Emergency Management Specialist

Summary

This position serves as a Emergency Management Specialist within the office of the Director and is assigned Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 1. New England Healthcare System. This is position is full-time at 40 hours per week.

Location negotiable within VISN 1, upon selection.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

The Emergency Management Specialist position is part of the Comprehensive Emergency Management Program Workforce Modernization Plan for emergency preparedness and response which establishes responsibilities for emergency management activities within VHA to all levels of the Department and with other Departments and Agencies, establishes consistency of functions, and streamlines hiring process.

Major duties and responsibilities include:

• Applies specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities particular to a healthcare system environment including methods to support emergency planning and operations.
• Provides operational support and expertise to management through evaluative, analytical, coordination, planning, administrative, developmental, interpretive, and judgmental methodologies.
• Coordinates Network emergency management activities that require a high level of judgment and ability including assuming responsibility for planning, implementing and coordinating emergency response and recovery actions for VA Medical Centers (VAMCs), Community Living Centers (CLCs), Domiciliary Units, Outpatient Clinics (OPCs), Healthcare Centers (HCC), and Community Based Outpatient Clinics(CBOCs).
• Produces pertinent and informative management reports, demonstrating effective practices in problem resolution.
• Ensures emergency operations and support activities are monitored to expedite return to readiness whenever there is a loss of operational capabilities from any of the Network facilities or catchment areas.
• Provides technical assistance, guidance, and coordination on emergency medical preparedness programs for all VISN medical facilities and catchment areas.
• Employs considerable knowledge of healthcare facility operations and emergency operations supporting federal, state, and local entities within the geographical boundaries of the Network.
• Fulfills program responsibilities and coordinates network programs with senior management officials at VA Headquarters, VISN medical facilities, other federal departments/agencies, state government, and local communities where VA facilities are located.
• Manages and coordinates all aspects of the Network Emergency Management Coordination Center (NEMCC) and organizes network emergency management support activities as necessary including developing a Network Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) which meets contingency requirements.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8:00am-4:30pm

Compressed/Flexible: Not Available

Telework: Available on an ad-hoc basis only upon supervisor's discretion.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Emergency Management Specialist/ PD99786S

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Notifications:

• Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.
• Interchange Agreements with Other Merit System: Employees who occupy medical or medical-related positions and were appointed under 38 U.S.C. 4701(1) or (3) [formerly 38 U.S.C. 4104 (1) and (3)] must be serving in a full-time position without time limit and have served continuously for at least one year in this other merit system to be eligible to convert to the Title 5 System. Some exceptions to this rule may apply if you have previously acquired tenure under a Title 5 appointment.
• Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.
• This is not a Bargaining Unit position.
• This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay.
• The incumbent may be required to travel to other VA campuses and CBOC's.
• Location negotiable within VISN 1, upon selection.
• The salary range listed reflects the Rest of U.S. locality rate. Actual pay will be adjusted upon after duty location is established.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/01/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement : Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12 . The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

Driver's License Requirement : A current valid state-issued driver's license is required. Note: We cannot accept photographs. Therefore, please do not submit a copy of your license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you will be required to provide your driver's license for verification purposes.

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must possess at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. Specialized experience includes: Working in a healthcare/medical environment preparing for, carrying out, and coordinating emergency management functions; Collaborating with various agencies (government and non-government) to aid victims suffering from injury or damage resulting from disaster caused by natural or man-made hazards; Utilizing and following emergency management related regulations, directives, and requirements to facilitate appropriate response to and recovery from emergencies and disasters; Determining medical facility capabilities to meet patient demands and site-specific needs during emergency situations; Providing and applying recommendations to assist staff in developing plans and programs to manage emergency situations; and Determining alternative care sites for patients at medical facilities with unique medical problems or those impacted by emergency/disaster incidents. NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment: The work is mostly sedentary although some physical effort may be required to meet fieldwork requirements, such as lifting 50 pounds, moving, pushing, etc. During emergency events, the employee would be expected to work significant extended hours under very austere conditions. The work is generally performed in an office setting but emergency incidents, training, and exercise events may require prolonged duty days and/or work to be conducted under austere field conditions. The position may require frequent travel. All positions subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations may require irregular work hours, work locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements may occur with little advanced notice and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave : Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.