Assure leadership of governmental emergency health and medical operations
  • Assess the scope and responsibility for public health response.
• Activate the emergency response personnel and communications systems in the event of a public health crisis; coordinate with federal, state, and local emergency managers and other first responders, and private sector and nonprofit partners; and operate within, and as necessary lead, the incident management system.
  • Activate and alert public health response personnel and communication systems.
  • Operate within the established incident command system according to the role of public health.
  • Convene public health partners to identify strategies or initiatives for governmental public health response to incidents, and to assess the need for community incident response efforts.
• Maintain and execute a continuity of operations plan that includes a plan to access financial resources to execute an emergency and recovery response.
  • Identify priority or essential public health functions and the people, resources, and facilities needed to provide these services during an emergency.
  • Engage with staff with roles or responsibilities in priority or essential public health functions.
• Establish and promote basic, ongoing community readiness, resilience, and preparedness by enabling the public to take necessary action before, during, or after a disaster, emergency, or public health event.
  • Convene public health partners to identify strategies or initiatives.
  • Assess the need for incident recovery efforts in the community.
  • Implement prioritized strategies or initiatives to support recovery from incidents.
  • Evaluate the response of the governmental public health system and the health department to incidents, including through after-action reports (AARs)
• Issue and enforce emergency health orders.
  • Assess the legal and statutory process for issuing and enforcing state and local emergency health orders.
  • Issue and enforce emergency health orders, as necessary and appropriate, inclusive of prevention or control of infectious diseases and environmental health risks.
• Notified of and respond to events on a 24/7 basis.
  • Develop, implement, and maintain a situation and information sharing infrastructure that may receive notice of emergencies on a 24/7 basis.
  • Effectively inform community-based organizations, partners, governmental organizations, the media, and the public with unified, accurate, and geographically relevant information before, during, and after a public health emergency

Grant Management and Reporting:

• Writes applications for funding to support and enhance program needs. Participates in grants writing and submission efforts to increase funding for the work of the organization.
• Provides support in data and equity in grant application. Under the direction of the CHS Administrator and/or program supervisors, supports development of grants.
• Ensures monthly, quarterly, and annual program reports are submitted as required.

Evaluation and Continuous Improvement:

• Analyze existing processes to pinpoint inefficiencies, obstacles, and opportunities for optimization.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design and implement data-driven strategies for continuous improvement.
• Monitor the impact of process changes and refine strategies to ensure sustained improvements in performance and outcomes.

Miscellaneous Duties:

• Convene across governmental agencies, such as departments of transportation, aging, substance abuse/mental health, education, planning and development, or others, to promote health, prevent disease, and protect community members of the health department's jurisdiction.
• Ability to participate in or support surveillance systems to rapidly detect emerging health issues and threats.
• Inform and influence policies being considered by other governmental and non-governmental agencies that can improve the physical, environmental, social, and economic conditions affecting health but are beyond the immediate scope or authority of the governmental public health department.
• Participates in training as assigned.
• Demonstrates adherence to miscellaneous County and HHS Department policies.
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge:

• Foundational principles of public health and their application to emergency preparedness and response.
• Public health emergency response protocols and incident command systems (ICS).
• Risk assessment, mitigation strategies, and community-based health systems.
• Public health laws, policies, and ethical considerations during emergencies.
• Health promotion and primary prevention, particularly in crisis situations.
• Local, state, and federal emergency management frameworks and integration with public health efforts.

Skills:

• Developing and implementing emergency preparedness plans and coordinating resources.
• Conducting risk assessments and analyzing public health data.
• Training and educating staff and community members on emergency preparedness.
• Using technology and data systems for emergency management and communication.
• Communicating effectively with the public, media, and stakeholders during emergencies.
• Collaborating with community groups, government agencies, and healthcare providers.
• Managing multiple projects in high-pressure environments with attention to detail.

Abilities:

• Working independently, setting priorities, and achieving objectives in a self-directed manner.
• Exercising sound judgment and discretion during public health emergencies.
• Leading and coordinating teams, ensuring effective collaboration across agencies.
• Managing resources (personnel, supplies, equipment) during crises.
• Communicating effectively through various methods (public speaking, written reports, etc.).
• Maintaining positive relationships with local officials, community leaders, and state agencies.

Desired Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree and considerable experience, or a combination of equivalent education and experience.

Special Qualifications

• Certification as an Emergency Manager by the State of Minnesota or a master’s Certificate in Emergency Response and Recovery is recommended.
• Completion of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) certification of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) courses IS100, 200, 300, 400, 700 and 800 within a year of hire date.

• Familiarity with Minnesota Statute § Chapter 12 and Minnesota Statute § 145A of the Local Public Health Act. To ensure compliance with all state and federal requirements. Assists with the interpretation of public health laws, rules and statutes.

Tools and Equipment Used

Ability to use software including Microsoft Office Tools: WORD, Outlook, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, as well as Cloud-based systems including SharePoint. Other specialized software programs specific to the position will be taught on the job (MN Trac, MN Train, Code Red, MN Responds, Workspace, Electronic Health Record (EHR), CDC web portal).

Ability to utilize equipment including but not limited to telephone, laptops, projectors, calculators, fax, two-way radios, GPS, cameras, in both the office and the field.

Working Conditions

The characteristics listed below are representative of the physical demands, physical agility, sensory requirements, and environmental exposures required by an individual to successfully perform the essential duties of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

• This classification regularly involves physical agility requirements such as climbing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, reaching, pushing, pulling, repetitive motions, and manual dexterity.
• Sensory requirements include standard vision requirements; vocal communication is required for expressing ideas by means of the spoken word; and hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels.

Applicants for appointment to this position will be required to submit a formal application and may be subject to rating of education and experience, oral interview and/or reference check, background investigation, criminal history check, drug testing. Job related tests may be required of any applicant.

The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee as is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.