Entry Level Resilience Planner

Dewberry • Fairfax, VA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Dewberry is seeking an entry-level Resilience Planner for its Fairfax, Virginia office. The role supports the Resilience Solutions Group at the intersection of planning, policy, and technical analysis in hazard mitigation, emergency management, and climate change adaptation. Related areas include community planning, policy analysis, vulnerability assessment, natural resource management, and research and planning for federal agencies such as FEMA, USACE, and NOAA, as well as state agencies and local communities.

The planner will contribute to resilience and hazard mitigation projects for federal, state, and local clients. Work includes preparing technical materials and studies, supporting programmatic improvements, conducting analytical work, and helping communicate technical findings to varied audiences. The role also applies social equity and environmental justice principles and offers opportunities to build technical and programmatic knowledge across a range of projects.

The position is based in an office, with occasional field or site visits. It is supervised by higher-level staff, and work is often reviewed by senior staff. The role may require occasional schedule adjustments, overtime, evening or weekend hours, and multi-day travel for some in-person meetings. Candidates must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust security clearance and have a valid driver’s license and good driving record.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s and/or master’s degree in Planning, Policy Analysis, Environmental Science, Sustainability, or a related field.
• Demonstrated professional or related experience, such as an internship or collegiate project/capstone involving resilience-focused planning or analysis.
• 0–2 years of related professional experience.
• Ability to communicate technical information about natural hazards and climate resilience effectively in oral, written, and visual formats, including in projects, presentations, and papers.
• Demonstrated knowledge of ESRI products, with practical application of ArcGIS.
• Comfort working with geospatial and quantitative data, including managing and cleaning datasets, conducting analyses, and presenting results.
• Demonstrated visual communication skills, such as use of InDesign, Canva, or PowerPoint.
• Ability to exercise initiative, resourcefulness, and tact in obtaining and analyzing information related to resilience planning.
• Ability to perform a broad range of tasks assigned by senior-level staff to build experience and familiarity with applicable methods, practices, and programs.
• Well-developed time-management skills, including the ability to deliver high-quality, detail-oriented work on tight timelines while managing competing deadlines.
• Self-motivation and ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to work well with coworkers and superiors as part of a team.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust security clearance.
• Valid driver’s license, good driving record, and ability to pass a driving-record background check.
• Dewberry will not sponsor a new applicant for work authorization.

Nice To Haves

• Experience researching, planning, and developing operational and tactical plans, policies, procedures, and guidance to promote resilience and mitigation.
• Knowledge of resilience-related governmental programs, policies, regulations, and data, such as FEMA NFIP, Community Rating System, FEMA RiskMAP, grants, and state and local floodplain management programs.
• Knowledge of Tableau, Power BI, ArcGIS Online, Adobe InDesign, and other data-processing, visualization, and design tools.
• Knowledge of state-level resilience programs, including Virginia’s Community Flood Preparedness Fund (CFPF) and Resilient Florida.
• Relevant certifications, training, or credentials.
• Consulting experience.
• Preferred experience profile: BS/BA with 1–2 years of experience or master’s degree with 0–1 years of experience.

Responsibilities

• Support the preparation of plans, studies, reports, guides, and other technical documents related to climate resilience, hazard mitigation, and floodplain management.
• Support the exploration and execution of programmatic improvements to increase climate resilience and hazard mitigation within federal, state, and local government agencies.
• Support public outreach for community resilience projects and client meetings, both virtual and in person; some meetings may require multi-day trips.
• Support technical studies and analytical processes related to resilience strategy and plan development.
• Use written, visual, and verbal communication to develop compelling narratives and explain complex technical topics to varied audiences.
• Apply social equity and environmental justice principles to technical and strategic work.
• Contribute to a diverse range of related Resilience Solutions Group projects to develop additional technical and programmatic knowledge and skills.

Benefits

• Entry-level professional development events and team-building activities led by an advisory team.
• Opportunities to build connections with peers, learn about career growth and opportunities, and expand knowledge of Dewberry and its work.

What This Job Offers

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