New York City Emergency Management’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program is seeking a CERT Operations and Engagement Specialist to organize, develop, and support the program’s 600+ localized volunteers dedicated to their communities’ emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. Selected candidates will be responsible for a range of tasks including, but not limited to, the following:
- Encourage inter-team collaboration through the development and management of a citywide CERT Deployment Group, which will include the management of the citywide CERT Radio program.
- Promote leadership and mentorship activities at the borough and local division level to support the implementation of strategies that support volunteer members leading up to and during deployments while also focusing on recovery operations.
- Plan and support emergency drills, exercises:
o Improve the program’s emergency deployment capacity and radio networks.
o Support volunteer-lead borough/team drills and exercises.
o Support the development of NYCEM-lead emergency drill and exercises.
o Create and maintain existing program partnerships.

The CERT Operations and Engagement Specialist position requires a creative individual with excellent communication and mediation skills. This person will focus on the development of deployment procedures at all levels of the program and will also be responsible for supporting emergency drills and exercises to help test the training and ability of volunteers to meet their emergency roles. S/he must be able to communicate the program’s larger strategic vision to team leadership and enable teams to carry out the CERT program’s mission within their communities. The position requires someone, above all, who demonstrates a working knowledge of New York City and shows commitment to developing community resilience.

The selected candidate is expected to regularly work non-traditional hours to meet program needs including supporting evening and weekend events such as training sessions, drills, and volunteer meetings. This position also responds to citywide emergencies as a member of the City’s emergency operations center on-call team.

The selected candidate will be assigned to periodic Emergency Operations Center team and will be expected to work non-business hours during emergencies. The selected candidate will also participate in drills and exercises, assist with Ready New York presentations to external groups, and will undertake special projects as assigned.

1. A master’s degree from an accredited college in emergency management, public administration, urban planning, engineering, economics, political science, the physical sciences or related field and one year of satisfactory full-time professional experience in one or a combination of the following: emergency management, fire, police, or military service, public safety, public health, public administration, urban planning, engineering, or another specialized area to which the appointment is to be made; or
2. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two years of satisfactory full-time professional experience in the areas listed in “1” above; or
3. A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a state’s
department of education or a recognized accrediting organization and six years of satisfactory full-time professional experience in the areas listed in “1” above, at least two years of which must have been in one of those areas, or another specialized area to which the appointment is to be made.

- Experience leading a volunteer management/retention program - Experience in the field during emergency operations - Ability to mediate and negotiate with a wide variety of community-based groups - Ability to conduct meetings, training, and public speaking - Proficiency with radio communications including Network Control Operations - Understanding of the Incident Command System (ICS), Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), and volunteer management including the following FEMA independent study courses: IS-100, IS-200, IS-244, IS-315, and IS-317 - Superior written and verbal communication skills - Proficiency in a second language commonly spoken in NYC a plus - Familiarity with human services or mental health related disaster issues - Capacity to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.