City of Portland, OR - Director, Portland Bureau of Emergency Management
About The Position
The City of Portland is recruiting a Director of the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM) to lead the emergency-management system of a major metropolitan city. The Director will build citywide plans and readiness systems, oversee the Emergency Coordination Center (ECC), unite City bureaus and regional partners, advise the Mayor and Disaster Policy Council, lead a 16-position bureau, and steward federal grants for a five-county region. The Director will strengthen and integrate the citywide system in deliberate stages, establishing essential functions, clear priorities, shared responsibilities, and a strategic plan with practical milestones. The role builds trust and collaboration among Police, Fire, Emergency Communications, Transportation, Water, Environmental Services, and other bureaus through shared exercise expectations and clear decision rights. The Director keeps plans current, tests readiness through exercises and corrective-action tracking, and develops ECC activation standards. The Director develops bureau staff and deepens partnerships with Multnomah County, neighboring jurisdictions, state and federal partners, and the Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization (RDPO). The role also builds on Neighborhood Emergency Teams and Basic Earthquake Emergency Communication Nodes, including multilingual communications for residents facing the greatest risk. The ideal candidate is a proven program builder who combines technical credibility with mature management judgment and can demonstrate measurable readiness gains. Deep knowledge of incident management, Emergency Coordination Centers, and established doctrine is essential. The leader is expected to listen, learn local context, build confidence through results, convene independent agencies, strengthen accountability without command authority, advise elected and appointed officials, develop and hold staff accountable, and deliver results with limited resources and evolving governmental arrangements.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, or a closely related field.
- At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in public administration, emergency management, or a related field.
- At least 3 years of experience supervising staff.
- FEMA Incident Command System (ICS) training.
- Demonstrated knowledge of emergency-management systems and emergency response.
- Availability 24/7 to respond to emergency incidents and ECC activations.
- Deep knowledge of incident management, Emergency Coordination Centers, and established doctrine.
Nice To Haves
- Master’s degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, or a closely related field.
- Leadership of complex emergency-management programs, readiness improvements, and Emergency Coordination Center functions.
- Demonstrated results working across independent departments and jurisdictions, including grants, intergovernmental coordination, and high-stakes communications.
- DHS security clearance.
- Experience managing public safety budgets, navigating politically sensitive situations, and leading change in a complex public organization.
Responsibilities
- Lead the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management and its 16-position staff.
- Build and integrate citywide emergency-management plans, readiness systems, essential functions, priorities, shared responsibilities, and a strategic plan with practical milestones.
- Oversee the Emergency Coordination Center and develop ECC activation standards.
- Build trust and collaboration across City bureaus, establishing shared exercise expectations and clear decision rights.
- Keep plans current, test readiness through exercises, and track corrective actions.
- Develop bureau staff and hold them accountable for results.
- Build partnerships with Multnomah County, neighboring jurisdictions, state and federal partners, and the Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization.
- Build on Neighborhood Emergency Teams and Basic Earthquake Emergency Communication Nodes, including multilingual communications for residents facing the greatest risk.
- Advise the Mayor and Disaster Policy Council, as well as elected and appointed officials.
- Steward federal grants for a five-county region.
- Strengthen accountability and coordinate independent agencies without command authority.
- Deliver measurable readiness improvements with limited resources and amid evolving governmental arrangements.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
