Depending on Qualifications Salary: $84,037 - $86,000

The Planner IV is an advanced level, full-time professional position located in the NCR, in regional emergency management and homeland security planning, inclusive of activities within the domains of fire/rescue services, health and medical services, emergency planning, interoperable communications, cooperative purchasing, response coordination, and information sharing and security, among others. The Planner IV will primarily support the work of multiple National Capital Region (NCR) public safety committees, including, but not limited to, health/medical emergency planning, fire/rescue executives and chiefs, fire health/safety, fire intelligence, fire training, electric vehicles/energy storage, passenger rail safety, technical rescue, and public safety communications. 

Daily committee support work entails a wide range of responsibilities from logistics and meeting management, to developing analytical and policy-related materials for review and comment by committee members. Other responsibilities will include stakeholder management, attendance of conferences/seminars, and professional development opportunities specific to the candidate’s interests. The Planner IV will work closely with DHSPS staff members to execute additional projects on an as-needed basis and may lead work teams. Applicants should be dependable, hardworking, highly organized, independent, and self-motivated with strong project management, meeting facilitation, and oral and written communication skills. Guidelines and supervision for the Planner IV are provided by the Chief of Public Safety and Health Preparedness and the Senior Public Safety Planner. 

Description

Specific work responsibilities of the Planner IV include:

• Facilitating meetings with high-level stakeholders, while documenting and tracking discussion points, action items, and decision-making according to departmental templates and guidelines. 
• Moving stakeholders forward on identified action items and decisions. 
• Providing input on complex policy and strategy matters in the form of oral and written reports and responses to requests for information or data. 
• Developing or updating regional emergency plans and agreements.
• Developing processes and methodology for identifying and promoting regional strategy. 
• Performing administrative tasks such as meeting scheduling and data entry into spreadsheets and databases.
• Creating easily accessible data visualization and graphics for use in stakeholder documents and products. 
• Managing and maintaining positive, trusting work relationships with coworkers and regional stakeholders. 
• Developing methods and techniques for plan evaluation and review of spatial, fiscal, economic, social, environmental, and political impact. 
• Coordinating project scheduling, progress evaluation, technical liaison, and interdepartmental coordination. 
• Providing project activity tracking in support of the Chief of Public Safety and Health Preparedness, including supervising contract staff or management of distinct projects with assigned staff peers.
• Attending professional conferences and training sessions as a representative of COG.  
• Ability to manage a variety of highly specialized and technical problems in support of local officials and the public. 
• Ability to perform independent technical research and project management work. 

Key Outcomes

In the first few months, the Planner IV will develop a thorough understanding of COG’s approach to regionalism and the activities of DHSPS. In the first six months, the Planner IV will carry out the following tasks:

• Facilitate the development or updating of specific regional plans and agreements related to passenger rail safety and the regional fire/rescue response to electrical vehicle fires.
• Provide event support for regional symposiums and interdisciplinary meetings.
• Support the allocation of grant-funded materials among NCR jurisdictions.
• Develop and track the progress of multiple projects related to emergency planning and capacity building for fire service and health/medical stakeholders.
• Support the development of a potential grant request for a regional gap analysis of health/medical emergency capabilities and capacities.
• Enable the transition of committee leadership and facilitate the identification of committee goals and priorities.

 SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES   

Provide project activity tracking in support of the Chief; this may include supervision of contract staff or management of distinct projects with assigned staff peers. 

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES   

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential responsibility satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

Education and Professional Experience  

Bachelor’s degree and five or more years of professional experience in emergency management or related fields, such as defense, politics, public health, or public policy; or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities relevant to the major duties of this position. Preferred: A master's degree from an accredited university; thorough knowledge of intergovernmental coordination; and professional supervisory experience.

Communication Skills  

Demonstrated expert skills in verbal, written, and interpersonal communication. Substantial experience condensing complex topics to concise summaries appropriate for the general public. A keen understanding of boundaries in the presence of stakeholders, including politicians and agency leadership, and when/where/how to provide a value-adding opinion. Preferred: multiple years of experience developing original drafts of governmental doctrine and/or policy. Experience with public outreach methods, such as marketing new personal preparedness techniques or regional training and programs. Proven success in data visualization, the development of process figures, and graphic design.

Critical Thinking  

Ability to manage a variety of highly specialized and technical problems in support of local officials and the public. Ability to perform independent technical research work and guide others in performance of their assignments. Ability to supervise the work of support staff while displaying good judgement.

Computer Knowledge and Skills  

In-depth proficiency of the MS Office suite of programs, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. Significant experience with Adobe InDesign or comparable desktop publishing software. Understanding of MS SharePoint and OneDrive. Experience with navigating U.S. Census data and other publicly available large data sets for analytics and supporting leadership decision-making. Preferred: Several years of experience performing skilled quality control and quality assurance on public documents; program performance auditing/evaluation; and GIS and/or mapping skills.

Mathematical Skills  

Understanding of statistics, quantitative assessment techniques, and transforming qualitative data into quantitative data. 

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations  

Professional certification will be included in consideration of acceptable experience and training.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS   

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to handle or feel objects or controls and talk or hear. Work is also occasionally performed in the field/COG office, requiring the ability to be adaptable and to operate a motor vehicle to travel to various locations.

WORK ENVIRONMENT  

The work environment characteristics are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The office schedule consists of assigned days for in-office/field work with other days available for telework or in-person work.