New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) helps New Yorkers before, during, and after emergencies through preparedness, education, and response. NYCEM is responsible for coordinating citywide emergency planning and response for all types and scales of emergencies. We are staffed by more than 250 dedicated professionals with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, including individuals assigned from other City agencies.

The Readiness Bureau prepares the City for emergencies through a continuous cycle of planning, learning, and exercising, using a collaborative and forward-thinking approach.

The Exercises Unit conducts discussion and operation-based exercises following guidelines outlined in the US Department of Homeland Security’s (USDHS) grant funding requirements. The unit conducts exercises and simulations to better prepare the agency and our partners for potential real-world preparedness, response, and recovery coordination.

NYCEM oversees the running of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as a central location for coordinating response efforts, centralized decision-making, gathering and disseminating information, and allocating and deploying resources. The EOC Unit is responsible for leading programs that improve the City’s Emergency Operations Center functions and NYCEM for activations.
The NYCEM Executive Director, Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and Exercises will be responsible for maintaining the EOC in a constant state of readiness, and for the development and implementation of a comprehensive exercises program for both intra- and inter-agency exercises. As Executive Director, the selected candidate will be expected to lead both the EOC Unit and the Exercises Unit, two distinct teams of emergency management professionals, which will include guiding their performance and professional development through consistent feedback, mentoring, training, exercises, and other growth opportunities. Additionally, the Executive Director will be expected to manage the budgets of both units and relevant vendor contracts.

EOC Unit responsibilities include:

Lead strategic readiness of the EOC and NYCEM's on-call team members;

Assist EOC unit leader with day-to-day management Emergency Operations Center;

Lead EOC staffing strategy in large-scale emergencies;

Collaborate with the Learning & Development Unit on EOC curriculum design, development, and delivery;

Develop and oversee EOC programs and activities for agency staff including EOC mentoring, post-activation debriefs, the EOC Leadership Pathway program, and EOC Working Group programming;

Advise efforts on creation and implementation of incident management technology tools and reporting templates;

Supervise the management of the EOC surge staffing contract.

Exercises Unit responsibilities include:

Lead the creation of all types of emergency exercises from discussion-based tabletop exercises to large multi-agency full-scale exercises;

Work with stakeholders at key partner agencies to develop a multi-year exercises plan for the City;

Lead initial, mid-term, and final planning conferences for multi-agency full-scale exercises;

Facilitate executive-level discussion-based exercises and workshops;

Collaborate with City, State, and Federal agencies as well as private organizations to develop and implement exercises and drills designed to enhance respective agency efficiency;

Ensure all exercises meet Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) standards.

**PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING**

o The selected candidate will be assigned to an on-call Emergency Operations Center (EOC) team and will be expected to work non-business hours during some emergencies. These non-business hours include nights, weekends, holidays, and extended week hours outside of a 9AM-5PM schedule. The selected candidate will also participate in trainings to build skills and competencies in emergency response; will participate in drills and exercises associated with the on-call EOC team; and may volunteer to assist with Ready NY emergency preparedness presentations to external groups. EOC teams are on call for three weeks at a time, with six weeks off in between.

o This position is supported with grant funding from the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) grant through 8/31/2025 with the possibility of an extension.

o IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS JOB, PLEASE INCLUDE A SEPARATE COVER LETTER IN YOUR RESPONSE.

1 . A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and eight years satisfactory full-time professional experience in one or a combination of the following: emergency management, fire or police services, public safety, public health, public administration, urban planning, engineering, or another specialized area to which the appointment is to be made. 18 months of this experience must have been in an executive, managerial, administrative, or supervisory capacity. Supervision must have included supervising staff performing professional work in the areas described above; or

2. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and four years of satisfactory full-time professional experience in one or a combination of the areas listed in "1" above, including the 18 months of executive, managerial, administrative, or supervisory experience, as described in "1" above; or

3. 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 three years of satisfactory full-time professional experience in one or a combination of the areas described in "1" above, including the 18 months of executive, managerial, administrative, or supervisory experience, as described in "1" above; or

4. Education and/or experience equivalent to "1", "2", or "3" above. However, all candidates must have a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and the 18 months of executive, managerial, administrative, or supervisory experience, as described in "1" above.

We are looking for an experienced manager with proven ability to lead a team and manage high-impact, large-scale projects from start to finish. The ideal candidate will have the following to offer: Experience managing an EOC or Departmental Operations Center (DOC). Experience building all types of emergency management exercises including tabletop, functional, and full-scale exercises. Completion of FEMA’s Master Exercises Practitioner Program (MEPP). Ability to draft and implement policies and procedures related to EOCs or DOCs. Familiarity with EOC or DOC technology and reporting tools. Familiarity with NYC, City agencies. High comfort level with facilitating executive-level exercises. Experience with building exercises to HSEEP standards . Excellent oral and written communications skills, including experience writing and briefing summary reports and streamlining complex information into high-level reports for executives. Previous experience in emergency management is strongly preferred. Ability to manage multiple competing priorities in a fast-paced, high stress environment is a strong plus. Familiarity with City procurement processes is strongly preferred. **Studies have shown that women, people of color, and other under-represented groups are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they are able to perform every task in the job description. We are interested in finding the best candidate for the job and will consider any equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education and experience to meet qualifications. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and skill set for the role.**

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.