Emergency Manager

NOTICE: This position is not covered by Social Security. Instead, SWDH employees benefit from a mandatory 401(a) retirement plan with fixed employee and employer contributions.

Are you looking for an opportunity to serve the communities of Adams, Washington, Payette, Gem, Canyon, and Owyhee counties? Do you crave a job where your work truly matters? Southwest District Health (SWDH) is recruiting for a Program Specialist (Emergency Manager) to join the dedicated group of public health professionals in the Emergency Management unit within the Division of Environmental and Community Health Services.

If you crave team-oriented work, purpose, and work/life balance, you’ll love it here. We’re shaking up the stereotype that government work is dull. At SWDH, we’re disruptors and innovators, all passionately sharing the same vision: making Southwest Idaho the best place to live, work, and play. We foster a positive, inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive.

Our Vision, Mission & Values

• Vision: A Healthier Southwest Idaho
• Mission: To promote the health and wellness of those who live, work, and play in Southwest Idaho
• Values: Accountability, customer-focused, and teamwork influence the work we do and the difference we hope to make

As an Emergency Manager and public health employee, you will play an active role in improving the health and wellness of your community. As part of a small, but mighty team, you will build and sustain the capabilities to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from public health threats through a continuous, coordinated cycle of risk assessment, planning, organizing, training, equipping, exercising, evaluation, and improvement. We do this across our entire agency and with our community partners, so our response is timely, scalable, and effective.

The Emergency Manager leads day-to-day execution of CDC’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Cooperative Agreement deliverables and fosters a culture of readiness across the district through integrated preparedness. In practice, readiness means our people know what to do, our plans actually work because we test them, our gear is ready to roll, and our partners can be reached quickly.

This position may include a teleworking option from within Idaho.

Excellent Benefits

We believe in taking care of our employees—because when you thrive, our communities thrive. SWDH offers a healthy work/life balance, a culture of collaboration and empowerment, and an excellent benefits package, including PERSI (one of the BEST RETIREMENT system available in the Nation) with a lifetime benefit!

• Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits (Employee-only PPO coverage at $70.74 /month for medical/vision and $12.08/month for dental; low-cost options for family members. Free High Deductible Health Plan for employees; low-cost for dependents.)
• Life Insurance ( FREE basic coverage; optional supplemental plans)
• Generous Paid Time Off ( 11 paid holidays , vacation, and sick leave starting immediately. (Holiday pay and accruals are prorated based on hours worked.)
• Mandatory 401(a) retirement program with 12.4% combined contributions
• Optional 401(k) and 457 Saving Plans
• Wellness Programs
• Flexible and family-supported policies, including 8 weeks paid parental leave
• Bring your canine friend to work on Fridays
• In-house fitness room and outdoor walking path
• Ongoing training opportunities
• Student Loan Forgiveness and Tuition Reimbursement!
• Easy commute with reverse traffic flow from Boise to Caldwell

Our generous benefits package significantly increases your total compensation. For a full-time Program Specialist (Emergency Manager), the base pay range of $27.11 - $31.89/hour grows to an estimated total compensation value of $40.88 - $46.71/hour when benefits are included, showcasing our commitment to your well-being and professional growth.

Typical Duties:

Candidates must be able to complete the essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation and meet all the mandatory qualifications of the position.

• Lead public health emergency preparedness and readiness across an all-hazards framework, including infectious diseases, environmental health threats, medical surge, and disaster response.
• Coordinate and strengthen internal readiness by working closely with district leadership, program managers, and cross functional teams.
• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve the district’s Integrated Preparedness Plan, Emergency Operations Plan, and related subplans through planning, exercises, and evaluation.
• Build and sustain strong partnerships with healthcare, emergency management, law enforcement, local governments, and community organizations to support coordinated emergency response.
• Manage preparedness grants and subgrants, ensuring deliverables, reporting, and budgets align with funding and organizational requirements.
• Oversee medical countermeasure preparedness, including CHEMPACK coordination, distribution planning, and collaboration with regional and state partners.
• Support hospital and healthcare system preparedness efforts, including medical surge planning and community readiness initiatives.
• Lead and participate in preparedness training, drills, and exercises, supporting staff competency development and continuity of operations.
• Serve in a leadership role during emergency responses, including rotational 24/7 on-call public health response and incident coordination.
Promote awareness of public health’s role in emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation through daily practice and community engagement.

