Emergency Management Specialist

Provides operational and administrative support to the Emergency Management Program by coordinating resources, tracking supplies and budgets, and helping ensure facilities remain prepared and compliant with emergency readiness standards. Works closely with the Network Emergency Manager to support planning, prioritization, and response activities, and serves as a key point of contact with national emergency management offices when needed.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/15/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties this position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-11) in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience in emergency management where you applied your knowledge of the laws, guidelines and policies governing various emergency management programs and operations to assist in developing, executing, and analyzing an emergency management program; applying data analytical and evaluation methods to determine program compliance with emergency preparedness and management rules and regulations; and applying a working knowledge of a variety of emergency, contingency and operations plans, policies, and directives to provide advice and assistance. At this level applicants should possess skills to prepare emergency situation status reports that describe response and recovery efforts, needs, and preliminary damage assessments and prepare plans that outline operating procedures to be used in response to disasters or emergencies and in recovery from these events. Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week.

Best Qualified Criteria:

• Leads a full comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) /Continuity of Operations Plan for a large complex healthcare system or comparable organization, covering all phases of emergency management.
• Manages or co-manages an emergency management program for a medium-to-large facility with substantial CEMP/COOP responsibility.
• Supports specific elements of CEMP/COOP, such as annexes, hazard vulnerability analysis, or continuity tasks, under guidance.
• Basic related experience in emergency management, safety, preparedness, or continuity planning with limited direct CEMP/COOP involvement.

Preferred Experience:

• Healthcare emergency management program leadership: Leading or managing a Comprehensive Emergency Management Program (or equivalent) in a hospital, VA, or large healthcare system, including writing and maintaining Emergency Operations Plans and Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) plans.
• Federal/VA and interagency coordination: Direct experience coordinating with VA Office of Emergency Management (VA OEM), Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) offices, National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), and DoD/Emergency Support Function (ESF) partners, or similar federal, state, and local emergency management agencies.
• Incident management, Hospital Command Center (HCC), and decontamination operations hands on experience activating, staffing, and supporting a HCC or Incident Management Team during drills and real incidents and or managing or supervising decontamination programs (First Receiver Decon), including Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPRs) and other specialized equipment, unit leaders, and team training and sustainment funding.
• Exercise design, Hazard Vulnerability Analysis (HVA), and Emergency Management analytics designing and evaluating exercises using Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) principles, writing After-Action Reports and Improvement Plans, and tracking corrective actions to closure and or conducting healthcare Hazard Vulnerability Analyses, using data gathering and evaluation methods to assess risk and regulatory compliance (The Joint Commission (TJC), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), NIMS, etc.).
• Volunteer deployment and large-scale staff coordination Managing a Disaster Emergency Personnel System (DEMPS) type programs equivalent, including recruiting, training, and deploying volunteers for national or regional mission and or maintaining automated alert and notification systems, cascade call lists, and employee/patient accountability processes before, during, and after emergencies.

License Requirement: A current valid state driver's license is required. Note: We cannot accept photographs. Therefore, please do not submit a copy of your license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you will be required to provide your driver's license for verification of required endorsements.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment: The work is mostly sedentary although some physical effort may be required to meet fieldwork requirements. Lifting 50 pounds, moving, pushing, etc. During emergency events, the employee would be expected to work significant extended hours under very austere conditions. Work is generally in an office setting, but emergency incidents and training and exercise events may require prolonged duty days and/or work to be conducted under austere field conditions. Position may require frequent travel.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Responsibilities:

Duties:

• Participates in an emergency management team that identifies and resolves complex resource and healthcare management changes before during and after emergency situations.
• Oversees the Emergency Management Program and Preparedness for the medical center and community based outpatient clinics.

• Acts jointly with the Chief Fiscal Officer in the development, maintenance and tracking of budgets and capital expenditure plans.

• Performs support work for the Emergency Management Program by tracking and procuring contingency supplies and equipment, maintenance of databases and ensure resources are available and meets mission objectives.

• Provides support work in organizing network emergency management support activities as necessary.

• Serves as the primary point of contact coordinating with the VHA Office of Emergency Management with regards to the program, in the absence of the VISN Network Emergency Manager.

• Ensures facilities meet all applicable accreditation and regulatory requirements maintaining operational readiness and capability.

• Collaborates with the Network Emergency Manager in establishing emergency preparedness, program priorities, scheduling work activities to meet the goals and objectives for field sites.

• Interacts in a professional and competent manner with individuals of executive level responsibilities and authority.

• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Position is subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support with little advanced notice and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Emergency Management Specialist/PD99789S
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans.

Whole Health is an approach to health care that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their life to the fullest. VA is committed to Whole Health and values Veteran and Employee health and wellbeing. As a VA employee, you will practice Whole Health in an environment that supports personalized and proactive care.

Salary : $102,415