Geographic Information System Specialist

GeoSearch; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 48,000 - 76,000; Part time

Job summary

GeoSearch in Los Angeles seeks a GIS Technical Planning Specialist to support national integrated planning for the LA28 Olympics, coordinating with FEMA and other partners.

The role is deployment-based and on-call across the United States; team members must work in-person near Los Angeles, CA. You will apply planning, data analytics, and geospatial analysis to emergency management across federal, state, and local partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in emergency management, public administration, planning, data science, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in emergency management planning, preferably with FEMA or other federal deployments.
• Familiarity with FEMA’s Incident Command System (ICS), planning doctrine, and disaster recovery operations
• Experience applying the FOPM Six-Step Planning Process in real-world planning scenarios
• Demonstrated understanding of government regulations related to emergency management and disaster recovery
• Proficiency in data analysis tools such as Microsoft Excel, Power BI, and GIS
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including technical writing and stakeholder facilitation
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in dynamic, high-pressure environments
• Must be eligible to obtain a Public Trust clearance
• Must have a valid driver’s license, good driving record and ability to pass a driving record background check.

Responsibilities

• Develop, validate, and implement emergency operations plans, hazard mitigation plans, and continuity of operations plans
• Apply FEMA’s FOPM Six-Step Planning Process to guide planning deliverables and stakeholder engagement
• Support planning task orders through coordination, documentation, and technical assistance
• Facilitate stakeholder engagement and interagency coordination for planning efforts
• Assist in the design and execution of exercises to test and improve plans
• Provide surge staffing support during disaster activations and deployments
• Integrate data analysis and geospatial analytics into planning products to support evidence-based decision making
• Perform quantitative and qualitative analysis in emergency management policies, programs, and procedures supporting federal agencies
• Develop and implement database management solutions utilizing big data frameworks or modeling, and data science techniques including developing and applying AI/ML approaches to analytics
• Ensure compliance with applicable government regulations and federal guidance

Skills

Emergency management

Planning

Data analysis

GIS

Technical writing

Stakeholder facilitation

Education

Bachelor's degree in emergency management

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Power BI

GIS platforms

Job description

The GIS Technical Planning Specialist will support national integrated planning capacity to support Federal, State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial operational coordination. Work involves planning and coordinating across a range of stakeholders in support of the LA28 Olympics. Applicants should be prepared to work in-person with FEMA and other contractor staff across Los Angeles in the lead-up to the LA28 Olympic Games. You will collaborate with top-tier emergency management professionals and use your planning and analytical expertise to support planning support, operational research, logistics, regional planning and data analytics for comprehensive emergency management efforts. Other geospatial and technical writing skills with a planning background may be considered.

*Please note, this is not a traditional full‑time position. It is a deployment‑based, on-call position across the United States. Team members must be located near Los Angeles, CA.

Responsibilities

Candidates must have a understanding of emergency management response programs and FEMA’s role in coordinating the federal response to support state and local partners, good critical thinking and writing skills, and the ability to facilitate complex discussions with emergency management and homeland security enterprise stakeholders. Work assignments will include:

• Develop, validate, and implement emergency operations plans, hazard mitigation plans, and continuity of operations plans
• Apply FEMA’s FOPM Six-Step Planning Process to guide planning deliverables and stakeholder engagement
• Support planning task orders through coordination, documentation, and technical assistance
• Facilitate stakeholder engagement and interagency coordination for planning efforts
• Assist in the design and execution of exercises to test and improve plans
• Provide surge staffing support during disaster activations and deployments
• Integrate data analysis and geospatial analytics into planning products to support evidence-based decision making
• Perform quantitative and qualitative analysis in emergency management policies, programs, and procedures supporting federal agencies
• Develop and implement database management solutions utilizing big data frameworks or modeling, and data science techniques including developing and applying AI/ML approaches to analytics
• Ensure compliance with applicable government regulations and federal guidance

Required Skills & Required Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in emergency management, public administration, planning, data science, or a related field
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in emergency management planning, preferably with FEMA or other federal deployments
• Familiarity with FEMA’s Incident Command System (ICS), planning doctrine, and disaster recovery operations
• Experience applying the FOPM Six-Step Planning Process in real-world planning scenarios
• Demonstrated understanding of government regulations related to emergency management and disaster recovery
• Proficiency in data analysis tools such as Microsoft Excel, Power BI, and GIS platforms
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including technical writing and stakeholder facilitation
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in dynamic, high-pressure environments
• Must be eligible to obtain a Public Trust clearance
• Must have a valid driver’s license, good driving record and ability to pass a driving record background check.

Salary Range

The projected range for this position is $35 to $55 hourly. Depending upon other factors, i.e., skills, experience, location, market conditions, the range may vary slightly.