Senior Emergency Management and Evacuation Planner

Overview

Location(s): CaliforniaPractice/Department: Urban Forestry/FireWork Environment: Hybrid/RemoteCompensation: $100,000-$140,000/annually*

Dudek’s journey began in 1980 with a vision to serve Southern California’s water and wastewater agencies.

Today, we are a 100% employee-owned firm supporting clients nationwide and delivering projects that improve and protect the built and natural environments of communities throughout the United States. Our work has been recognized by leading industry organizations, and we’ve been honored with multiple national Top Workplace Awards.

Our employee-owners are unified by a singular commitment to supporting projects that address key societal issues, such as the transition to renewable energy, infrastructure hardening and repair, environmental protection, and community resilience.

Learn more about our award-winning culture, the benefits and perks of being a Dudekian, and the projects you will have the opportunity to shape.

Position Overview

Who You Are

As an employee-owner, you embrace accountability, working safely, and collaboration while thinking resourcefully and independently.

Like all Dudekians, you are curious and solution-oriented, with the ability to adapt quickly to changes and approach challenges with a spirit of innovation.

How You’ll Make an Impact

We are seeking a mid- to senior-level professional to join our fire protection and evacuation planning team on a full-time basis. Dudek’s team has been working in the wildfire assessment and fire protection planning field for nearly 25 years. We work with landowners, development companies, and land management agencies to evaluate wildfire hazards and evacuation approaches and develop plans that provide a framework for analyzing evacuation impacts according to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) standards. The ideal candidate will combine hands-on emergency management experience working for, or directly supporting, a public agency—such as a local emergency management office, law enforcement agency, fire department, CAL FIRE, the U.S. Forest Service, or the Bureau of Land Management—with environmental planning and CEQA experience. In this role, you will manage public-sector wildfire evacuation planning and analysis projects, including General Plan and Safety Element evacuation studies; develop evacuation scenarios; evaluate evacuation route capacity and constraints; and deliver clear, defensible technical memoranda and recommendations. This position is ideally located near one of our California offices, but we will consider accommodating other location preferences. The position requires travel to project sites and client or fire agency offices throughout California, as needed. Familiarity with emergency planning procedures and standards, the Incident Command System, and state and local building, development, and defensible space codes and standards is also highly desirable.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Analyze project maps, plans, and datasets and summarize evacuation conditions for inclusion in reports and management plans.
• Conduct field assessments to evaluate evacuation hazard conditions.
• Analyze field data, GIS data, and conduct project-related research.
• Prepare or support preparation of evacuation plans and technical reports, including development of recommendations.
• Manage public wildfire evacuation planning and analysis projects (scope, schedule, budget, and deliverables), including Safety Element and other community evacuation studies.
• Develop and document evacuation scenarios, assumptions, and methodologies; evaluate evacuation route capacity constraints and travel time considerations; and identify areas of potential congestion and operational needs.
• Direct wildfire evacuation modeling by traffic and transportation planners
• Coordinate with clients and partner agencies (e.g., local jurisdictions, fire agencies, law enforcement, and transportation/public works) to obtain data, validate assumptions, and align recommendations.
• Lead quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) for technical memoranda, graphics, and supporting documentation.
• Attend meetings to discuss the results of project-related assessments and analyses; present findings to project teams, stakeholders, and public decision-making bodies as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in emergency management, fire science, public safety, environmental planning, urban or regional planning, environmental science, geography, or a related field; or equivalent relevant professional experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience working for, or directly supporting, a public agency in emergency management, law enforcement, fire service, wildfire response, evacuation planning, or incident preparedness. Experience with evaluating wildfire risk under CEQA.
• Professional environmental planning experience, including preparation or review of CEQA documents, General Plans, Safety Elements, environmental impact analyses, mitigation measures, or related planning documents
• Demonstrable experience preparing large technical documents.
• Experience preparing or reviewing CEQA analyses and supporting technical studies, preferably involving wildfire risk, evacuation, hazards, transportation, public safety, or General Plan and Safety Element planning.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate emergency management operations, public-agency coordination, and operational constraints into defensible environmental planning analyses, mitigation measures, implementation recommendations, and technical reports.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct research; evaluate datasets, planning documents, and site development plans; and summarize pertinent information in clear, technically sound reports.
• Demonstrable experience preparing substantial technical documents and communicating evacuation and environmental planning concepts to project teams, agencies, and public decision-making bodies.
• Ability to understand and apply emergency planning procedures and standards and to work effectively across emergency management, fire, law enforcement, transportation, public works, and environmental planning disciplines.
• Excellent technical, project management, and professional communication

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct employment, assignment, or embedded consulting experience with a local, state, or federal emergency management, law enforcement, fire, or land management agency.
• Familiarity with the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS), National Incident Management System (NIMS), Incident Command System (ICS), emergency operations plans, hazard mitigation plans, evacuation annexes, and operational-area coordination.
• Completion of FEMA NIMS and ICS courses IS-100, IS-200, IS-700, and IS-800.
• Experience facilitating multidisciplinary coordination among planning, fire, law enforcement, public works, transportation, and emergency management personnel.
• Experience managing public-sector wildfire evacuation planning or analysis projects and presenting technical findings to public agencies, elected or appointed bodies, community groups, or incident management personnel.
• Familiarity with evacuation modeling and analysis software packages and toolkits.

Compensation: $100,000-140,000/annually*

*Final agreed-upon compensation will be based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, an individual’s related experience, education, certifications, skills, and work location. Successful candidates must pass a pre-employment drug test and background check prior to beginning employment.

Working Conditions

• This job operates in a remote or office-based environment and this role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, printers, etc.
• This job requires occasional project site visits, based outdoors which can include excessive noise, uneven walking surfaces, extreme weather, and moving vehicles and equipment.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. This job requires the following:

• Working on a computer, sitting, or standing for long periods of time in an office or remote office setting.
• Employees must be capable of bending, squatting, climbing ladders, and lifting up to 35 lbs. unassisted; 50lbs in a team lift (two or more employees).
• This job requires attending meetings, both in person and virtually as well as speaking on the phone with government agency representatives, members of the public, and others. Speaking, hearing and listening are required.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
• Outdoor activity may involve walking/trekking in uneven terrain over long distances in extreme weather conditions for extended periods of time.

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Dudek is committed to creating a workplace where all employees, regardless of their background, feel valued, respected, and have equal opportunities to succeed. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce is essential to our business success, and we are dedicated to fostering a culture where everyone can thrive. We are committed to fair and equitable processes, based on merit, free from any discrimination.

Dudek is genuinely committed to equal employment opportunities within our company and on our project teams. Dudek is also committed to compliance with all applicable laws providing equal employment opportunities. This commitment applies to all persons involved in Dudek’s operations and prohibits unlawful discrimination by any employee of Dudek, including supervisors and coworkers. Equal employment opportunities will be extended to all persons (including those with disability and veteran status) in all aspects of the employment relationship, including recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, transfer, compensation, benefits, discipline, layoff, recall, and termination. Any employee who violates this policy and Dudek’s commitment to equal employment opportunities will be subject to disciplinary action.

Dudek is a U.S.-based employer. All positions are based in the United States and require U.S. work authorization.