Emergency Management Coordinator

County of Thurston•Olympia, WA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Thurston County Emergency Management is seeking an experienced, collaborative, and forward-thinking Emergency Management Coordinator – Operations to help strengthen the County’s readiness to coordinate and sustain emergency operations. This position serves as a key operational leader within Emergency Management and is responsible for ensuring the County’s Emergency Coordination Center (ECC), operational procedures, systems, and personnel are ready when they are needed. The Operations Coordinator leads ECC readiness efforts, coordinates the Emergency Management Duty Officer program, develops and maintains operational procedures and tools, supports ECC workforce training and qualification, and leads the Countywide Continuity of Operations (COOP) program. This is a hands-on emergency management position for someone who enjoys turning plans into operational capability. The successful candidate will work across County departments and with regional partners to build practical systems, develop people, solve operational challenges, and continuously improve how Thurston County coordinates during emergencies. If you enjoy building systems that work, developing people, collaborating across organizations, and helping ensure an emergency operations center is truly ready before the emergency happens, we encourage you to apply.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in business or public administration, education, industrial safety, law enforcement, or related field.
Three years experience in the areas of emergency preparedness, industrial safety, public administration, education, adult training and exercise coordination, curriculum design and development, training and exercises in emergency management, law enforcement, fire service industrial safety, public administration or closely related area.
Additional experience can be substituted for education on a year for year basis.
Ability to utilize a personal computer with applicable software to successfully perform essential functions of the position.
Successfully pass a background check.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Emergency Operations Center/Emergency Coordination Center operations, including activation, coordination structures, operational procedures, and incident management.
Strong working knowledge of the Incident Command System (ICS), National Incident Management System (NIMS), and emergency management principles and practices.
Ability to translate plans, policies, and concepts into practical procedures, checklists, job aids, training, and operational tools.
Experience developing or delivering emergency management training, exercises, or position-specific qualification programs.
Knowledge of Continuity of Operations (COOP) and Continuity of Government (COG) principles and the ability to assist departments in developing practical continuity capabilities.
Ability to assess operational readiness, identify gaps, develop solutions, and follow improvements through implementation.
Strong organizational and project-management skills with the ability to manage multiple programs, priorities, and deadlines.
Ability to build productive working relationships and coordinate across departments, disciplines, jurisdictions, and levels of government.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex emergency management concepts clearly and practically.
Ability to remain flexible, organized, and effective in a dynamic environment and during emergency activations.
Comfortable using technology and information systems to support situational awareness, operational coordination, training, documentation, and decision-making.
A collaborative, service-oriented approach with an interest in developing people, improving systems, and strengthening organizational readiness.

Responsibilities

Lead the operational readiness of the County’s primary and alternate Emergency Coordination Centers, including procedures, position checklists, job aids, equipment, technology, supplies, and operational systems.
Conduct routine readiness assessments, identify capability gaps, and coordinate improvements with County departments, vendors, and partners.
Develop and maintain operational procedures and standardized guidance supporting County emergency coordination.
Serve as program lead for the Emergency Management Duty Officer program and help ensure duty personnel have the procedures, information, tools, and expectations necessary to effectively respond to emerging incidents.
Coordinate systems and processes that support situational awareness, information management, and a common operating picture during emergencies.
Work with GIS, information technology, public safety, and other partners to develop and maintain dashboards, decision-support tools, and other operational capabilities.
Coordinate recruitment, onboarding, training, qualification, and sustainment of the County’s Emergency Coordination Support Team.
Develop position-specific training and qualification standards, coordinate recurring ECC training opportunities, and help build a capable and scalable workforce to support emergency operations.
Lead the Countywide Continuity of Operations (COOP) program and provide guidance and technical assistance to County departments in developing, maintaining, and exercising continuity plans.
Establish standards, templates, and review processes and support development and maintenance of the County’s Continuity of Government (COG) Plan.
Coordinate recurring ECC training and support exercises designed to evaluate emergency operations and continuity capabilities.
Participate in after-action reviews and improvement planning and ensure lessons learned from incidents and exercises are incorporated into procedures, checklists, training, and operational practices.
Participate in the Emergency Management Duty Officer rotation and serve in ECC leadership or other assigned positions during activations.
Support ECC activation, staffing, operational coordination, situational awareness, information management, and continuity of essential County functions during emergencies.
Build and maintain effective working relationships with County departments and leadership, incorporated jurisdictions, tribal governments, public safety agencies, Washington Emergency Management Division, neighboring jurisdictions, and other organizations necessary to support emergency readiness and continuity.