Recovery Planner (Program Planner 3)

State of Iowa - Executive Branch; Johnston (IA); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

IPERS Retirement

Paid time off

9 paid holidays

401A employer match

Employee discounts

Job summary

Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) seeks a Disaster Recovery Planner to lead statewide recovery planning and coordinate interagency efforts from Johnston, IA. This role blends strategy with practical implementation to strengthen Iowa’s resilience.

Ideal candidates bring strong communication skills, collaboration mindset, and interest in disaster recovery, emergency planning, and multi-agency coordination.

Qualifications

• Seven years of full-time experience in administration or program operations.
• One year of related program administration/technical assistance experience; multiple responsibilities.
• Four years total education + experience as described; college work equivalence.
• Two years of graduate-level education + full-time experience as described.
• Graduation from an accredited school of law.
• Current state executive-branch experience as a Program Planner 1 or 2 with required tenure.

Responsibilities

• Lead state Recovery Plan and coordinate statewide recovery planning.
• Support Recovery Support Functions during operations.
• Liaise with county emergency management and district meetings.
• Help develop and revise essential agency COOP/COG plans.
• Step into active roles during state emergencies and REP exercises.
• Provide grant administration and technical assistance to local stakeholders.

Education

Bachelor's degree in emergency management / public administration / planning

Juris Doctor (law degree)

Job description

Job Description

When disaster strikes, Iowa turns to us—and we look to you. Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) is seeking a motivated emergency management professional to serve as our Disaster Recovery Planner at the Joint Forces Headquarters in Johnston, IA.

In this dynamic role, you will balance high-level strategy with real-world application, leading statewide recovery efforts and coordinating interagency planning. This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on Iowa’s resilience while working in a dynamic, collaborative environment.

This is your chance to make a direct, lasting impact on Iowa’s future—driving recovery and strengthening resilience statewide.

What We Are Seeking

We are seeking a motivated professional who is ready to grow, learn, and contribute to statewide disaster recovery planning. The ideal candidate brings strong communication skills, a willingness to collaborate, and an interest in developing expertise in disaster recovery, emergency planning, and multi‑agency coordination.

A background in emergency management, public administration, planning, or related fields is helpful, but we also welcome applicants who are eager to build these skills. Candidates should be comfortable working with partners across jurisdictions, managing multiple priorities, and representing the Department in both steady‑state and disaster environments.

Responsibilities

• Experience in emergency planning with some knowledge of recovery planning, emergency management, or public administration
• Ability to learn and apply recovery frameworks such as the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) and Recovery Support Functions (RSFs)
• Strong communication, collaboration, and relationship‑building skills
• Solid organizational and planning abilities, with willingness to grow into complex project management
• Comfort working with multiple agencies, community partners, and diverse stakeholder groups
• Ability to represent the Department professionally in meetings, briefings, and public‑facing interactions to include giving presentations and public speaking
• Commitment to developing expertise in continuity planning, emergency planning standards, and community recovery structures

What You Will Do

• Leading and maintaining the State Recovery Plan and coordinating statewide recovery planning efforts
• Supporting Recovery Support Functions and provide assistance during recovery operations
• Serving as a liaison to county emergency management agencies and representing the Department at district meetings
• Assisting in the development and revision of essential agency plans, including Continuity of Operations (COOP) and Continuity of Government (COG)
• Stepping into active operational roles during state emergencies, participate in Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP) exercises, and tackle special projects with agency leadership
• Support local emergency management, HSEM, and other stakeholders by providing grant administration and technical assistance

What We Offer You

• Competitive pay and benefits package including health, dental, flexible spending, and life insurance.
• Opportunities for professional growth and development.
• Paid time off effective immediately (biweekly vacation, separate sick leave, accruals rollover on a yearly basis, and 9 paid holidays per year).
• Iowa Public Employee Retirement System (IPERS) Retirement Package with employer match
• Retirement Investors Club (RIC) (Employer Sponsored Retirement Plan).
• Optional 401A plan with employer contributions: The State makes match contributions into the employee’s selection of investments in a 401(a)-employer match account. The match is $1 for every $1 contributed up to a $75 monthly maximum.
• Employee Discount Programs from variety of vendors (vision, cellular, fitness, recreation, season passes, travel, counseling; legal, financial).

For additional information on benefits, please visit the Iowa Department of Administrative Services website at https://das.iowa.gov/human-resources/employee-and-retiree-benefits.

Travel:

Some travel required.

This position will require a presence in the office on a regular basis

There will be a potential option for some remote work once on-boarding and training have been completed, but this is not a fulltime remote work position.

Working Hours

7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. or 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. or 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

After on-boarding is completed, there is potential for some remote work, but this is not a full‑time remote work position.

HSEM is an equal opportunity employer

All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy or pregnancy‑related condition, consistent with applicable state and federal policies and regulations.

E-Verify and Right to Work

The State of Iowa participates in E-Verify, a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States. The State of Iowa also complies with the federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees’ rights to work without being required to join a labor organization. For more information, please visit www.e-verify.gov.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

• Seven years of full-time work experience in the administration or operation/execution (i.e., providing consultation and/or technical assistance to stakeholders, research and analysis, or enforcement of program guidelines/policies/procedures) of a program (i.e., the provision of a service or an administrative oversight/enforcement responsibility).
• All of the following (a, b, and c):
• One year of full-time work experience in the administration or operation/execution (i.e., providing consultation and/or technical assistance to stakeholders, research and analysis, or enforcement of program guidelines/policies/procedures) of a program (i.e., the provision of a service or an administrative oversight/enforcement responsibility); and
• A total of four years of education and full-time experience (as described in part a), where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university course work in any field equals one year of full-time experience; and
• A total of two years of graduate-level education and full-time experience (as described in part a), where twenty-four semester hours of accredited graduate college or university course work in any field equals one year of full-time experience.
• Graduation from an accredited school of law.
• Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes nine months of full-time work as a Program Planner 2 or twenty‑seven months of full-time work as a Program Planner 1.