Entry Level Resilience Planner

Dewberry • Fairfax, VA

3d • $77,000 - $79,500 • Onsite

About The Position

Dewberry is seeking an Entry Level Resilience Planner to join its Resilience Solutions Group in the Fairfax, Virginia office. The position supports work at the intersection of planning, policy, and technical analysis in hazard mitigation, emergency management, and climate change adaptation. Areas of focus may include community planning, policy analysis, vulnerability assessment, hazard mitigation, natural resource management, and research and planning for federal, state, and local government agencies.

The Resilience Solutions team helps clients understand natural hazard risks and make informed decisions to reduce risk and increase resilience. The role contributes to resilience projects for government clients across the nation, working with professionals in engineering, planning, GIS, earth sciences, data analytics, and related disciplines. The position works under higher-level staff, and work is often reviewed by senior staff for accuracy.

The entry-level program brings together peers with 0–1 year of professional experience for regular professional development and team-building activities. These activities are intended to build connections, clarify career-growth opportunities, and increase understanding of Dewberry and its work.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s and/or master’s degree in Planning, Policy Analysis, Environmental Science, Sustainability, or a related field.
• 0–2 years of related professional experience; relevant experience may include an internship or collegiate resilience-focused planning or analysis projects. The posting describes a preferred profile of a bachelor’s degree with 1–2 years’ experience or a master’s degree with 0–1 years’ 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 examples of practical ArcGIS application.
• Comfort working with geospatial and quantitative data, including managing and cleaning datasets, conducting analyses, and presenting results.
• Demonstrated visual communication skills, such as experience with InDesign, Canva, or PowerPoint.
• Ability to exercise initiative, resourcefulness, and tact when obtaining and analyzing information related to resilience planning.
• Well-developed time-management skills, including the ability to produce high-quality, detail-oriented deliverables under tight timelines and competing deadlines.
• Self-motivation and ability to work 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.

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 government programs, policies, regulations, and associated data, such as FEMA NFIP, Community Rating System, FEMA RiskMAP, grants, and state and local floodplain management programs.
• Knowledge of state-level resilience programs, including Virginia’s Community Flood Preparedness Fund and Resilient Florida.
• Knowledge of Tableau, Power BI, ArcGIS Online, Adobe InDesign, and other data-processing, visualization, and design tools.
• Relevant certifications, training, or credentials.
• Consulting experience.

Responsibilities

• Support preparation of plans, studies, reports, guides, and other technical documents concerning climate resilience, hazard mitigation, and floodplain management.
• Support exploration and implementation of programmatic improvements to increase climate resilience and hazard mitigation in federal, state, and local government agencies.
• Support public outreach for community resilience projects and client meetings, both virtual and in person; some in-person meetings may involve multi-day trips.
• Support technical studies and analytical processes related to resilience strategy and plan development.
• Use written, visual, and verbal communication to explain complex technical topics to varied audiences.
• Apply social equity and environmental justice principles to technical and strategic work.
• Work on a diverse range of related projects to develop additional technical and programmatic knowledge and skills.
• Complete tasks assigned by senior-level staff to broaden experience and familiarity with applicable methods, practices, and programs.

What This Job Offers

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