Exercise Specialist (Program Planner 3)

Only applicants who meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements and meet all selective requirements (listed below) will be placed on the eligible list.

Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEMD) is seeking an individual that is resourceful, detail oriented, organized, and contributes positively to the team.

The successful candidate will serve the citizens of Iowa by coordinating and leading emergency exercise efforts for HSEMD. The candidate will lead and deliver a wide variety of exercises, provide technical assistance, and document real-world response and recovery event activity for after action reporting. Must be able to work a minimum of 40 hours a week. Overtime may be required during times of disaster response and recovery operations.

Who We Are
The Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management’s (HSEMD) Mission Statement is
Enhancing the quality of life for Iowans by preparing our State and building resilient
communities. The person selected for this position will demonstrate actions and behaviors
guided by the HSEMD’s four core values:
MISSION ORIENTED - We are resolute in our service to Iowans
INTEGRITY - We conduct ourselves with honesty and are transparent in our actions
DISTINGUISHED - We are leaders in our field
ONE TEAM - We collaborate, connect, and share

What We Are Seeking
The successful candidate for this complex position will be organized, motivated, and innovative in problem solving. The position reports to the Communications and Technology Bureau Chief, but also works closely with a variety of team members in the department to ensure program objectives are being met. The position’s primary work location is in Johnston, IA. Desired skills and abilities include:

• Communication skills to include writing, speaking, listening and negotiating
• Process driven and willing to learn
• Resilient and agile
• Professional with a strong work ethic
• Effective time management skills
• Reliable and self-discipline
• Possess a high degree of organizational skills

What you will do
You will be an integral member of the HSEMD team by providing subject matter expertise and detailed planning in support of the department’s mission by:

• This position will also perform other duties as assigned.
• Coordinate, document, and ensure completion of state improvement actions through the establishment of a Corrective Action Program
• Perform evaluation of real-world incidents
• Prepare After Action Reports (AAR) based on HSEEP guidance for exercises and real- world events
• Coordinate and lead comprehensive exercise efforts
• Be available to staff a position during activation of the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), during or outside of normal working hours. Activation may be for a real event or exercise participation.
• Coordinate, organize, and facilitate emergency response and recovery exercises
• Develop relationships with other state exercise peers
• Serve as Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) subject matter expert and coordinate program with partners
• Utilize current and emerging technologies to deliver exercises
• Provide technical assistance and programmatic guidance to state, local, tribal, private sector, and non-profit partners
• Collaborate with the HSEMD Training Program and county emergency managers to develop and build exercises in alignment with state and federal priorities
• Serve as controller/evaluator for exercises

What We Offer You

• Paid time off effective immediately (biweekly vacation, separate sick leave, accruals rollover on a yearly basis, and 9 paid holidays per year)
• Opportunities for professional growth and development
• Retirement Investors Club (RIC) (Employer Sponsored Retirement Plan)
• Iowa Public Employee Retirement System (IPERS) Retirement Package with employer match
• Optional 401A plan with employer contributions
• Employee Discount Programs from variety of vendors (vision, cellular, fitness, recreation, season passes, travel, counseling; legal, financial)
• Competitive pay and benefits package including health, dental, flexible spending, and life insurance

For additional information on benefits, please visit the Iowa Department of Administrative
Services website at https://das.iowa.gov/human-resources/employee-and-retiree-benefits

Travel: Some travel required.

Working Hours
7:00am - 3:30pm or 7:30am - 4:00pm or 8:00am - 4:30pm

This position will require a presence in the office on a regular basis. There will be a potential
option for some remote work once on-boarding and training have been completed, but this is not a fulltime remote work position.

Selectives

092 Emergency Exercises (State and Local)
6 months' experience, 12 semester hours, or a combination of both in the development, facilitation, review or evaluation of emergency management/multi-hazard exercises. Applicants must document experience in one or more exercises from development of the exercise to include the After Action Report.

AND

160 Teaching/Training
6 months’ experience, 12 semester hours, or a combination of both in instructing students individually or in groups – this includes preparing materials, delivering material (i.e., lectures, presentations, demonstrations), keeping records of student progress and communicating progress to students.

AND

194 Customer Liaison/Advocacy
6 months’ experience in serving as a customer advocate with demonstrable experience in all of the following areas: Served as one of the main contacts for customers in handling a question or problem; used existing procedures and implemented new procedures for keeping customers updated with timely and frequent information about progress towards resolving issues; facilitated resolutions to customer issues by bringing together appropriate experts; and recommended procedures, products, or services to ensure that the problems do not occur again and that customers’ needs are better met/served.

AND

204 Emergency Planning (State and Local)
6 months’ experience, 12 semester hours, or a combination of both in the entire emergency planning process from meeting and working with partners to developing and writing the plan to working back through an approval process with the partners. Knowledge of emergency management and the systems and processes employed in Response, Recovery, Mitigation and Preparedness are essential.

AND

206 Homeland Security or Emergency Management Operations
6 months’ experience in disaster operations which required knowledge of Homeland Security or Emergency Management activities related to terrorism or natural disaster response, recovery, protection (physical security), detection (intelligence), prevention (protective action recommendations), and deterrence (critical asset assessments). Experience would have also provided the ability to operationalize plans, guidebooks, and procedures in response to Homeland Security threats and natural disasters.
OR
12 semester hours in the areas below or in a combination of the areas below:

• Fire
• Health
• Emergency management
• Hazardous materials
• Emergency medical
• Military
• Law enforcement
• Other related disciplines which focus on how to effectively manage resources (personnel and equipment), recommend an emergency response course of action, and protective action recommendations

Looking for disaster operations field experience or knowledge dealing with multi-agency coordination of the Incident Command Structure.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification:

1) Seven years of full-time work experience in the administration or operation/execution (i.e., providing consultation and/or technical assistance to stakeholders, research and analysis, or enforcement of program guidelines/policies/procedures) of a program (i.e., the provision of a service or an administrative oversight/enforcement responsibility).
2) All of the following (a, b, and c):
a. One year of full-time work experience in the administration or operation/execution (i.e., providing consultation and/or technical assistance to stakeholders, research and analysis, or enforcement of program guidelines/policies/procedures) of a program (i.e., the provision of a service or an administrative oversight/enforcement responsibility); and
b. A total of four years of education and full-time experience (as described in part a), where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university course work in any field equals one year of full-time experience; and
c. A total of two years of graduate-level education and full-time experience (as described in part a), where twenty-four semester hours of accredited graduate college or university course work in any field equals one year of full-time experience.
3) Graduation from an accredited school of law.
4) Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes nine months of full-time work as a Program Planner 2 or twenty-seven months of full-time work as a Program Planner 1.

For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description (Download PDF reader).

Additional Qualification Requirements

Some positions in this class may require an applicant to have the ability to pass a background investigation.

Join Us!
Whether it's caring for those in need, making highways safer, or improving agriculture production, the work that we do matters to the people of Iowa.

We take our responsibilities and the public trust very seriously. We are committed to delivering the services that matter most to the people of Iowa. If you have the skills, the commitment and the desire to make a difference, then we invite you to explore the career opportunities available with the State of Iowa.

Career Choices
State government is one of the largest employers in Iowa, and also one of the most diverse. From state trooper to nurse to engineer, the state offers a wide variety of career opportunities.