Response Coordinator Jobs

Program Specialist V

The Response Coordinator serves as the primary point of contact for Disaster Behavioral Health Coordination (DBHC) response operations. The Response Coordinator is responsible for the coordination, tracking, and documentation of disaster behavioral health-related response activities (both natural and incidents of mass violence), grant development, and creation of innovative tools and training designed to enhance and improve response capacity and effectiveness. This position reports to the Assistant Director of Disaster Behavioral Health Coordination under minimal supervision, with considerable latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.
Response Activities
Performs highly complex, advanced (senior-level) consultative services and technical assistance work to identify, develop, coordinate, and deliver evidence-informed all-hazards DBH response and short-term recovery activities and services. Work is heavily focused on coordinating, identifying, researching, facilitating, tracking, writing, soliciting feedback, updating, evaluating, and completing DBH response and short-term recovery assignments related to federal, state, regional, and/or local emergencies, incidents, disasters, or exercises. Works closely with Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) systems agencies, divisions, departments, programs, and external stakeholders to coordinate DBH-related deployable team resources.
Assists in the development of tools, protocols, and training designed to improve stakeholder response capability and efficiency. Specific activities may include: providing input on policy issues; assisting with the development of materials to support DBH response and short-term recovery related training and technical assistance activities. Duties include the development and oversight of complex, detailed documents and spreadsheets, facilitation of briefings, meetings, trainings, workgroups, and maintaining highly detailed and accurate data base related to DBHC.
Serves as liaison to personnel and/or volunteers designated as the DBH points of contact within Local Mental Health/Behavioral Health Authorities, Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), Texas Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, and other stakeholder groups. Maintains accurate contact lists, information and rosters, and facilitates scheduled conference calls.
Grant Related Activities
Assists with the development of programs for grant applications. Coordinates the preparation, collection, analysis, and distribution of DBH-related response activities and data for agency and external stakeholder incident situation reports and federal grant applications.
Other duties include participating and/or serving in a supporting role to meet the agency’s obligations during DBH preparedness, response, and recovery exercises and activities. Duties may be performed outside individual’s assigned work area and outside of normal working hours, including weekends and holidays, under stressful conditions and adverse weather conditions to support disaster preparedness, response, and recovery activities.
This position may be required to deploy to communities impacted by disasters or mass violence incidents with little notice.
Essential Job Functions

• Assists with the development and coordination of response activities following criminal incident and/or disasters. Maintain accurate provider emergency contact information and deployment rosters and schedules and facilitate response meetings. May assist with After Action Reviews (AAR). Serves as general, institutional knowledge holder for response activities. Drafts and coordinates information and communications related to legislative responses and reports, public presentations, correspondence, and memoranda for internal and external representatives (40%)
• Assists with the assessment, design, development and implementation of grants, DBH programming, policies, procedures and other operational standardization functions. Plans, develops, maintains policies and standard operating procedures related to the DBHC’s planning, response and recovery framework; Assists in the development of program metrics i.e. outputs, outcomes, key performance indicators; Measures program effectiveness and recommends and implements practice enhancements and process improvements. (30%)
• Attends work on a regular and predictable schedule in accordance with agency leave policy and performs other duties as assigned.

Deploys as a member of the HHSC BHS incident response team to a designated facility, disaster site, or federal, state, or local Emergency Operations Center or provider facility. Individual will deploy to assist with the coordination of DBH services at time of an incident or disaster with little to no notice. Deployment will range for multiple days including nights, weekends and holidays. Serves as DBHC liaison and will coordinate DBH services provided by Local Mental Health/Behavioral Health Authority designated disaster personnel, potential state and local-level response entities. Coordinates the preparation, collection, analysis, and distribution of DBH-related response activities e.g. SITREPS, STAR requests (20%)
This position must have the ability to travel 40% or as needed, with little to no notice, to accomplish program and agency mission.

