Emergency Management Specialist II - (Administrative Analyst II) - Fire, Emergency Management

Howard County Government; Ellicott City (MD); On-site; USD 77,000 - 93,000; Full time

Job summary

Howard County Government in Maryland is seeking an Emergency Management professional to apply the principles across programs and lead projects within the Office of Emergency Management. This essential position requires supervising teams, developing plans, coordinating with county departments and regional partners, and communicating clearly in writing and speech.

It also requires on-call duties, after-hours community engagement, and the ability to work under elevated pressure during emergencies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and two years of related experience.
• Advanced academic degree in emergency management preferred.
• Experience with emergency management technologies such as Alert & Warning systems and EOC systems.
• Strong writing, communication, and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Apply emergency management principles across programs and projects.
• Lead projects and teams; develop policies and procedures.
• Draft technical documents and coordinate with internal/external stakeholders.
• Serve as On-Call Emergency Manager and support EOC activations.

Skills

Emergency management

Project leadership

Written communication

Oral communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Alert & Warning systems

EOC systems

Job description

Howard County:

Conveniently located in the heart of central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington, Howard County offers the charm of a historic past mixed with the excitement of a cosmopolitan community.

Howard County Government:

Howard County Government is a leader in innovation, sustainability, and consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work in the country. In 2026, Howard County Government received a record-breaking 113 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) – the highest number of annual NACo awards achieved in the history of the State of Maryland, and the highest number of awards of any county in the State of Maryland which received a collective 165 awards. NACo is the leading organization representing county-level government operations. These awards recognize innovative and transformative programs that provide new services for county residents, improve existing programs, upgrade working conditions, and enhance citizen participation and public policymaking.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for outstanding individuals to join our team and contribute to excellence in Howard County operations.

What you'll like most about working for Howard County Government:

• We are committed to workplace excellence in every area of County government.
• We have a highly talented, diverse, and inclusive workplace. Your input will not only be heard, but it will be encouraged!
• We offer competitive compensation and great benefits including medical, retirement, and wellness programs.
• As a member of the Howard County Government team, you'll be helping drive our culture and directly impact what makes us an amazing place to work.

POSITION SUMMARY:

Applies the principles and practices of emergency management to perform intermediate professional administrative work and program/project management in the Office of Emergency Management, supporting various County programs. This position supervises and independently leads projects, project teams, and other related work.

STARTING SALARY HIRING RANGE:

$37. 22- $44.58/Hourly

$77,422 - $92,726/Annually

This is the anticipated starting salary range for this position. Please note that the final salary will be determined by the Office of Human Resources, commensurate with experience and aligned to ensure internal equity with similarly situated roles.

This is a Classified position, meaning that it is a part of the Howard County Classified Service upon completion of a probationary period of at least six (6) months.

This position has been designated as "essential personnel," meaning an employee is expected to report for regular work shift during inclement weather, emergency situations, County holidays and on an on-call basis.

The selected candidate is required to reside within one (1) hour of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

This position requires working hours outside of normal business hours to attend community functions, work with partner organizations, and participate in active emergency operations.

Program and Administrative Management:

• Apply principles and practices of emergency management across functional programs, including Alert & Warning, Continuity, Corrective Actions, Finance (grant and budget support), Logistics, Mitigation, Operations, Public Outreach, Planning, and Training & Exercise. Develop, implement, monitor, and report on projects, including those funded by grants.
• Analyze and evaluate trends and best practices to identify hazards, reduce vulnerability, and improve emergency response and recovery.
• Participate in the evaluation, integration, and operation of emergency management tools, technology, and applications.

Planning, Training, and Outreach:

• Lead and support functional activities such as developing emergency plans.
• Conduct training sessions, workshops, and public presentations.
• Attend community functions and work with allied organizations as part of a flexible work schedule, including County departments, community organizations, and regional partner agencies.

Project Leadership and Technical Documentation:

• Supervise and independently lead projects, project teams, working groups, and meetings. Develop solutions, examples, policies, procedures, and program implementation materials.
• Draft and prepare technical documents, including requests for proposals, memorandums of understanding, and other operational documents.
• Work with, build, and maintain relationships with a diverse group of internal and external stakeholder, vendors, etc.

Emergency Operations and Response:

• Serve as an On-Call Emergency Manager on a rotating schedule (including nights and weekends) after training and certification program completion.
• Serve in Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activations or significant County events;Manage logistics, technology support, and operations related to EOC posture and maintenance.
• Function under essential personnel/emergency employee provisions.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Bachelor's degree and two (2) years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

PREFERRED EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Advanced academic degree in a field related to emergency management.
• Emergency management planning (local), training and exercise, grants/fiscal support, and/or program management experience.
• Experience with emergency management technologies such as Alert & Warning systems and EOC systems.
• Experience leading and collaborating with groups of diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrated proficiency in professional writing, communication (written and oral), and interpersonal skills in delivering messaging to both the public and internal audiences.
• Experience managing programs and projects with minimal oversight.
• Any relevant professional certifications, such as Certified Emergency Manager (CEM), Associate Emergency Manager (AEM), Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), Maryland Professional Emergency Managers Program (MDPEMP), Lean Six Sigma (any level), Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM), Certified Climate Change Professional (CC-P), etc.

Applicants must submit a writing sample that demonstrates their ability to communicate complex concepts or information for a general audience. The writing sample should be your own work product, and redaction of personal details is permitted. If you are relying on education or certifications to support your qualifications for the position, please include supporting documentation.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to sit; stand; walk; use hands to touch or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 20 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 40 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be exposed to outside weather conditions. The employee is occasionally exposed to extreme outdoor environments and high, precarious places. The noise level in the work environment is sometimes moderate.

Employees in this classification are occasionally required to wear personal protective equipment such as hearing protection, hardhats, safety glasses and/or goggles, and respiratory protection and must complete required safety training. As such, employees must be able to pass the medical evaluation required prior to respiratory protection fit testing.

The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.

LANGUAGE SKILLS, MATHEMATICAL SKILLS AND REASONING ABILITY:

Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.

Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.

Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.

Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume.

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.

Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.