Emergency Management Liaison Officer (EMLO) Group Lead

Job Description

The OEM mission in a 24/7/365 commitment. Mitigating, Preparing, Responding, and Recovering for planned and unplanned events requires around-the-clock dedication. The Emergency Management Liaison Officer’s

Specifically, the candidate will work with many different entities from governmental and non-governmental organizations. The lines of effort will focus on six main areas:

1. Providing guidance and leadership to EMLOs on behalf of the Response Planning Program Manager and OEM Management

2. Provide essential staffing to the Regional Integration Center to maintain staffing minimums

3. Provide on-scene and remote response to emergency incidents and planned events, representing OEM and coordinating response agencies

4. Conduct short-term recovery activities including coordination of critical lifeline restoration, and individual and public assistance activities after disasters

5. Assist in OEM’s Logistics mission, including support of OEM vehicle maintenance, transport of equipment to events, and assistance at OEM’s warehouse

6. Conduct preparedness activities including leading public engagement events, conducting planning efforts, and performing readiness activities such as trainings and exercises

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 has exceptionally strong leadership and negotiation skills, is self-motivated, inquisitive, adept at working with diverse groups in stressful situations, and has a proven track record of effectively operating under emergency circumstances. Additionally, the candidate should be detail oriented, have excellent technical writing skills, and have the ability to effectively mentor other staff members. Work will require a rotating schedule to include nights, weekends, and holidays and will, at times, be conducted in the field as the sole OEM representative or in a group setting.

Under the administrative direction of the Response Planning Program Manager and the Response Executive, the Emergency Management Liaison Officer (EMLO) Group Lead is responsible for a range of activities including the following:

Group Leader Specific Functions

- Manage training and development plans for the EMLO Program and provide solutions for training gaps.

- Address needs and expectations of daily operations of the EMLO Program.

- Maintain standards of EMLO work products through quality control checks and follow up as needed.

- Develop, implement, and maintain procedures.

- Provide technical support to EMLOs for all systems and equipment.

- Maintain scheduling activities.

- Provide support to EMLO and Response Planning special projects.

- Provide oversight during the absence of the Response Planning Program Manager.

- Serve on-call for planned and unplanned EMLO schedule vacancies.

Emergency Management Liaison Officer Functions

• ­ Perform functions of the Regional Integration Center Coordinator to maintain staffing levels in the Regional Integration Center during unforeseen staffing gaps
• ­ Perform functionality checks and supply replenishment to ensure readiness of facilities, vehicles, and equipment
• ­ Perform field observation duties for various planned events, emergencies, and disasters gathering situational awareness and informing OEM response actions
• ­ Coordinate emergency response and resource support at incident command posts and the emergency operations center (EOC) before a full on-call team deployment
• ­ Deliver public education and engagement opportunities to increase the readiness of all Philadelphians
• ­ Support of public information officer duties, including collection of photos and video
• ­ Conduct planning functions for short-fused incidents including interagency meetings, written or verbal incident action plans, and other planning products
• ­ Serve displaced residents in reception centers and shelters
• ­ Coordinate short-term recovery activities at incidents including infrastructure restoration, financial and human service recovery, and public information
• ­ Assist in development of OEM plans, including data analysis, content review, and links to OEM operations and logistics functions.
• ­ Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders through regular visits at various stations, offices, or other worksites
• ­ Conduct neighborhood familiarity tours, increasing awareness of neighborhood hazards, conditions, and assets
• ­ Operate equipment including technology and communications, vehicles and trailers of various sizes, and other mechanical items all in a safe and approved manner
• ­ Participate in trainings and exercises
• ­ Support the EMLO program with scheduling, training, quality assurance, procedure writing and implementation, technology and data management, and other project management
• ­ Maintain proficiency in agency equipment and technology systems for situational awareness, incident management, data visualization, and alert and warning
• ­ In the absence of immediate or direct guidance from OEM Executive staff, be prepared to carry out and lead others through approved procedures
• ­ Perform other work as required

• ­ Strong interpersonal skills
• ­ Effective oral and written communication skills
• ­ Strong leadership and negotiation skills
• ­ Confidence in front of groups
• ­ Proven ability to operate and lead during emergencies
• ­ Sound judgement and ethical decision making
• ­ Professional conduct and accountability
• ­ Proven time-management skills
• ­ Reliable, responsible and team player
• ­ Demonstrate professional conduct and accountability
• ­ Embrace personal challenge and demonstrate leadership regarding organizational change

• ­ Ability to problem solve and work with others under pressure
• ­ 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
• ­ Ability to remain calm and operate effectively in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environments symptomatic of emergency incidents
• ­ Ability to work with little direct oversight or supervision and make decisions when required
• ­ Proficiency with Microsoft Office software (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, Outlook) and ability to operate other web-based platforms for situational awareness, information management, and mass notification

Qualifications

Education and Experience

− Completion of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required, a master’s degree 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 supervising personnel is preferred, especially in completion of objectives under difficult circumstances or potentially hazardous situations

− One (1) or more years’ experience in a leadership capacity, with or without a formal title, is preferred.

− Familiarity with the City of Philadelphia is preferred

− Experience working in outdoor environments, specifically on the scene of emergency incidents, for prolonged periods is preferred

− Experiencing training or teaching audiences of different ages

− Experience providing feedback and guidance on work products to others

− 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; commercial driver’s license to be pursued after employment

− 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 are essential, working during states of emergency or other city closures.

­ All OEM personnel are “emergency managers first.” During times of disaster, work assignments and schedules 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, to include driving and working outside.

­ Nature of work inherently has risks, certain functions will require the use of various personal protective equipment (PPE) in hazardous situations.

Additional Information

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

Successful candidate must be a City of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire.

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 or send an email to [emailprotected] For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx