Emergency Management Directors

11-9161.00 Zone 4 — Considerable Preparation Needed

Plan and direct disaster response or crisis management activities, provide disaster preparedness training, and prepare emergency plans and procedures for natural (e.g., hurricanes, floods, earthquakes), wartime, or technological (e.g., nuclear power plant emergencies or hazardous materials spills) disasters or hostage situations.

Also known as: 911 Communications Manager, Change Management Specialist, Civil Defense Director, Civil Preparedness Officer, Disaster Response Director, Emergency Management Coordinator, Emergency Management Director, Emergency Management Planner, ...

Annual Salary

$86,130

Median annual wage (May 2024)

$64,470 25th – 75th percentile $119,690

10th percentile $51,260

90th percentile $160,420

U.S. Employment: 12,570

Job Outlook

+3%

Projected growth, 2024–2034 (About average)

Annual Job Openings 1,000 per year (avg. 2024–2034)

Typical education: Bachelor's degree

Experience: 5 years or more

What You'd Do

Keep informed of activities or changes that could affect the likelihood of an emergency, response efforts, or plan implementation.
Prepare plans that outline operating procedures to be used in response to disasters or emergencies, such as hurricanes, nuclear accidents, and terrorist attacks, and in recovery from these events.
Propose alteration of emergency response procedures, based on regulatory changes, technological changes, or knowledge gained from outcomes of previous emergency situations.
Maintain and update all resource materials associated with emergency preparedness plans.
Coordinate disaster response or crisis management activities, such as ordering evacuations, opening public shelters, and implementing special needs plans and programs.
Develop and maintain liaisons with municipalities, county departments, and similar entities to facilitate plan development, response effort coordination, and exchanges of personnel and equipment.
Keep informed of federal, state, and local regulations affecting emergency plans, and ensure that plans adhere to those regulations.
Prepare emergency situation status reports that describe response and recovery efforts, needs, and preliminary damage assessments.
Design and administer emergency or disaster preparedness training courses that teach people how to effectively respond to major emergencies and disasters.
Inspect facilities and equipment, such as emergency management centers and communications equipment, to determine their operational and functional capabilities in emergency situations.

Consult with officials of local and area governments, schools, hospitals, and other institutions to determine their needs and capabilities in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency.
Develop and perform tests and evaluations of emergency management plans in accordance with state and federal regulations.
Attend meetings, conferences, and workshops related to emergency management to learn new information and to develop working relationships with other emergency management specialists.
Collaborate with other officials to prepare and analyze damage assessments following disasters or emergencies.
Develop instructional materials for the public and make presentations to citizens' groups to provide information on emergency plans and their implementation processes.
Train local groups in the preparation of long-term plans that are compatible with federal and state plans.
Review emergency plans of individual organizations, such as medical facilities, to ensure their adequacy.
Conduct surveys to determine the types of emergency-related needs to be addressed in disaster planning, or provide technical support to others conducting such surveys.
Study emergency plans used elsewhere to gather information for plan development.
Apply for federal funding for emergency-management-related needs, and administer and report on the progress of such grants.

Top Skills

Service Orientation 4.3

Speaking 4.1

Complex Problem Solving 4.1

Reading Comprehension 4.0

Active Listening 4.0

Writing 4.0

Coordination 4.0

Critical Thinking 4.0

Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)

Knowledge Areas

Public Safety and Security 4.7

Administration and Management 4.2

Law and Government 4.2

Communications and Media 4.1

English Language 4.0

Customer and Personal Service 3.9

Telecommunications 3.9

Education and Training 3.9

Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)

Education Level Distribution

Percentage of workers in this occupation by education level

Bachelor's

59.1%

Master's

13.6%

Some College

9.1%

Post-Bacc Cert

9.1%

High School

4.6%

Associate's

4.6%

Technology & Tools

Software and tools commonly used in this role

In-Demand Technologies

ESRI ArcGIS software Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft SharePoint Microsoft Word

Other Tools

Alert Technologies OpsCenter Desktop publishing software Digital Engineering Corporation E-MAPS Emergency Managers Weather Information Network EMWIN Emergency Services Integrators ESi WebEOC Federal Emergency Management Information System FEMIS Geographic information system GIS software Graphics software IBM Lotus Notes MapInfo Professional McAfee National Center for Crisis and Continuity Coordination NC4 E Team Relational database software SoftRisk Technologies SoftRisk SQL Statistical software +2 more

Work Styles

Personality traits and work styles important for this career

3.0

Stress Tolerance

2.9

Integrity

2.9

Dependability

2.7

Adaptability

2.7

Leadership Orientation

2.6

Self-Control

2.5

Attention to Detail

Key Abilities

Cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities important for this role

Oral Comprehension 4.1

Oral Expression 4.1

Speech Clarity 4.1

Deductive Reasoning 4.1

Written Comprehension 4.0

Written Expression 4.0

Problem Sensitivity 4.0

Inductive Reasoning 4.0

Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)

Work Activities

General types of job behaviors occurring on this job

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates 4.5

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships 4.5

Making Decisions and Solving Problems 4.5

Getting Information 4.5

Developing and Building Teams 4.4

Working with Computers 4.4

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work 4.3

Communicating with People Outside the Organization 4.3

Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)

Work Environment

Physical and social factors that influence the nature of work

E-Mail

4.9

Telephone Conversations

4.8

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams

4.5

Contact With Others

4.4

Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team

4.4

Freedom to Make Decisions

4.4

Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals

4.3

Indoors, Environmentally Controlled

4.2

Deal With External Customers or the Public in General

4.1

Health and Safety of Other Workers

4.1

Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities

4.1

Importance of Being Exact or Accurate

3.7

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First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers

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Emergency Medical Technicians

$41K

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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.