Regional Disaster Response SME - Mississippi Valley Region

CERES ENVIRONMENTAL INC•Sarasota, FL

20d•$121,000 - $164,000•Onsite

About The Position

Ceres Environmental Operations (CEO) is a leader in crisis management, rapid response, and disaster recovery, committed to rebuilding stronger, safer communities. We specialize in emergency response, environmental services, planning, and consulting—including debris removal, blue roofs, logistics, debris management, demolition, recycling, forest management, and coastal and marine restoration. As a licensed general contractor, we offer unparalleled expertise to restore stability where it’s needed most. We are seeking a highly experienced Regional Disaster Operations Subject Matter Expert (SME) to support all-hazards emergency response and recovery operations across the Mississippi Valley Region (TX, LA, MS, AL, TN, AR, MO, IL, IA, MN, WI). MVR encompasses riverine and flood prone regions, levee systems, inland waterways, agricultural corridors, wetlands, coastal adjacent parishes, and tornado prone central states. Major hazard types include flood events, levee breaches, tornado outbreaks, hurricanes impacting southern MVD, winter storms, severe convection, ice storms, and debris flow events. The SME will plan, coordinate, and execute multistate, multi-agency disaster operations while ensuring safety, regulatory compliance, and efficient mission delivery. This senior field leadership role requires strong decision making, USACE project experience, and the ability to manage complex operations across diverse geographical and hydrological conditions.

Requirements

Direct large‑program disaster experience (required): Served in a leadership or field operations role on at least (5+) disaster response, civil works, debris mission, or emergency infrastructure projects (federal/state/local; FEMA/USACE/State EMAs acceptable).
(7+) years of all‑hazards disaster response, emergency management, wildfire/flood recovery, or heavy civil/emergency field operations.
Experience leading multi‑agency operations and coordinating with state and local EOCs.
Strong understanding of Mississippi River Basin hydrology, levee operations, flood prone areas, and tornado/windstorm impacts.
Ability to manage staff, subcontractors, and equipment in dynamic, high‑pressure field environments.
Proficiency with field documentation systems (e.g., ADMS, monitoring platforms, GIS‑based tools, or similar).
Valid driver’s license and ability to travel and deploy for extended periods.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in construction management, Engineering, Emergency Management, Quality Management, Environmental Science, Forestry, or related field (or equivalent experience).
Experience working with levee districts, waterway authorities, DOTs, agricultural agencies, coastal parishes, and watershed management organizations.
HAZWOPER 40, OSHA 30, USACE CQM certification, or ability to obtain.
Background in public works, utilities, forestry, civil construction, debris management, or emergency infrastructure repair.
Experience with operational planning, resource deployment, production tracking, slope stabilization/erosion control, or watershed protection.

Responsibilities

Lead on the ground operations across riverine corridors, agricultural regions, wetlands, and urban areas within the division.
Direct daily field operations including debris clearance, levee/berm stabilization support, flood related response, tornado cleanup, and emergency infrastructure restoration.
Manage multicounty and multistate field operations during concurrent or cascading disaster events.
Supervise crews, subcontractors, logistics teams, and equipment assets to ensure safe and efficient execution.
Develop incident specific operational plans for flood response, levee breach/erosion events, tornado outbreaks, hurricanes (southern MVD), ice storms, severe wind events, and winter weather.
Develop sectoring, routing, and operational runways tailored to river basins, levee systems, flood plains, rural corridors, and wetland environments.
Coordinate with USACE, FEMA, DOT agencies, levee boards, watershed authorities, state emergency management agencies, and municipal partners.
Support activation and oversight of staging areas, temporary operations sites, levee access routes, waterway response zones, and command posts.
Guide assessment and stabilization of impacted infrastructure such as levees, floodwalls, ditches, culverts, bridges, drainage systems, and agricultural access routes.
Ensure environmental and regulatory compliance across multiple state jurisdictions.
Oversee documentation systems including ADMS/LOADM or similar platforms, ensuring high quality, audit ready field records.
Support monitoring and QC teams in data accuracy, daily reporting, geospatial documentation, and reconciliation.
Lead after action reviews, operational readiness assessments, and continuous improvement planning.
Enforce safety standards aligned with USACE EM 38511, OSHA requirements, and region-specific risk controls.
Conduct hazard assessments for flood impacted terrain, levee work, waterway operations, tornado sites, and winter conditions.
Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal regulations across all regions and mission types.