Public Assistance Consultant

About the role

Tetra Tech is adding experienced Disaster Recovery / Grant Management / Public Assistance Consultants to support current and future disaster recovery operations throughout the United States. This is an on-call, as-needed position supporting federal, state, tribal, territorial, local government, and nonprofit applicants recovering from disasters. Assignments may range from short-term technical assistance engagements to extended deployments and may be performed remotely, onsite at client locations, or in a hybrid capacity depending on project requirements.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted advisor to applicants throughout the FEMA Public Assistance grant lifecycle.
• Advocate for applicants while ensuring compliance with FEMA policies, regulations, and program requirements.
• Educate applicants regarding eligibility requirements, documentation standards, funding opportunities, and grant administration responsibilities.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with applicants, federal agency representatives, state partners, contractors, and project stakeholders.
• Provide client service and facilitate resolution of project-related issues and concerns.
• Support applicants through all phases of FEMA Public Assistance program delivery, including Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDAs), Exploratory Calls, Recovery Scoping Meetings, Damage Inventory development, project formulation, project review, closeout activities, and reimbursement requests.
• Aid in the development of FEMA Project Worksheets (PWs) and Grants Manager/Grants Portal submissions.
• Assist with the development of Category A-G projects, including Special Considerations reviews and Cost Estimating Format (CEF) development.
• Review disaster-related damages, costs, and supporting documentation to determine program eligibility.
• Administer federal and state disaster recovery grant programs, interpret and apply FEMA policies, regulations, guidance, and grant requirements, analyze grant administration issues, and develop recommended solutions.
• Identify compliance risks and assist applicants in resolving documentation gaps.
• Support Requests for Information (RFIs), Determination Memoranda responses, appeals, arbitration requests, and other programmatic actions.
• Maintain awareness of current FEMA policies, procedures, and regulatory updates.
• Collect, organize, validate, and maintain project documentation, including damage assessments, financial records, procurement files, force account labor documentation, equipment records, insurance information, and environmental and historic preservation documentation.
• Analyze grant administration issues and develop recommended solutions.
• Perform data analysis, reconciliation, and quality assurance reviews.
• Assist in the development of supporting cost analyses and reimbursement documentation.
• Ensure project records meet audit, compliance, and grant management requirements.
• Track project status, milestones, deliverables, and action items.
• Maintain accurate records within project management and grant management systems.
• Assist with development of operational procedures, guidance, and best practices.
• Provide timely updates to project leadership regarding issues, risks, and recovery progress.
• Support capacity-building efforts among local, state, tribal, territorial, and nonprofit partners.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives and process optimization efforts.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 2 years of FEMA Public Assistance experience supporting applicants, recipients, subrecipients, FEMA, state agencies, or disaster recovery consulting engagements.
• Demonstrated knowledge of FEMA Public Assistance policy, eligibility requirements, and the Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide (PAPPG).
• Experience supporting project formulation, project worksheet development, and grant documentation review.
• Experience responding to FEMA Requests for Information (RFIs).
• Experience supporting reimbursement requests and project closeout activities.
• Experience using FEMA Grants Manager and/or FEMA Grants Portal.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong written, verbal, facilitation, and customer service skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a rapidly changing environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Ability and willingness to travel with limited notice.
• Valid driver's license and ability to travel throughout the United States.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Emergency Management, Public Administration, Business Administration, Finance, Planning, Engineering, Construction Management, Accounting, Political Science, or a related field.
• FEMA Public Assistance field experience supporting declared disasters.
• Experience supporting state disaster recovery programs.
• Experience preparing appeals, arbitration requests, and Determination Memoranda.
• Experience with cost estimating, financial reconciliation, procurement reviews, insurance reviews, or grant compliance reviews.
• Completion of FEMA Independent Study (IS) courses relevant to Public Assistance.
• Professional certifications related to emergency management, grants management, project management, engineering, construction, or accounting.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods sitting or standing at a desk and working on a computer during remote, hybrid, or office-based assignments.
• Ability to travel to client offices and disaster-affected areas and navigate work locations associated with field deployments.
• Ability to work extended schedules, including evenings and weekends, during disaster activations and surge operations.

Work Environment / Environmental Factors

• Work may be performed remotely, in an office or client setting, or in disaster-affected field locations depending on the assignment.
• Field deployments may involve variable weather conditions and work in communities affected by hurricanes, floods, wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, or other disasters.
• Assignments may involve fast-paced environments with evolving priorities, deadlines, and periods of high-intensity workload during active disaster operations.
• Work requires collaboration with geographically dispersed clients, applicants, government representatives, contractors, and multidisciplinary project teams.