On Call Emergency Managers, Recovery

WSP in the U.S.; Jacksonville (FL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

WSP USA is a leading engineering and professional services firm providing emergency management support across the United States. This on-call cadre role supports disaster recovery operations nationwide, including travel to client sites and deployment on short notice.

The position emphasizes leadership of recovery activities, supervision of staff, and adherence to federal, state, and local program requirements, including FEMA Public Assistance.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional experience, including 1+ year in an Emergency Management role.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Emergency Management, Public Administration, or related field.
• Extensive knowledge of Emergency Management principles and techniques.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel).
• Travel required to client sites.
• Demonstrated ethical decision-making regarding company funds and resources.
• Ability to uphold safety policies and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee disaster recovery operations for assigned clients, directing teams through all phases of recovery.
• Deploy to Emergency Operations Centers or Field Staging Areas to lead recovery efforts on the ground.
• Supervise recovery staff across logistics, documentation, and resource management.
• Oversee grant management activities and ensure compliance with program requirements.
• Manage a portfolio of recovery projects from initiation through closeout.
• Build and maintain client relationships as a trusted advisor.

Skills

Emergency Management

Project coordination

MS Office

Communication

Ethical decision-making

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Emergency Management/Public Administration

FEMA EMI PD Series certification

Tools

Outlook

Word

Excel

Job description

Job Description

WSP is one of the world’s leading professional services firms, dedicated to preparing communities for the future while building on a legacy of over a century of engineering excellence. Our Emergency Management team supports clients nationwide — and in US territories — as they prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters of every scale. We’re looking for dedicated professionals ready to bring their expertise to communities when they need it most.

WSP is expanding its On-Call Emergency Management Recovery Cadre and is seeking qualified On-Call Emergency Managers, Recovery to support disaster recovery operations. As work is performed at the point of deployment, these roles have the potential to report out of any WSP USA office including Tallahassee, FL; Miami, FL; Tampa, FL; Orlando, FL; Jacksonville, FL; Birmingham, AL; New Orleans, LA; Raleigh, NC; Columbia, SC; Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA; or Sacramento, CA.

We are seeking individuals who are eager to support emergency management recovery efforts on an on‑call basis. This is not a full‑time position and opportunities are project‑dependent.

Selected candidates must be available to travel with minimal notice and able to deploy anywhere in the United States with 24‑48 hours’ notice. Candidates should also be prepared to sustain demanding work schedules, including extended hours and consecutive days, throughout an assignment.

Your Impact

• Lead and oversee disaster recovery operations for assigned clients, directing teams of specialists through all phases of recovery, including funding, documentation, and rebuilding processes.
• Deploy to Emergency Operations Centers and/or Field Staging Areas before, during, and after disasters to lead recovery operations on the ground and serve as the primary point of contact for client leadership.
• Supervise and mentor recovery staff across logistics, supply coordination, cost documentation, and resource management functions, ensuring quality and consistency of deliverables.
• Oversee the analysis and evaluation of project applications, supporting documentation, and inspection reports to ensure accuracy and compliance with applicable federal, state, and local recovery program requirements (including FEMA Public Assistance).
• Manage a portfolio of recovery projects from initiation through closeout, ensuring quality, completeness, staffing adequacy, and on‑time delivery.
• Oversee the use of grant management and tracking systems to monitor client progress, documentation status, and funding milestones across multiple projects.
• Serve as subject matter expert on procurement, contracting, and grant compliance requirements across various disaster recovery funding sources, advising both staff and clients.
• Lead training and onboarding for recovery staff to maintain team readiness and deployment eligibility.
• Build and maintain client relationships, acting as a trusted advisor to agency leadership throughout the recovery lifecycle.

Examples of Work

(NOTE: These examples of work are representative of the work, but every position classified for this job may not perform all examples of work listed. Conversely, this is not an all‑inclusive list of work examples.)

• Provide strategic and technical guidance to applicants and staff throughout the disaster recovery process, including interpretation of FEMA Public Assistance policies, eligibility requirements, procurement standards, and insurance considerations.
• Direct the review of project documentation, damage assessments, invoices, contracts, and supporting records to determine compliance with applicable federal, state, and program requirements, and resolve escalated issues.
• Lead grant administration activities across the project lifecycle, including project formulation, documentation development, funding review, closeout activities, appeals, audits, and requests for information.
• Oversee field visits, site inspections, and damage assessments, and guide the development of recovery strategies and funding recommendations.
• Direct the use of grant management systems and other tools to track project status, monitor compliance, maintain records, and ensure timely delivery across a team’s workload.
• Manage staffing plans, assignments, and performance for a team of recovery specialists during deployment.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years professional experience, including 1+ years in an Emergency Management role (Response, Recovery or related), or equivalent.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Emergency Management, Public Administration, or similar/related concentration, or equivalent.
• Extensive knowledge of Emergency Management principles, methods and techniques.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook (Email), Word, and Excel.
• FEMA Emergency Management Institute Independent Study - Professional Development Series certification.
• Travel Required - Must be able to travel to client sites as project warrants.
• Exercise responsible and ethical decision‑making regarding company funds, resources and conduct and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
• Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP’s health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Emergency Management (or related field).
• Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) or equivalent professional certification.
• Prior experience supervising or managing multi‑person recovery teams in a deployed environment.
• Strong background in writing, reviewing, and approving recovery‑related funding documentation (e.g., project worksheets or comparable eligibility scopes).
• Demonstrated expertise in financial compliance review as it relates to disaster funding programs.
• Experience managing client relationships and serving as an escalation point for complex or high‑visibility recovery projects.

Additional Requirements

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk, driving in a vehicle, or working on a computer.
• Prolonged periods of walking or standing.
• Ability to walk on uneven terrain in adverse weather, occasionally.
• Must be available for travel and deployment to support client operations at field locations for extended periods.
• Selected candidates must successfully pass company and client‑required background and reference checks, as applicable.

Compensation

• Expected Salary (all locations): $40-$45/hour
• Expected Salary (Colorado only): $40-$45/hour
• WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.

About WSP

WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world’s leading engineering and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 15,000 employees in over 300 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper.

WSP provides a flexible and agile workplace model while meeting client needs. Employees are also afforded a comprehensive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and retirement savings focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career.

At WSP, we want to give our employees the challenges they seek to grow their careers and knowledge base. Your daily contributions to your team will be essential in meeting client objectives, goals and challenges. Are you ready to get started?

WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer Race/Age/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/Disability or Protected Veteran Status.

The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.

Notice to Third Party Agencies

WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation – no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.