Minimum Qualifications:

You must possess all the minimum qualifications listed below to qualify for this position. All required experience and/or education must be listed under the work history section of this application OR on your resume and must include a detailed explanation of your roles and responsibilities at each relevant employer.

Minimum Qualifications (MQ):

• Approximately 6 months to a year of experience or equivalent education in:
  - Management practices
  
  • Program or project planning and implementation
• Approximately 2 years of related work experience developing and evaluating policies and procedures

MQ Specialty:

• Valid Driver’s License
• Approximately 6 months to a year of experience or equivalent education in:
  - Public health practices
  
  • Rual health issues
  • Rual health system issues
  • Medical service delivery systems
• Approximately 1-2 years of related work experience in emergency preparedness/response
• Approximately 6 months to a year of related work experience with computer applications and web-based programs

Ideal Knowledge, Skill, and Abilities:

• Bachelor’s in science or other degree (e.g., Public Health, Emergency Management, Health Administration, any natural science, or related field) or five or more years of relevant work experience is preferred.
• PHEP capability alignment: Knowledge of and ability to apply CDC’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Capabilities to structure, prioritize, and evaluate preparedness activities.
• Preparedness planning & procedures: Skill in developing, updating, and maintaining all-hazards public health preparedness plans, annexes, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and job aids as part of a comprehensive emergency management program.
• Exercise program management: Ability to design and coordinate discussion and operations-based exercises, document results, and manage corrective actions through completion to drive continuous improvement.
• Training coordination: Skill in building and coordinating a role-based training plan with co-workers, including tracking completion and identifying readiness gaps.
• Continuity/COOP: Ability to co-lead continuity of operations (COOP) planning by coordinating documentation, testing and exercising continuity procedures, and tracking improvement actions.
• Partner coordination: Working knowledge of NIMS principles and ability to coordinate with external partners using shared terminology and processes.
• Experience with or ability to learn: SharePoint SMART, WebEOC, ArcGIS, and secure other web-based tools.
• Some knowledge of federal grant administration and compliance.
Registered Environmental Health Specialist, preferred

Supplemental Information:

This position is not covered by Social Security. Employees do not pay Social Security taxes and will not earn credits toward Social Security retirement, disability, or survivor benefits based on earnings from this job. However, Medicare taxes will still be withheld, and these earnings will count toward Medicare eligibility.

How to Apply

Register or log in to your https://statecareers.idaho.gov/ account, locate this job announcement and select Apply . Attach your most current resume and follow the prompts to complete the exam. Hit submit. Applications will be accepted through 11:59 PM MST on the posting end date.

Need help? Check out the Candidate Guide under Candidate Resources on the State of Idaho Careers page.

Who May Apply

If you have a passion for helping others and making a positive impact in your community, we invite you to consider a rewarding career with SWDH. Applicants who meet all the listed “MQ’s” and “MQ Specialties” will be considered. Applications will be screened, and only the most qualified candidates will move forward in the selection process.

We are committed to ensuring access and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. If you require accommodation at any stage of the recruitment process, please contact the Human Resource Office at 208.455.5307.

The successful candidate will have a history and background supportive of the health district’s mission and will be required to complete a pre-employment drug test and a criminal history background check, including fingerprints. Additionally, SWDH participates in E ‑ Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. E ‑ Verify compares information from an employee ’ s Form I ‑ 9 with records from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to verify identity and work authorization.

SWDH is an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and against all individuals based on race, color, religion, political affiliation or belief, sex, national origin, genetics, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws. Preference may be given to veterans who qualify under state and federal laws and regulations.

NOTICE: Idaho's Public Health Districts are agencies that are authorized by the State of Idaho as independent bodies. District employees are not State of Idaho employees, rather District employees who receive benefits through the Office of Group Insurance.

Ready to make a difference? Apply today and join a team that values innovation, collaboration, and community. Let’s work together to make Southwest Idaho the healthiest place to live, work, and play!

If you have questions about this position, please contact us at:
Email: HR@swdh.id.gov
Phone: 208.455.5307