Emergency Management Director

About Bannock County

Bannock County serves more than 90,000 residents and is anchored by Pocatello - a regional hub with a strong industrial base, a major university, and a diverse risk environment that includes wildfire corridors, seismic activity, hazardous materials infrastructure, and severe weather. The Office of Emergency Management plays a central role in protecting this community, coordinating preparedness, response, and recovery across local, state, federal, and private-sector partners.

Why This Role Matters

Bannock County is at an inflection point. Increasing risk complexity, growing interagency coordination demands, and heightened expectations for community readiness require a more proactive, relationship-driven emergency management program.

The next Emergency Management Director will be, first and foremost, a builder -of relationships, of trust, and of community commitment to preparedness. Emergency management doesn't work without willing partners. The ability to earn buy-in from elected officials, first responders, private industry leaders, and community organizations is not a nice-to-have in this role. It is the job.

This is a single-incumbent, director-level position with direct access to elected county leadership. You will serve as the county's principal advisor on emergency management and as the Commissioners' Authorized Representative to regional, state and federal partners. The technical dimensions of the role are real - and supported. A dedicated county grants team and an established community partner provide hands-on assistance with federal grant programs, so you can focus on what matters most: leading the program and building the coalitions that make it work.

"We can teach emergency management. We can't teach the instinct to build trust, the drive to bring people together, or the ability to make a community believe that preparedness matters. If those describe you, we want to hear from you."

What Success Looks Like

In the first year, a successful Director will:

• Have built trusted, productive relationships with the Sheriff, Fire Chief, city and county department leaders, and key community stakeholders
• Have earned credibility with the Board of County Commissioners as a reliable, clear‑eyed and technically sound advisor
• Be actively championing a culture of preparedness - making the case for emergency readiness in terms that resonate with each audience
• Have a clear picture of the county's risk landscape and a prioritized plan for addressing the most critical gaps
• Have the program's grant portfolio and compliance requirements organized and on track, working in partnership with the county grants team

Over time, a successful Director will:

• Develop proactive approaches utilizing, planning and mitigation driven decisions, not solely reactionary response
• Become the trusted convener for multi‑agency coordination - the person all partners want at the table
• Strengthen the county's positioning for state and federal funding through strong relationships and well‑managed programs
• Build a resilient program that deploys multi‑agency networks, contingency plans and strengthens continuity of operations

Key Responsibilities

Program Oversight, Advocacy & Relationship-Building

• Performs all duties, responsibilities, and interactions in a professional, effective, compliant, and safe manner according to Federal, State, County and local laws, ordinances and policies,
• Collaborates with the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to establish departmental goals, objectives, priorities, performance measures and work plans,
• Advises and updates the Board of County Commissioners and other elected officials on emergency management events, risks, priorities, work plans, policies and program status,
• Represents the county as the BOCC's Authorized Representative for emergency management matters involving local, regional, state and federal emergency management partners,
• Cultivates and sustains productive relationships with local governments, public safety officials, other first responders, community organizations, private industry partners and other local, regional, state and federal partners to strengthen countywide preparedness and resilience,
• Provide regular strategic updates and policy guidance to the Board of County Commissioners and elected officials

Planning & Preparedness

• Leads Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA), capability assessments, resource identification and other related risk‑analysis to integrate findings into strategic planning, mitigation, training and grant and funding requests,
• Develops, maintains, distributes and coordinates county All‑Hazards Emergency Operations and Mitigation Plans, Incident Action Plans, Continuity of Operations Plans and supporting checklists and procedures for mitigation, preparedness, response, continuity and recovery,
• Research and adapt best practices from peer jurisdictions, state agencies and federal partners,

Training, Exercises & Community Engagement

• Champions a culture of preparedness through community engagement, public education and clear presentations to elected officials, County employees, partner agencies, community groups and the public,
• Chairs the Bannock County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and leads multi‑jurisdictional planning to prioritize mitigation projects and protect critical infrastructure,
• Plans, organizes and conducts community and interagency drills, exercises and training events consistent with applicable grant, local, regional, state and federal requirements,

Emergency Operations

• Coordinates, facilitates and secures the needed staffing, resources, partner and agency communication and other needed functions of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during exercises, training events, emergencies, recovery and mitigation,
• Assesses rapidly developing situations, recommends appropriate courses of action and responds to emergency activations as needed, including during evenings, weekends and for extended operational periods,
• Prepares After Action Reports and improvement plans, tracks corrective actions and incorporates lessons learned into plans, training and program priorities,

Budget, Grants and Compliance

• Identifies and pursues Homeland Security (DHS), Idaho Office of Emergency Management (IOEM) and other grant funding opportunities in collaboration with Bannock County grants team, sub‑recipients and other community partners,
• Supports program grant implementation, compliance, reporting and sub‑recipient performance oversight in collaboration grants support staff,
• Ensures compliance with all applicable federal, state and local emergency management requirements and DHS programs,
• Recommends and manages the departmental agreements, budgets, and prepares and tracks expenditures,
• Maintains accurate logs, records, reports, financial documentation, plans and other records required for program continuity, accountability and compliance, and

Other Responsibilities

• Performs other tasks or responsibilities as assigned or necessary to meet department and County objectives.

