Program Mgr (Emergency Preparedness)

Southern Company•Virginia Beach, VA

5h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Program Manager, Emergency Preparedness is responsible for developing, implementing, and continuously improving the Company's emergency preparedness, emergency response, crisis management, and business continuity programs. This position coordinates emergency planning activities, responder outreach, training, drills, exercises, and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance organizational readiness and resilience. The role serves as a key liaison among internal stakeholders, emergency responders, regulators, and industry partners to support compliance with applicable pipeline safety requirements, strengthen emergency response capabilities, and promote public safety. During major incidents and natural disasters, the position serves as Chief of Staff for the local Incident Response Team (IRT), supporting incident leadership and coordinating response activities. The Program Manager also works closely with enterprise crisis management and business continuity leaders to align local emergency preparedness programs with Company-wide emergency response strategies, objectives, and best practices.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a technical, operational, safety, emergency management, business, or related field and 2 years of related work experience; or Associate degree in a technical, operational, safety, emergency management, business, or related field and 4 years of related work experience.
Experience in natural gas operations, emergency preparedness, emergency response, crisis management, business continuity, pipeline safety, or a related field.
Experience managing programs or initiatives, including planning, implementation, stakeholder coordination, and continuous improvement.
Experience leading and collaborating with cross-functional teams and external stakeholders, including emergency responders, regulators, public agencies, and industry partners.
Knowledge of emergency management principles, Incident Command System (ICS), and emergency response coordination practices.
Ability to understand, interpret, and communicate regulatory requirements, industry standards, and company policies.
Strong communication, presentation, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders and build consensus across all organizational levels.
Strong project management, organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills, including the ability to identify issues, develop solutions, and lead continuous improvement initiatives.
Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and drive work to completion with minimal supervision.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and perform effectively in emergency and high-pressure situations.
Intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and the ability to quickly learn new technologies and business systems.

Nice To Haves

Professional certification in Emergency Management, Business Continuity, Incident Investigation, or Project Management (PMP)
Experience supporting emergency response activities during major incidents, natural disasters, or business disruptions.
Experience supporting PSMS, Public Awareness Programs, or other pipeline safety initiatives.
Knowledge of 49 CFR Part 192 emergency response requirements.
Understanding of API RP 1173 Pipeline Safety Management Systems (PSMS).
Understanding of API RP 1162 Public Awareness Programs (PAP).
Experience with emergency management, incident management, business continuity, or emergency notification software and tools.

Responsibilities

Leads the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of crisis management, emergency preparedness, and business continuity strategies, plans, exercises, and readiness activities.
Ensures emergency preparedness and response programs support compliance with 49 CFR Part 192 requirements by coordinating emergency response planning, responder outreach, drills and exercises, compliance documentation, and continuous improvement activities.
Serves as Chief of Staff for the local Incident Response Team (IRT) during major incidents and natural disasters, coordinating response activities, facilitating communications, tracking critical actions, and supporting incident leadership throughout the event.
Makes sound decisions during emergencies, incidents, and business disruptions by evaluating operational, safety, regulatory, and business continuity impacts to organizational resilience.
Identifies emerging risks, operational vulnerabilities, and incident trends and develops improvement plans to address them.
Supports the Company’s Pipeline Safety Management Program by coordinating emergency preparedness initiatives, emergency response exercises, incident management activities, stakeholder communications, and continuous improvement efforts consistent with API RP 1173 principles.
Establishes and maintains high standards for emergency readiness, incident response, investigations, corrective actions, and safe work practices to protect employees, customers, communities, and critical services.
Communicates crisis-management expectations, response actions, and preparedness objectives clearly to diverse stakeholders.
Translates complex regulatory, operational, and crisis-management requirements into practical guidance, documented plans, training materials, investigation reports, and executive communications.
Engages business units, responders, and stakeholders to gather input and incorporate diverse perspectives that strengthen preparedness, emergency response, continuity programs, and organizational improvements.
Influences leaders and stakeholders to support preparedness initiatives, corrective actions, and organizational resilience objectives.
Collaborates across business units, operating companies, security, HR, and external agencies to coordinate response efforts and strengthen crisis preparedness, incident management, and organizational resilience.
Coordinates with enterprise crisis management and business continuity leaders to align emergency response programs, drills, exercises, lessons learned, and improvement actions with Company-wide emergency response strategies and objectives.
Supports the Company’s Public Awareness Program by serving as a liaison with emergency responders, coordinating pipeline safety outreach and preparedness activities, supporting training and exercise initiatives, and maintaining stakeholder engagement records.
Builds and maintains effective relationships with field personnel, leadership, regulators, emergency responders, industry organizations, peer utilities, and other external partners.
Facilitates coordinated response efforts and promotes teamwork among incident-support, crisis-management, and operational teams.
Monitors regulatory developments, industry best practices, emerging threats, and new technologies affecting emergency preparedness, crisis management, and business continuity programs.
Evaluates and implements tools, processes, and lessons learned that improve preparedness, response effectiveness, resilience, and incident-management capabilities.
Adapts response and recovery strategies during emergencies and disruptive events to address changing operational conditions and business needs while maintaining focus on outcomes.
Balances immediate incident-response needs with long-term resilience objectives through an understanding of the relationship between operations, safety, security, emergency response, and business continuity.
Assigns and coordinates preparedness, continuity, exercise, and incident-support activities to develop organizational capability and align personnel strengths with business needs.
Promotes continuous learning through training, investigations, exercises, drills, feedback, and lessons-learned reviews to improve organizational performance and resilience.
Establishes performance expectations and accountability measures while tracking preparedness actions, investigation findings, corrective actions, and improvement plans through completion.
Evaluates program effectiveness based on readiness, resilience, corrective-action completion, and operational performance outcomes.
Empowers employees to take ownership of crisis-management, business continuity, and preparedness responsibilities.
Engages affected stakeholders and incorporates diverse perspectives when developing plans, procedures, exercises, and improvement initiatives.
Builds respectful and collaborative relationships with employees, responders, public agencies, industry partners, and external stakeholders.
Encourages open communication, lessons learned, and innovative thinking to strengthen preparedness, resilience, and organizational performance.