Emergency Management Director

Bannock County • Pocatello, ID

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Bannock County is seeking an Emergency Management Director to lead its emergency management program. This role is crucial for protecting the community by coordinating preparedness, response, and recovery efforts with local, state, federal, and private-sector partners. The ideal candidate will be a builder of relationships, trust, and community commitment to preparedness, as this is essential for the success of the program. This director-level position offers direct access to elected county leadership and serves as the county's principal advisor on emergency management. A dedicated grants team and established community partners will provide support for federal grant programs, allowing the Director to focus on program leadership and coalition building. The county emphasizes that while emergency management skills can be taught, the instinct to build trust, bring people together, and instill the importance of preparedness are innate qualities they seek in candidates.

Requirements

• Three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in emergency management, public safety, public administration, or a closely related field.
• Three (3) years of leadership, program management, or director-level responsibility.
• Completion of NIMS/ICS courses (ICS-100, 200, 300, 400, IS-700, IS-800), or ability to obtain within the first six (6) months.
• Valid driver's license.
• Ability to respond to emergency activations on a no-notice basis, including evenings, weekends, and extended operational periods.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's degree in emergency management, Public Administration, Homeland Security, or related field.
• Seven (7) or more years of relevant experience, and 5 years of leadership experience.
• Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) certification or progress toward certification.
• FEMA Advanced Professional Series (APS) certificate.
• Experience with Homeland Security and Idaho Office of Emergency Management grant programs, compliance, and systems.
• Operational experience using NIMS/ICS, WebEOC, GIS, IPAWS and FEMA systems in real-world incidents.
• Military emergency management, public safety, or civil affairs experience.

Responsibilities

• Performs all duties, responsibilities, and interactions in a professional, effective, compliant, and safe manner according to Federal, State, County and local laws, ordinances and policies.
• Collaborates with the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to establish departmental goals, objectives, priorities, performance measures, and work plans.
• Advises and updates the Board of County Commissioners and other elected officials on emergency management events, risks, priorities, work plans, policies, and program status.
• Represents the county as the BOCC's Authorized Representative for emergency management matters involving local, regional, state, and federal emergency management partners.
• Cultivates and sustains productive relationships with local governments, public safety officials, other first responders, community organizations, private industry partners, and other local, regional, state, and federal partners to strengthen countywide preparedness and resilience.
• Provide regular strategic updates and policy guidance to the Board of County Commissioners and elected officials.
• Leads Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA), capability assessments, resource identification, and other related risk-analysis to integrate findings into strategic planning, mitigation, training, and grant and funding requests.
• Develops, maintains, distributes, and coordinates county All-Hazards Emergency Operations and Mitigation Plans, Incident Action Plans, Continuity of Operations Plans, and supporting checklists and procedures for mitigation, preparedness, response, continuity, and recovery.
• Research and adapt best practices from peer jurisdictions, state agencies, and federal partners.
• Champions a culture of preparedness through community engagement, public education, and clear presentations to elected officials, County employees, partner agencies, community groups, and the public.
• Chairs the Bannock County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and leads multi-jurisdictional planning to prioritize mitigation projects and protect critical infrastructure.
• Plans, organizes, and conducts community and interagency drills, exercises, and training events consistent with applicable grant, local, regional, state and federal requirements.
• Coordinates, facilitates and secures the needed staffing, resources, partner and agency communication, and other needed functions of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during exercises, training events, emergencies, recovery and mitigation.
• Assesses rapidly developing situations, recommends appropriate courses of action, and responds to emergency activations as needed, including during evenings, weekends, and for extended operational periods.
• Prepares After Action Reports and improvement plans, tracks corrective actions and incorporates lessons learned into plans, training, and program priorities.
• Identifies and pursues Homeland Security (DHS), Idaho Office of Emergency Management (IOEM) and other grant funding opportunities in collaboration with Bannock County grants team, sub-recipients and other community partners.
• Supports program grant implementation, compliance, reporting, and sub-recipient performance oversight in collaboration grants support staff.
• Ensures compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local emergency management requirements and DHS programs.
• Recommends and manages the departmental agreements, budgets, and prepares and tracks expenditures.
• Maintains accurate logs, records, reports, financial documentation, plans, and other records required for program continuity, accountability, and compliance.
• Performs other tasks or responsibilities as assigned or necessary to meet department and County objectives.

Benefits

• PERSI retirement (defined benefit pension), with optional 401(k) and 457(b) retirement plans
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance with optional Flex Spending Account (FSA)
• Employer-paid life and long-term disability insurance
• Generous paid leave and 11 paid holidays
• Supplemental plans available for life, accident, cancer, critical illness, and other coverage
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) employer
• Professional development support, including budgeted CEM and FEMA training

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director