A best-in-class city that attracts best-in-class talent, Philadelphia is an incredible place to build a career. From our thriving arts scene and rich history to our culture of passion and grit, there are countless reasons to love living and working here. With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia offers boundless opportunities to make an impact.

As an employer, the City of Philadelphia values inclusion, integrity, innovation, empowerment, and hard work above all else. We offer a vibrant work environment, comprehensive health care and benefits, and the experience you need to grow and excel. If you’re interested in working with a passionate team of people who care about the future of Philadelphia, start here.

What we offer

• Impact - The work you do here matters to millions. 
• Growth - Philadelphia is growing, why not grow with it? 
• Diversity & Inclusion - Find a career in a place where everyone belongs.
• Benefits - We care about your well-being.

Agency Description

The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) works to mitigate, plan, and prepare for emergencies; educate the public about preparedness; coordinate emergency response and recovery efforts; and develop tools and identify resources to support the overall preparedness of the City of Philadelphia.

OEM is uniquely charged to integrate emergency plans from various agencies and organizations, while also implementing its own distinctive efforts. OEM maintains a 24/7 operational capability for events with significant impacts to public safety, critical facilities or vulnerable populations, long durations, or high complexity. Operations may materialize in a field response, Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activation, or remote coordination. To effectively plan for and execute these activities, OEM is seeking a Response Planning Program Manager. This position will see that OEM specific actions identified in citywide emergency operations plans are well documented, trained, and exercised for the Office of Emergency Management – whether employed in the field or from the City’s EOC. Candidates should possess a strong desire to work in a team-oriented, fast paced, flexible, professional public safety environment, and a willingness to serve the public in the sixth largest city in the nation. The ideal candidate is self-motivated, inquisitive, adept at working with diverse groups in stressful situations, and has a proven track record of effectively leading under emergency circumstances.

To best prepare OEM and city partners to respond to any emergency or disaster, the candidate will work with many different entities from governmental and non-governmental organizations. The lines of effort will focus on five main areas:

1. Operational planning, training, and exercising for OEM-specific actions in a variety of emergency situations.
2. Administrative and planning functions supporting the response program.
3. Fostering day to day relationships with partners at the operational level.
4. Support to all response related office functions.
5. Participation in incident responses as an emergency responder.

Essential Functions

Under the direction of the Deputy Director, the Response Planning Program Manager is responsible for a range of activities including the following:

• Develop and maintain operational policies, particularly as they relate to field deployments, planned events, and all levels of EOC activation.
• Develop and conduct response related training and exercises.
• Establish and administer a field-level awareness program between public safety partners and OEM responders. Specifically, increase neighborhood level awareness of OEM responders and maintain field supervisor-level relationships with operational partners.
• Support operational programs as a force multiplier, specifically the RIC, Logistics, and Emergency Management Technology.
• Maintain administrative functions of the response program, including: on-call scheduling and team assignments, documentation standards and records retention, and providing reports as requested.

• ­May supervise other employees on a recurring or project basis, which may include staff on shift work.

•  Maintain proficiency in agency equipment and technology systems for situational awareness, incident management and visualization, and alert & warning.

• In the absence of immediate or direct guidance from OEM Executive staff, be prepared to carry out and lead others through agreed-upon response standards.

• Serve on an OEM on-call team responsible for responding to incidents on nights, weekends, holidays, and for extended hours as needed.

• Perform other work as required.

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Proven ability to write operational plans or procedures
• Proven ability to operate and lead during emergencies
• Sound judgement and ethical decision making
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Effective oral and written communication skills
• Strong leadership and negotiation skills
• Professional conduct and accountability
• Proven time-management skills
• Ability to multitask effectively
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships and develop partnerships
• Ability to coordinate diverse groups toward a common goal
• Ability to complete tasks and projects in a timely manner
• Ability to contribute and coordinate work in a team environment
• Ability to interpret federal and state emergency management requirements and regulations
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office software (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, Teams) and the ability to operate other web-based platforms for situational awareness, information management, and mass notification

Education and Experience

• Completion of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is preferred.
• Three (3) or more years’ experience working within an emergency management or other public safety organization is preferred.
• Three (3) or more years’ experience managing personnel is preferred.
• Two (2) or more years’ experience in program or project planning management.
• Familiarity with the City of Philadelphia is preferred.
• Experience supervising teams in completion of objectives in difficult circumstances or potentially hazardous situations.
• Experience working in outdoor environments for prolonged periods is preferred.
• Experience developing, training, and exercising tactical plans is preferred. 
• Experience interpreting and executing federal and state guidance is preferred.
• Experience coordinating large groups in collaborative, long-term, and recurring efforts is preferred.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience in a related field will be considered with approval by MDO-OEM and the Office of Human Resources.

Licenses, Registrations, and Certification

• Possession of a valid proper class motor vehicle operator’s license issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania within six months of hire.
• Successful completion of FEMA Independent Study courses (IS 100.a, 200.a, 700.a, and 800.b) within first month of appointment.
• Candidate will have access to secure public safety information.  All selected applicants must undergo and successfully complete a background investigation as a condition of placement in this position.

Other requirements

• ­   OEM personnel will be required to serve in an on-call capacity which may require work outside of typical business hours, for extended periods of time, during states of emergency, in a field environment, in the 24/7 watch center, and during activations of Philadelphia’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Example environments include but are not limited to scenes where materials are on fire, around compromised utilities, around compromised structures, near hazardous materials storage that may be compromised, in congregate living settings, in/near crowds, near downed vegetation or other debris, or near flooding and water-damaged materials. All work will be performed while donning a level of personal protective equipment recommended by the incident safety officer and that you are trained on. Example tasks include working at a computer, observing and documenting conditions, staffing an incident command post, communicating with responders or survivors, operating vehicles up to your licensed class, staffing facilities for survivors, transporting materials, being near a site where a serious injury or loss of life has occurred, sitting, standing, walking, climbing, crawling, or lifting/carrying materials. OEM personnel are essential workers.
• ­   All OEM personnel are “emergency managers first.” During times of disaster, work assignments, schedules, and reporting structures may be altered to meet the incident objectives.Full-time residency within the City of Philadelphia geographic boundaries required within six months of hire. There are no exceptions to this policy.
• ­   Ability to physically perform the duties during and outside of normal business hours.

Salary: $75,000

TO APPLY: Interested candidates must submit a cover letter, resume, and writing sample (showing your ability to write a policy or report-style document).

Vaccination status

As a condition of employment with the City of Philadelphia, employees starting employment on or after September 1, 2021 must be vaccinated.

Did you know?

• We are a Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program qualified employer
• 25% tuition discount program for City employees (and sometimes spouses and dependents as well) in partnership with area colleges and universities
• We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents
• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
• Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options are available

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670

 For more information, go to the Human Relations website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx