Emergency Management Specialist

Duties

• Develop and coordinate all VALLHS emergency plans and exercises in accordance with VHA Directive 0320 and supporting appendices - and the VHA Emergency Operations Plan which encompasses Continuity of Operations (COOP)
• Collaborates with community partners to support the execution of national objectives
• Primary point of contact and Liaison in managing intra and interagency VA contingency support of Department of Defense (DoD) - VA health and medical support of the National Response Framework (NRF) and other applicable authorities and support provided through the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS)
• Responsible for coordinating the VALLHS efforts and engaging staff - as well as the functions required to manage the Comprehensive Emergency Management Program (CEMP)
• Develops - implements - sustain - and maintain policies and guidance within the VHA - local - and community
• Responsible for ensuring the emergency response results and conclusions lead to a continual improvement of the emergency management program throughout the healthcare system
• Provides leadership with direction - management - professional and technical expertise regarding the development and implementation of the CEMPP
• Participates in the development - coordination and review of directives - white papers - Medical Center Memorandum - service support agreements - standard operating procedures - policy matters and related documents issued by the VHA and the healthcare system
• Plans - organizes - implements - oversees and provides technical assistance for projects relating to emergency management programs
• Reviews documents received for review - concurrence and/or signature by EMS
• Utilizes EM principles ensuring accurate and proper documentation and anticipating possible inquiries from VHA OEM - VISN - and VASDHS Executive Leadership
• Analyzes - maintains - synchronizes - and sustains the CEMP with national and local stakeholders
• Responsible for managing and maintaining the health care system's automated alert and notification system - coordinating - and monitoring results with the Communication Support Team
• Consults and advises on creating subgroups - training requirements and message building
• Maintains calling rosters for Medical Response Team - Incident Management Team - Decontamination Team - and any other specialized teams requiring activation
• Functions as the local program manager for the Disaster Emergency Personnel System (DEMPS) - which is a program comprised of qualified volunteers who register and train in disaster management and support national deployment requirements
• Recruits - evaluates - identifies - and trains specifically qualified volunteers to support national task orders
• Approval for DEMPS deployments is coordinated through VHA OEM - VISN and Medical Center Director
• Reviews - analyzes and coordinates the implementation and evaluation of exercises to test and analyze the healthcare system's comprehensive emergency management plans and associated programs which includes collaboration and integration with the Safety - Patient Safety - Office of Public Affairs - and VA Police programs

Qualifications

• To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 07/22/2026.
• Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.
• Examples of specialized experience would typically include - but are not limited to: Knowledge of the pertinent laws - objectives - precedents - guidelines and policies governing various emergency management programs and operations enough to assist with the development and execution of a comprehensive emergency management program. Knowledge of analytical and evaluation methods and thorough understanding of how regulatory programs are administered to select and apply program evaluation and measurement techniques (data gathering methodologies) in determining compliance with emergency preparedness and management rules and regulations. Ability to respond quickly to emergency situations where the degree of hazard could be of a high nature; knowledge of a variety of emergency - contingency and operations plans - policies - and directives enough to provide advice and assistance. Skill in applying basic data gathering methodologies to collect various types of information and knowledge of database entry programs and management. Previous experience in emergency management is required.