• Develops, prepares, reviews and delivers presentations, trainings, briefings, and reports to diverse audiences on DBH and incident/disaster response and short-term recovery related activities, issues, programs, projects, exercises, and/or grants and associated correspondence. (10%)

Knowledge
Knowledge Skills Abilities:

• Knowledge of the grant program development and implementation.
• Knowledge of federal and state DBH planning, response and recovery programs and services.
• Knowledge of adult learning protocols and experience delivering training to adult audiences.
• Knowledge of Trauma Informed Care and/or DBH early psychological interventions; including but not limited to Psychological First Aid, and critical incident stress management modalities.
• Knowledge of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Texas Division of Emergency Management, and Victims of Crime Act as it relates to DBH planning, response, and recovery.
• Knowledge of the National Incident Management System and the Incident Command System.
• Knowledge of program planning, implementation, and monitoring practices and procedures.

Skills

• Skill with SharePoint and Visio preferred.
• Skills with Microsoft software, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access.
• Skill developing contract statements of work and monitoring compliance with contract deliverables.
• Skill developing and writing business processes, policies, and procedures.
• Skill in gathering, assembling, correlating, and analyzing data from multiple sources for inclusion in reports and/or grant applications.
• Skills in developing, preparing, reviewing and delivering presentations, trainings, briefings, and reports to diverse audiences on DBH, disaster response and immediate recovery-related issues, programs, projects, and/or grants and associated correspondence.

Abilities

• Ability to make independent and sound technical judgments and to analyze new situations when encountered.
• Ability to create and maintain accurate records on multiple programs, projects, and grant documents.
• Ability to accurately perform duties under stressful conditions with strict deadlines and competing priorities.
• Ability to develop and deliver trainings, briefings, and presentations to diverse audiences using Microsoft software including PowerPoint and Excel or similar programs.
• Ability to use initiative to develop solutions to barriers or problems.
• Ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences both orally and in writing.
• Ability to work long hours, including weekends and holidays under stressful and tight deadlines in support of DBH response and recovery operations/activities.

Registration Or Licensure Requirements
Current Driver’s License
Current licensure/certification as a behavioral health professional preferred.
Advanced degree preferred
Initial Selection Criteria
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major course work in business, public administration or human services field administration plus, two (2) years of relevant work experience. Advanced degree preferred. Additional related work experience may substitute for the required education on a year-for-year basis
Experience and/or training in and utilization of DBH early psychological interventions and/or DBH planning, response, and/or recovery programs or processes.
Completion of FEMA courses IS-100, IS-200, IS-550, IS-700 and IS-800, is preferred. If not completed prior to onboarding, they should be completed within 30 days of hire.
Additional Information
DBHC is currently 100% telework, with occasional, scheduled office visits as directed by leadership. Telework is governed in accordance with agency and division telework policy and is subject to change at the discretion of leadership.
Individual is required to monitor program communications via iPhone, text message and email and promptly respond accordingly.
Only applicants selected for an interview will be notified of selection results.
Ability to work the hours 8 AM – 5PM, Monday through Friday, and be flexible to work alternate work hours as needed. Job requires working beyond normal working hours, including holidays and weekends when necessary, frequently following an emergency, incident, and/or disaster declaration with little prior notice. Individual must be able to work under stressful situations and long hours as part of a deployed team.
Ability to travel 40% or as needed, with little to no notice, to accomplish program and agency mission.
Individual is required to monitor program communications via iPhone, text message and email and promptly respond accordingly.
An in-basket exercise will be given immediately following the interview. Only applicants selected for an interview will be notified of selection results.
HHS agencies use E-Verify. You must bring you I-9 documentation with you on your first day of work. I-9 Form - Click here to download the I-9 form.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), HHS agencies will provide reasonable accommodation during the hiring and selection process for qualified individuals with a disability. If you need assistance completing the on-line application, contact the HHS Employee Service Center at 1-888-894-4747. If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodation to participate in the interview process, please notify the person scheduling the interview.
MOS Code
n/a
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HHS agencies use E-Verify. You must bring your I-9 documentation with you on your first day of work.
I-9 Form - Click here to download the I-9 form.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), HHS agencies will provide reasonable accommodation during the hiring and selection process for qualified individuals with a disability. If you need assistance completing the on-line application, contact the HHS Employee Service Center at 1-888-894-4747. If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodation to participate in the interview process, please notify the person scheduling the interview.