Core Competencies

Knowledge

Emergency Management Code & Principles

Federal, state, County, and local emergency services, authorities, laws, regulations, policies and program requirements,

Emergency management principles and all‑hazard planning across mitigation, preparedness, response, continuity and recovery,

Assessment & Planning

Threat and hazard identification methods, capability assessment, resource identification, mitigation planning, critical‑infrastructure protection and how to integrate risk‑analysis in emergency planning,

Emergency Management Operations

Emergency Operation Center operations, public safety response and escalation framework, NIMS, ICS, exercise design, after‑action processes and multi‑agency incident coordination,

Grant & Budget Management

Public‑sector budgeting, grant‑funded program administration, sub‑recipient oversight, records management and compliance documentation.

Skills

Communication & Persuasion

Communicate and present complex, sensitive or urgent information clearly, accurately and persuasively in oral and written form,

Lead through influence, motivate collaboration and maintain effective working relationships with people who do not report to the position,

Cross‑Group & Training Effectiveness

Build collaborative and effective EOC activities and coordinate people, information, resources and priorities during activations,

Develop, maintain, administer and evaluate emergency plans, procedures, training, drills and exercises, and

Organization & Technology

Manages multiple concurrent priorities, deadlines and stakeholder demands without losing detail or momentum,

Works independently and in teams while managing concurrent priorities and time‑sensitive deadlines,

Effectively utilize standard emergency, communication and office technology and other job‑related emergency management systems.

Abilities

Composure Under Pressure

Remain calm, fair and decisive in stressful or rapidly evolving situations by maintaining sound judgement, focusing teams and modeling professionalism during urgent situations,

Problem Solving & Adaptability

Analyze situations quickly and objectively, recognize actual and potential hazards and determine or recommend an appropriate course of action,

Navigates ambiguous, fast‑moving situations with practical, creative solutions and is comfortable making learning and adjusting quickly to make sound decisions with incomplete information, and

Relationship Building & Trust

Builds consensus, trust and productive relationships across jurisdictions and with elected officials, agencies, responders community organizations, private industry and the public.

Required Qualifications

• Three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in emergency management, public safety, public administration or a closely related field,
• Three (3) years of leadership, program management or director‑level responsibility,
• Completion of NIMS/ICS courses ICS‑100, 200, 300, 400, IS‑700, IS‑800), or ability to obtain within the first six (6) months,
• Valid driver's license, and
• Ability to respond to emergency activations on a no‑notice basis, including evenings, weekends and extended operational periods.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in emergency management, Public Administration, Homeland Security or related field,
• Seven (7) or more years of relevant experience and 5 years of leadership experience,
• Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) certification or progress towards certification,
• FEMA Advanced Professional Series (APS) certificate,
• Experience with Homeland Security and Idaho Office of Emergency Management grant programs, compliance and systems,
• Operational experience using NIMS/ICS, WebEOC, GIS, IPAWS and FEMA systems in real‑world incidents, and
• Military emergency management, public safety or civil affairs experience.

Compensation & Benefits

The starting salary for this position is $66,955.20 annually (Grade 15S), with placement commensurate with qualifications and experience. Bannock County offers a competitive public‑sector benefits package designed to support the whole employee:

• PERSI retirement (defined benefit pension), with optional 401(k) and 457(b) retirement plans
• Medical, dental and vision insurance with optional Flex Spending Account (FSA)
• Employer‑paid life and long‑term disability insurance
• Generous paid leave and 11 paid holidays
• Supplemental plans available for life, accident, cancer, critical illness and other coverage
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) employer
• Professional development support, including budgeted CEM and FEMA training

Work Environment & physcial requirements

The principal duties of this position are typically performed in an office environment, at meetings and training locations throughout Bannock County and the region, in the EOC and occasionally at emergencies or disaster sites. Emergency assignments may involve high‑pressure conditions, irregular schedules, travel exposure to inclement weather or incident‑site hazards and extended work periods.

Physical requirements include (with or without reasonable accommodation):

1. Sufficient clarity of speech and hearing to receive instructions, communicate effectively in person and by telephone or radio and recognize sounds associated with emergency conditions,
2. Sufficient visual acuity to read and prepare written and electronic materials review maps and operational information and operate a motor vehicle,
3. Sufficient manual and fine‑motor dexterity to prepare records and reports and operate standard office and emergency management equipment, and
4. Sufficient mobility, flexibility, agility, reflexes and physical strength to work in office and EOC settings and respond to emergency locations while lifting to 25 pounds.

Bannock County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Veterans' preference is applied in accordance with Idaho Code.