EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANNER 3- SOUTHEAST REGION- 09112026- 80960

About the role

The Tennessee Department of Emergency Management Authority (TEMA) is dedicated to protecting Tennessee communities before, during, and after emergencies. Through preparedness, coordination, rapid response, and recovery, TEMA works alongside local agencies, first responders, and residents to build a safer, stronger, and more resilient Tennessee. This Regional Planner position is located in Chattanooga, TN within the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), Hamilton County, Southeast Region, and is designed as a hybrid role. The role serves as the primary planning support resource to county emergency management agencies within an assigned region, specializing in the development, review, maintenance, and integration of County Basic Emergency Operations Plans (BEOPs) and County Hazard Mitigation Plans (HMPs).

Responsibilities

• Provides direct technical assistance to county emergency management agencies in developing, writing, reviewing, and updating County BEOPs to ensure compliance with state and federal planning standards and FEMA CPG-101.
• Guides counties through the Hazard Mitigation Planning process, including risk assessment development, mitigation strategy formulation, and alignment with FEMA's Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide.
• Reviews submitted BEOPs and HMPs for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with state frameworks, recommending revisions to strengthen operational readiness and hazard reduction outcomes.
• Facilitates workshops, planning meetings, and stakeholder coordination sessions to support plan development and multi-jurisdictional collaboration.
• Assists counties in integrating risk assessment findings, capability gaps, and lessons learned from exercises or disaster events into current and future BEOPs and HMPs.
• Monitors plan expiration cycles and ensures counties remain on schedule for required updates, including FEMA approval cycles for Hazard Mitigation Plans.
• Supports counties in identifying mitigation priorities, potential grant-eligible projects, and alignment with state mitigation strategies.
• Collects and analyzes county and regional data for use in THIRA/SPR assessments, Integrated Preparedness Plans (IPPs), and planning-related grant documentation.
• Coordinates with the Regional Planning Manager and Exercise Program Manager to incorporate BEOP and HMP elements into exercises and uses After-Action Reports/Improvement Plans to drive plan improvements.
• Assists local jurisdictions in maintaining documentation and providing reports required for Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG), Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), BRIC, and other grant programs related to planning.
• Prepares written reports, plan review summaries, correspondence, and technical guidance for county and regional partners.
• Supports the development of templates, guidance documents, and instructional materials to standardize regional BEOP and HMP processes.
• Serves in an assigned role within the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) or Regional Coordination Center (RCC) during activations or exercises, typically in the Plans Section supporting situation reports, incident action planning, and analysis functions.
• Performs other planning and preparedness duties as assigned by the Regional Office Director, Planning Branch administrator, or Regional Planning Manager.
• Part of TEMA's mission, all positions may be called upon to support emergency operations; employees may be required to work alternate schedules and/or report to alternate work locations, including disaster scenes, to support response and recovery operations.

Qualifications

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree and experience equivalent to two years of full-time/paid or unpaid internship responsible professional emergency management planning work or closely related field. Substitution of Education for Experience: Additional graduate coursework in emergency management, business continuity, public health emergency preparedness, public administration, or community planning may be substituted for the required experience on a year-for-year basis, for a maximum of two years. Substitution of Experience for Education: Qualifying full-time work in a public safety related field or office administration may be substituted for the required education, on a year-for-year basis, to a maximum of four years.

Skills

• Knowledge: Customer and Personal Service, Law and Government, Public Safety and Security, English Language, Information Technology.
• Skills: Active Learning and Listening, Coordination, Reading Comprehension, Time Management, Writing.
• Abilities: Deductive Reasoning, Information Ordering, Speech Clarity, Problem Sensitivity, Written Comprehension.
• Tools & Equipment: Laptop, Cell Phone.

Pay

Salary (Monthly): $4,057.00 – $5,078.00
Salary (Annually): $48,684.00 – $60,936.00