At San Mateo County's Department of Emergency Management, we're building something different. Our vision is audacious: become the most resilient county in the United States by 2030. We coordinate the full cycle of emergency management across 20 cities and 775,000+ residents. And we do it with a team that operates more like a startup than a bureaucracy – entrepreneurial, innovative, and relentlessly focused on what works.
WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS
When disaster strikes—earthquake, wildfire, atmospheric river, or cascading crisis—the difference between lives saved and lives lost often comes down to one thing: communication. Did the alert reach the right people? In the right language? At the right time? Did it actually motivate action?
As our Alert & Warning Coordinator, you will own this mission. You'll architect the systems, craft the protocols, and build the partnerships that ensure every resident – from Half Moon Bay to Redwood City, from tech executives to farmworkers – gets the information they need to prepare, survive, and recover.
WHAT YOU WILL ACTUALLY DO
Build & Innovate:
- Lead the implementation of the Five Elements Framework—an evidence-based framework developed with leading researchers – in all our alerts and warning initiatives.
- Design multilingual alert systems that reach every community, including those often left behind.
- Integrate cutting-edge technologies: IPAWS, Genasys Protect, AI-powered monitoring, and tools that don't exist yet.
- Develop dashboards and systems that give our partners real-time situational awareness.
Coordinate & Connect:
- Serve as the nexus point between local, state, and federal emergency communication systems.
- Coordinate with 20 cities, 18 unincorporated areas, fire districts, law enforcement, healthcare systems, and community organizations.
- Build relationships with trusted community messengers who can amplify our reach.
- Manage vendor relationships and contracts for emergency notification platforms.
Respond & Adapt:
- Maintain 24-hour readiness and participate in on-call rotation.
- Staff the Emergency Operations Center during activations—from Blue Sky preparedness to Dark Sky crisis.
- Lead after-action reviews that turn every incident into institutional learning.
- Troubleshoot systems under pressure when everything depends on them working.
WHO YOU ARE
You're not just checking boxes—you're solving problems nobody's solved before. You bring:
The Foundation:
- Bachelor's degree in emergency management, public administration, communications, or related field (Master's preferred but not required).
- 5+ years in program planning, emergency management, or crisis communications.
- FEMA ICS courses (100, 200, 700, 800) and IPAWS certification (IS-247, IS-251)—or willingness to complete.
The Technical Credentials:
- Deep knowledge of IPAWS protocols and alert & warning best practices.
- Fluency with emergency notification platforms, GIS, and communication technologies.
- Coding ability (Python, Java, or C++) to build tools, automate workflows, and solve problems.
- Understanding of radio communications systems and redundant infrastructure.
The Mindset That Sets You Apart:
- Insatiably curious. You read the research. You ask why. You're never satisfied with "that's how we've always done it."
- Agile under pressure. You don't just tolerate rapidly changing, demanding environments—you thrive in them.
- A team multiplier. You add value wherever you can, not just where your job description ends.
- Resilient. You bounce back. You adapt. You're ready for whatever comes next.
- An exceptional communicator. You write clearly, speak persuasively, and translate complexity into action.
- Equity-minded. You're committed to reaching every community, especially those historically underserved.
OUR CULTURE: NOT YOUR TYPICAL EM SHOP
We're breaking the emergency management mold. Our approach integrates:
- Growth mindset: Challenges are opportunities. Failures are learning.
- Agile structure: Swift, decentralized decision-making. No permission culture.
- Human-centered design: Solutions built around people, not bureaucracy.
- Our 3C Framework: Connection, Capability, Communication – the lens through which we approach everything.
We pair veteran emergency managers with data scientists, social scientists, and human-centered designers. We operate across Blue Sky (preparedness), Grey Sky (heightened readiness), and Dark Sky (crisis) conditions. And we're building something that will outlast all of us.
READY TO JOIN US?
Submit the following via email:
- Resume
- Cover letter responding to these questions (max 2 pages):
- Describe your experience developing and managing alert & warning systems. What technologies have you worked with and what have you learned in the process?
- Tell us about a time when communications went wrong during a crisis. What happened, how did you respond, and what systems did you build to prevent it happening again?
- You are coordinating emergency response and your virtual EOC system fails. Walk us through your troubleshooting process.
Please craft the answers to these supplemental questions yourself. If you use a tool such as AI, please customize your responses. We need to know how you think and what your experiences have been.
Include the words "DEM Coordinator – Alert & Warning - Unclassified" in the subject line of email submission.
Please submit the required materials electronically via email to:
Rick Reed, DEM Coordinator
Email: rreed1@smcgov.org
Application materials will be reviewed as they are received and qualified candidates will be contacted by the department for an interview.
APPLY IMMEDIATELY. Application materials will be accepted until the position is filled. This posting is open on a continuous basis and selection may be made at any time within the process.
NOTE: Application materials are only accepted via e-mail. Materials sent via regular mail and/or fax will not be accepted. Submissions that do not include all required elements (a resume and a cover letter with responses to supplemental questions) will not be considered.
The mission of the Department of Emergency Management is to advance community resilience through a proactive and comprehensive approach to emergency management, involving the whole community in every phase of disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery.
To learn more about the DEM please visit https://www.smcgov.org/dem
About the County
San Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California and serves a multitude of culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities.
The County of San Mateo, as an employer, is committed to advancing equity to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment. The County seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply. Eighty percent of employees surveyed stated that they would recommend the County as a great place to work.
The County of San Mateo is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels.
Analyst: Chet Overstreet (01232026) (Department of Emergency Management Coordinator - Q002)
