Department of Homeland Security

Supervisory Emergency Management Specialist (Response)

Washington, District of Columbia Full time

Supervisory Emergency Management Specialist (Response)

Department: Department of Homeland Security

Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia

Salary Range: $169279 - $197200 Per Year

Job Summary: This position is located in the Response and Recovery, Response Directorate, Operations Division, USAR Branch The ideal candidate for this position will have served in a leadership role and has knowledge of Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Response operations and possesses administration and safe delivery of the capability.

Major Duties:

  • What will I do in this position if hired? In this position, you will be responsible for providing assistance to state and local governments for the safe location, medical stabilization and extrication of survivors of structural collapses. Typical assignments include: Evaluating and managing plans, policies, on safety and operational procedures related to Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Response , including the Readiness Assessment Program. Participating in Administrative Readiness Evaluations and/ or Operational Readiness Exercise Evaluations to review and evaluate the administrative, safety considerations, and/or operational readiness of resources. Identifying safety and operational shortfalls, problems, and the need for intervention at the national level to ensure the accomplishment of goals and objectives to ensure readiness. What else do I need to know? At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters, and every employee at FEMA has a role in emergency management. Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.

Qualifications: Current Federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent grade band in the Federal service. The time-in-grade requirement must be met within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. To qualify for this position at the GS-15 level, you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 level in the Federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the federal government, a state or local government, or private sector, and must demonstrate the following: Serving in a leadership role and advising on a wide range of complex issues in the Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) Response ; AND, Developing program plans, policies, and operational procedures related to disaster operations; AND, Identifying problematic operational and administrative shortfalls and the need for intervention to ensure mission goals are met AND, Directing the actions of individual staff in response to emerging incidents AND providing situational update briefings to senior leaders for the use in decision making Please read the following important information to ensure we have everything we need to consider your application: Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. Please limit your resume to two pages. The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages. Your resume serves as the basis for experience related qualification determinations, and you must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable), as it relates to this job opportunity. Please use your own words, be clear, and specific when describing your work history. We cannot make assumptions regarding your experience. Are you qualifying based on your work experience? Qualifications are based on your ability to demonstrate in your resume that you possess one year of the specialized experience for this announcement at a comparable scope and responsibility. To ensure all of the essential information is in your resume, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS online Resume Builder. If you choose to use your own resume, it must contain the following information organized by experience/position: (1) job title, (2) name of employer, (3) start and end dates of each period of employment (from MM/DD/YY to MM/DD/YY), (4) detailed description of duties performed, accomplishments, and related skills, and (5) hours worked per week (part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience). Federal experience/positions must also include the occupational series, grade level, and dates in which you held each grade level. Are you a current or former FEMA Reservist/DAE employee? To accurately credit your experience from intermittent positions and Reservist Deployments, you must list the dates (from MM/DD/YY to MM/DD/YY) of deployments that are relevant to your qualifying experience, along with the job title and specific duties you were responsible for during each deployment. Determining length of General or Specialized Experience is dependent on the above information. Failure to provide the above information in your resume may result in your application being found "not qualified." Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills, and provides valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. For additional information on crediting experience and/or education, please reference the OPM General Schedule Qualification Standards

How to Apply: Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, the veteran must 1) be a preference eligible; or 2) be a veteran separated after 3 or more years of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement. (Note: Veteran's preference does not apply under Merit Promotion procedures. View VEOA information on Feds Hire Vets.) Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP/CTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not ICTAP/CTAP eligible. View information about ICTAP/CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement. Well-Qualified is defined as those applicants who are rated with a minimum score of 85.00 for this position. Due weight will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3). To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above by 11:59pm (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. To begin, click the "Apply Online" button on the job announcement posting. Follow the directions to register or login if you have an existing account. Submit all required documents and complete the basic eligibility questions. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. Upon completion of your application, you will receive an acknowledgement email. Applications and supporting documentation will not be accepted by mail or email. All application materials, including transcripts, must be in English. It is your responsibility to verify that any information entered or uploaded is received and is accurate. Determining your eligibility and qualifications is dependent on the supporting documentation and information provided, which may impact your referral for further consideration. If a document is not legible, Human Resources will not be able to view it in your application. Incentives may be offered depending on funding availability, the difficulty of positions to fill, and qualifications of applicants Only resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Applicants with resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. If you have questions about this announcement or the application process, please contact the Human Resources Specialist listed in the Agency Contact Information prior to the close of the announcement. An employee, job applicant, or an individual acting on behalf of the employee, may request a Reasonable Accommodation by emailing fema-ocr-ra@fema.dhs.gov with "time sensitive" in the subject line. To review the common definitions of terms found in this announcement, please visit the DHS Common Definitions page. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Review your job status on your Application Dashboard. Your application dashboard is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

Application Deadline: 2026-01-21