Recovery Specialist

Recovery Specialist

The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) is an emergency response entity and this status can affect working hours, travel and change in duties as needed. Performs advanced (senior-level) grant development and coordination, technical assistance, and administration work to plan, organize and deliver federally and state-funded grants within Texas. Work involves coordinating, reviewing, evaluating, and reporting of grants at various stages to determine appropriateness of grant or compliance with requirements and standards; and serving as a liaison between funding sources and the state or federal government. Conducts applicant briefings and other outreach activities; ensures grant applications are processed properly and monitors the execution of awarded projects, both programmatically and financially. Works under minimal supervision, with extensive latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.

The Recovery Specialist performs internal staff training in addition to routinely assigned program work. The Recovery Specialist will work closely with the Recovery and Mitigation Training Coordinator to facilitate the implementation of the Recovery and Mitigation Division staff training plan. The Recovery Specialist will be required to provide staff training in the areas of recovery, mitigation, quality assurance, recovery operations, and any other assigned program areas under the Recovery and Mitigation Divisions. Each Recovery Specialist may be assigned a focus area where they are expected to become the expert and will assist in developing course materials, tools, and delivering "train-the-trainer" courses. Examples include debris management, fire management assistance grants, etc.

When not assigned to specific training work, the Recovery Specialist shall serve as a training officer to other Recovery/Mitigation Coordinators including routine reviews of practices such as conducting preliminary damage assessments, quarterly report reviews, single-audits, working in the SOC, etc.

*Salary is a fixed rate.

*This position is located on-site and not subject to telecommuting.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Perform an array of technical, training, research, planning, compliance, program assessment and administrative activities related to TDEM federal and state grants administration.
• Represent the state during post-disaster operations and help coordinate provision of post-disaster assistance.
• Ensure sub-recipients' and grantees' compliance with conditions of grants by monitoring agreements, contracts, expenses, activities, and federal and state regulations.
• Serve as a liaison between the sub-recipients, the state, and grant funding sources by attending meetings, responding to information requests, and resolving issues between parties involved.
• Review submitted grant applications and determine the applicant's eligibility for award based on established criteria.
• Review actions plans developed by local jurisdictions for compliance with Federal Emergency Management Agency procedures and guidelines.
• Assist in preparing and processing applications for disaster projects in accordance with applicable state and federal laws, rules, policies and procedures.
• Assist in the development and provision of information, technical assistance implementation guidance and training to local governments and state agencies concerning grant programs, financial record retention and state and federal disaster assistance programs.
• Coordinate and approve work plans and timelines to ensure submission of state or federal grant applications and program reports in a timely manner.
• Prepare and review grant closeout materials.
• Monitor activities and compliance with requirements, laws, regulations, policies and procedures for assigned program.
• Perform project site inspections to verify progress or completion of grant.
• Coordinate the maintenance of files and records and prepares reports related to grant activities for grants issued and received.
• Conduct entrance and exit conferences and other meetings with elected officials, governmental and non-profit organization leaders to explain the monitoring process and results.
• Provide first aid or emergency medical services (EMS) at any time (except during periods of external employment), within the scope of the employee's certification (if any) by the Texas Department of State Health Services, following the TDEM EMS Protocols and after approval to operate under the EMS Medical Director.
• Perform related work as assigned.
• Ability to travel (25%).
• Face-to-face and person-to-person interactions are required.
• Maintains a regular course of attendance during assigned work schedule and work extended hours when needed.

This document represents the major duties, responsibilities, and authorities of this job, and is not intended to be a complete list of all tasks and functions. Other duties may be assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education – Bachelor's degree in a related field from an accredited four-year college or university or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience – Four (4) years' of work experience in positions performing any combination of grant management, emergency management, financial or program compliance, public or business administration, real estate, commercial construction, insurance adjusting, or other directly related experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Graduation from an accredited college or university with major course work in emergency management, accounting, finance, business management, construction management or public administration is preferred.
• Preferred experience working with FEMA grant programs at the technical and operational levels.

* Additional work experience of the type described above may be substituted in lieu of education requirements on a year-for-year basis, with one (1) year experience equivalent to thirty (30) semester hours. A completed advanced degree may also be substituted in lieu of work experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Working knowledge of, or the ability to rapidly assimilate information related to state and federal regulations, legislation, guidelines, policies, procedures, grant eligibility, and reporting requirements.
• Considerable knowledge of the principles and practices of public and grant administration.
• Considerable knowledge, after training, of methods of resources management, including the acquisition, allocation and distribution of various types of financial assistance and disaster relief.
• Ability to learn and effectively apply working knowledge of government organizations, operations and emergency management programs at the federal, state and local levels.
• Must demonstrate an ability to exercise poise, tact, diplomacy and an ability to establish and maintain positive, working/professional relationships with internal/external customers.
• Must be organized, flexible, and able to effectively prioritize in a multi- demand and constantly changing environment; able to meet multiple and sometimes conflicting deadlines without sacrificing accuracy, timeliness or professionalism.
• Ability to work independently; and to understand and effectively apply complex oral and written instructions and procedures.
• Must be able to construct and deliver clear, concise, and professional presentations to a variety of audiences and/or individuals.
• Must have experience communicating and presenting to diverse, small, and large groups.
• Ability to develop and conduct training classes, briefings, workshops and conference presentations.
• Ability to communicate effectively (oral and written).
• Must demonstrate an ability to examine data/information, discern variations/similarities, and be able to identify trends, relationships and causal factors, as well as, grasp issues, draw accurate conclusions, and solve problems.
• Ability to analyze problems, identify causative factors, and apply actions to effectively resolve current issues and prevent recurrences of problem conditions.
• Ability to interpret guidelines, policies, procedures, and regulations; to evaluate fiscal data for reasonableness, necessity, and conformity with grant requirements.
• Must possess appropriate levels of proficiency with utilized software and systems and be able to learn new software/systems.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Must demonstrate an ability to responsibly handle sensitive and confidential information and situations and adhere to applicable laws/statutes/policies related to access, maintenance and dissemination of information.
• Must be able to work in a safe manner at all times, avoiding shortcuts that have potential adverse results/risks, and must be able to comply with safety standards and best practices.
• Must be able to work in inclement weather, traverse uneven terrain and standing water, and move into and around damaged structures to conduct damage assessments or move around construction or debris removal sites when conducting project audits.
• Availability for after-hour and weekend work is required.
• Must have the ability to operate outside of normal working hours during disaster response and recovery deployment activities away from normal duty station and in inclement weather for extended periods, including nights and weekends.

Registration, Certification or Licensure:

• Must have completed IS-100, IS-200, IS-700 and IS-800 within the first six (6) months of employment.
• Must possess a valid Texas driver's license or ability to obtain at hire.

*Additional Military Crosswalk (occupational specialty code) information