Position Summary

The Emergency Management Coordinator plans, organizes, coordinates, and administers Burke County's emergency management program. The position leads countywide preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts; maintains required emergency plans; coordinates with local, state, federal, tribal, nonprofit, and private-sector partners; supports the Emergency Operations Center (EOC); and provides timely public information during emergencies and disasters.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, review, and update the county emergency operations plan, hazard mitigation plan, continuity plans, annexes, procedures, resource lists, and related documents.

• Coordinate preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation activities among county departments, cities, townships, fire districts, ambulance services, law enforcement, healthcare providers, schools, utilities, volunteer organizations, and other partners.

• Activate, organize, and support the county EOC when directed or conditions require; maintain EOC readiness, documentation, communications, and situational awareness.

• Apply the Incident Command System and National Incident Management System during incidents; support incident commanders and coordinate county resources without replacing field command authority.

• Serve as a liaison with the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services, FEMA, neighboring jurisdictions, and other agencies before, during, and after emergencies.

• Develop and conduct training, drills, tabletop exercises, functional exercises, and after-action reviews for elected officials, employees, responders, volunteers, and partner agencies.

• Maintain warning and notification capabilities and coordinate public alerts, emergency messages, media information, and other public communications with authorized officials.

• Monitor weather, hazardous conditions, infrastructure disruptions, and emerging threats; promptly notify appropriate officials and response organizations.

• Maintain emergency contact lists, mutual-aid information, facilities data, equipment inventories, and other operational records.

• Coordinate damage assessment, disaster declarations, resource requests, recovery documentation, and state or federal assistance processes.

• Identify mitigation projects and funding opportunities; assist with grant applications, grant administration, compliance, reimbursement documentation, and required reporting.

• Prepare and manage the emergency management budget, purchasing requests, agreements, reports, and program records in accordance with county policy and applicable requirements.

• Provide preparedness education and outreach to residents, businesses, schools, community groups, and partner agencies.

• Attend County Commission meetings and other meetings as requested; provide reports, recommendations, and briefings to elected officials and stakeholders.

• Maintain confidentiality of protected, sensitive, or security-related information and follow applicable records-retention and open-records requirements.

• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in emergency management, public administration, public safety, homeland security, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of relevant education, training, and experience.

• Experience in emergency management, public safety, incident coordination, government administration, or a closely related field.

• Valid driver's license and the ability to travel throughout Burke County and to training or incident locations as required.

• Ability to successfully complete required background checks and maintain any credentials or access required for the position.

• Ability to obtain required FEMA Independent Study and other emergency management training within timeframes established by the County or the State of North Dakota.

Preferred Qualifications

• FEMA/NIMS training, including ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-300, ICS-400, IS-700, and IS-800.

• Experience working in an EOC or within an Incident Command System organization.

• Knowledge of North Dakota emergency management laws, programs, reporting systems, and disaster assistance processes.

• Experience with emergency notification systems, grants, public information, damage assessment, GIS, radio communications, or WebEOC or comparable incident-management software.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of emergency planning, hazard mitigation, disaster response and recovery, continuity planning, and incident management principles.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to brief officials, prepare clear reports, and communicate calmly during high-stress situations.

• Ability to organize complex projects, maintain accurate records, meet deadlines, and manage multiple priorities with limited supervision.

• Ability to build cooperative working relationships across jurisdictions and disciplines and to exercise sound judgment, discretion, and diplomacy.

• Proficiency with common office software, email, online reporting systems, virtual meeting tools, and communications equipment; ability to learn specialized systems.

• Ability to interpret laws, regulations, plans, policies, maps, weather information, and technical guidance and translate them into practical local action.

Supervision and Decision-Making

The coordinator works under the policy direction of the Burke County Commission or its designee and exercises independent judgment within approved plans, policies, budgets, and applicable law. The position may coordinate employees, responders, volunteers, contractors, and agency representatives during exercises or incidents but does not necessarily have regular supervisory responsibility unless assigned by the County.

Working Conditions and Availability

• Work is performed in office, field, EOC, vehicle, and incident-site environments and may involve severe weather, damaged infrastructure, noise, dust, smoke, uneven terrain, or other emergency conditions.

• The position requires occasional evening, weekend, holiday, and extended-hour work, as well as on-call availability and rapid response during emergencies.

• Travel within the county and occasional overnight travel for training, meetings, exercises, or incident support may be required.

• The employee must follow safety procedures and use required personal protective equipment appropriate to the assignment.

Physical Requirements

The employee must be able to communicate effectively in person, by telephone, radio, and electronic means; use a computer and standard office equipment; sit or stand for extended periods; move about offices and field locations; drive a motor vehicle; and occasionally lift or carry supplies and equipment weighing up to 30 pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Required Training and Continuing Education

The employee must complete training required by Burke County, the State of North Dakota, FEMA, or applicable grant and program requirements and must maintain current knowledge of emergency management practices, technology, and regulatory changes.

‍Applications can be obtained from the Burke County Auditor’s Office or the Burke County website.
Submit completed applications to:

Burke County Auditor
PO BOX 310
Bowbells, ND 58721

avandegraft@nd.gov

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

‍Burke County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or any other protected status. Veterans preference will be applied in accordance with North Dakota law.