Planning Manager - SES - 31001019

Requisition No: 858699 

Agency: Division of Emergency Management

Working Title: Planning Manager - SES - 31001019

 Pay Plan: SES

Position Number: 31001019 

Salary:  $70,774.44 

Posting Closing Date: 08/25/2025 

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

Operational Planning Unit Manager

Bureau of Response

State of Florida Division of Emergency Management

This position is in Tallahassee, FL

The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) plans for and responds to both natural and man-made disasters. These range from floods and hurricanes to incidents involving hazardous materials or nuclear power. FDEM is the liaison between federal, state, and local agencies. FDEM prepares and implements a statewide Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, routinely conducts extensive exercises to test state and county emergency response capabilities, provides technical assistance to local governments as they prepare emergency plans and procedures, as well as conducts emergency operations trainings for state and local government agencies.

FDEM serves as the lead agency for the State Emergency Response Team (SERT), whose primary goal is the coordination of the state’s efforts during disaster response and recovery. This coordination is conducted within the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Tallahassee. Additionally, FDEM manages the State Watch Office; the 24-hours a day operation tasked with providing situational awareness to stakeholders statewide. After a disaster, FDEM conducts damage assessment surveys and advises the Governor of the state of Florida on whether to declare an emergency and seek federal relief funds. It is against this backdrop that FDEM strives to demonstrate its mission of, “Coordinate, collaborate and communicate with our community stakeholders for a resilient Florida” along with our vision of, “Leading the Profession in building prepared and resilient communities”.

Position Overview and Responsibilities:

This is a senior supervisory position in the Bureau of Response responsible for the strategic direction, operational oversight, and quality assurance of the Operational Planning Unit. The Manager ensures that all planning products and deliverables align with the agency's strategic plan while maintaining the highest standards of quality and regulatory compliance. The employee must possess comprehensive knowledge of Bureau and FDEM practices, policies, and procedures, as well as relevant state and federal regulations related to Emergency Management, including FEMA guidelines, National Response Framework, and applicable CFR requirements.

The duties and responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to:

• Coordinate the preparation and publication of the State Preparedness Report (SPR), Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA), FDEM Continuity of Operations (COOP) Plan, State of Florida Continuity of Government (COG) Plan, and State of Florida Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) and other preparedness studies, operational plans, and analysis tools.
• Oversee the administration of the County CEMP and State Agency COOP review programs, ensuring compliance, accurate record keeping, and timely approval of all submitted plans.
• Create and maintain standardized operating procedures, templates, and best practices to ensure consistency and quality across all planning initiatives.
• Monitor work efforts and administer contracts with regional planning councils and other organizations undertaking planning initiatives.
• Conduct technical reviews and proofread documents for grammar, style, clarity, completeness and adherence to organizational standards.
• Coordinate planning efforts under the National Response Framework and the development and maintenance of bureau, agency, and SERT plans, assessments, reports and updates.
• Supervise, mentor, and develop employees charged with implementing programs within the Operational Planning Unit.
• Establish and maintain version control and document management systems to ensure plan integrity and accessibility.
• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with key stakeholders to enhance planning capabilities.
• Perform travel to conduct and participate in conferences, meetings and workshops relating to emergency management planning and response.
• Support the Planning Section during activation of the State Emergency Operations Center.
• Perform other duties as assigned by Bureau and Executive Leadership Supervisory:

• • Promote professional development among employees by encouraging participation in appropriate training sessions, seminars, and exercises.
  • Supervise and delegate the functions within the Operational Planning Unit.
  • Conduct and facilitate meetings and workshops related to emergency management planning and response.
  • Ensure employees are briefed on information relevant to their assignments and discuss any special safety considerations or hazardous conditions.
  • Ensure that employees receive necessary training and coaching and that team members are qualified to perform assigned positions.
  • Formally evaluate employee performance, communicate any deficiencies, and take appropriate corrective action.
  • Provide operational and administrative direction with assignments in terms of broadly defined missions and objectives. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of policies and practices involved in the management of assigned personnel and demonstrated ability to supervise, motivate, develop, and direct people.
• Understanding of Florida's emergency management structure from state to local levels.
• Proficiency in emergency planning software and project tracking applications.
• Knowledge of GIS applications, and hazard modeling tools.
• Ability to analyze internal program capabilities and resources and develop organizational performance metrics.
• Ability to professionally facilitate whole community planning approach, engaging various stakeholders and building effective working relationships across internal and external partners.
• Capability to integrate emerging technologies into emergency response planning.
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects and planning initiatives simultaneously under tight deadlines and distribute workload across the unit to optimize productivity.
• Attention to detail for document review, editing, and quality control.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office programs (MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, etc.)
• Availability to work more than 10 hours per day, including weekends, and be deployed in support of disaster response for up to 14 days, if needed.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A minimum of five years’ experience in the field of Emergency Management, Disaster Response, Public Safety, or Public Administration. A post-secondary degree in Emergency Management, Public Administration, Public Safety, or related field may substitute on a year for year basis.
• Experience writing or developing policies and procedures.

Special Notes:

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

The Division of Emergency Management is committed to successfully recruiting and onboarding talented and skilled individuals into its workforce. The Division appreciates the service and sacrifices made by veterans and their family members. Further, FDEM recognizes the immeasurable value veterans bring to the workplace and is committed to increasing the number of veterans that serve in its workforce.

The Division of Emergency Management is committed to increasing recruitment and hiring of individuals with disabilities and improving employment outcomes. An individual with a disability is qualified if he or she satisfies the skills, experience, and other job-related requirements for a position and can perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation. Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must contact the FDEM Human Resources Office at (850) 815-4177. FDEM requests applicants notify HR in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

Successful completion of background screening will be required for this position.

The State of Florida and the Division of Emergency Management participate in E-Verify. This federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.

In response to emergency events, Division of Emergency Management employees may be required to work irregular hours, to work more than 8 hours per day, to work extended periods (including weekends and holidays), to work at locations other than their official headquarters, and to perform duties in addition to those outlined in the employee’s position description. Employees must be able to deploy to emergency sites with limited advance notice.

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.