SMC EM Emergency Coordinator - Unclassified (Open) (20741322)

About the Department

San Mateo County Emergency Management (SMC EM) is not your typical government agency. We operate more like a startup within the public sector, building innovative programs, forging cross-sector partnerships, and redefining what modern emergency management looks like for a county of 775,000 residents across 20 cities and 18 unincorporated areas.

Our mission is to advance community resilience through a proactive and comprehensive approach to emergency management, involving the whole community in every phase of preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery.

To learn more about SMC EM, visit: https://www.smcgov.org/dem

About the Role

This is not an entry-level role. This is not a position for someone learning the field. This is a role for someone who has already been in the crucible of crisis, learned hard lessons, adapted under pressure, and is eager for more.

The Emergency Coordinator sits at the operational center of SMC EM. You will plan. You will write. You will brief. You will execute. You will move between strategy and the tactical detail of getting things done, across a complex Operational Area of 20 cities, 18 unincorporated communities, and the partners who serve them.

This work requires range. One day you are facilitating a planning cycle that will shape the next twelve months of countywide preparedness. The next, you are translating policy into a one-page brief for a city council, then coordinating an exercise design with fire and law partners, then back at your desk drafting a memo that will move across the Operational Area in 48 hours.

The throughline is judgment. We need someone who can prioritize, pivot, and produce. Someone who has thrived in uncertainty before, and is energized to do more of it here.

What This Role Actually Involves

Planning (Primary Focus)
Planning is the center of gravity for this role. You will lead and contribute to the full planning cycle, from scoping through drafting, coordinating, executing, exercising, and updating operational plans, annexes, and frameworks across the Operational Area. The work means translating federal and state guidance (FEMA, CalOES, SEMS, NIMS) into plans that are usable on a Tuesday and survive a Saturday at 2 a.m. It means coordinating reviews and revisions with internal staff and external partners, building consensus around standards while protecting quality. Asking how could this be better, more practical and more useful in the moment. And it means maintaining a working understanding of the threat and hazard landscape facing San Mateo County, so the plans on the shelf actually reflect the risk on the ground.

Communication and Coordination
You will brief and present to varied audiences on a regular basis and on demand: senior county leadership, elected officials, fire and law chiefs, Operational Area partners, community organizations, and the public. The substance has to hold steady; the delivery has to flex for the room. Alongside the briefing work, you will produce clear, accurate written products on tight timelines: memos, briefings, plans, talking points, after-action reports, and correspondence that moves at the speed of decision-making. You will represent SMC EM credibly in working groups, advisory committees, tabling events, and external meetings at all levels of government, and you will maintain steady, professional communication with partners across all 20 cities and 18 unincorporated communities.

Project Management and Execution

• Carry assigned projects from initiation through completion. Own timelines, deliverables, and stakeholder coordination.
• Manage multiple concurrent priorities without dropping quality or letting partners go silent.
• Identify obstacles early, problem-solve collaboratively, and escalate when needed.
• Document the work. Hand off cleanly. Build for the next person.

Exercise, Training, and Operational Readiness

• Contribute to the design, development, facilitation, and evaluation of exercises (tabletops, functional, full-scale) aligned with HSEEP standards.
• Support training programs for staff, partners, and the broader Operational Area.
• Participate in a weekly on-call rotation, maintaining 24-hour readiness and responding to the field or Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during emergencies or disasters.
• Participate in after-action reviews and improvement planning. Treat lessons learned as a discipline, not a deliverable.

Who We Are Looking For

The right person for this role has been tested. They have been in crisis situations and knows what it’s like to be in a real EOC. They have written a plan that was used and know what it means to adapt in the moment. They have briefed leadership when the picture was unclear and the pressure was high. They have learned that emergency management is less about the binder on the shelf and more about the relationships, the judgment, and the ability to keep moving when the information is incomplete.

We are looking for someone who is technically capable, operationally seasoned, relationally skilled, and intellectually restless.

Mindset and Character

You are crucible-tested. You have been through real incidents, real activations, and/or real high-stakes operations, and you did not just survive them; you took something from them. You are agile, able to shift directions quickly when priorities change without losing your composure or your standards. You bring a growth mindset: insatiably curious, always learning, never satisfied with the way it has always been done. You are comfortable with ambiguity and can operate effectively when the situation is messy, the information is incomplete, and the stakes are high. And you lead with integrity and courage. You speak up when something is wrong, you ask for help when you need it, and you verify before you act.

Knowledge and Experience

• Working command of the planning cycle. You have led or contributed substantively to plan development, from scoping through publication and exercise.
• Familiarity with the five Emergency Management Sections (Management, Operations, Planning, Logistics, Finance/Admin) and the Incident Command System.
• Demonstrated problem-solving. A track record of identifying issues, generating options, and driving toward resolution under pressure.
• Strong communicator across audiences. You can hold the room with senior executives, political leaders, Operational Area partners, chiefs, and the public, with demonstrated experience adapting message and tone for each.
• Excellent written communication skills, including reports, briefings, plans, and professional correspondence.
• Ability to work across a wide variety of settings (field, office, EOC) and disciplines (law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services, public health).

Preferred but Not Required

• 5 years of professional experience, with at least 2 years dedicated to emergency management, disaster operations, homeland security, public safety, or military operations.
• Master's Degree in emergency management, public administration, public policy, homeland security, public health, communications, or a related field.
• Completion of ICS Courses 100, 200, 700, and 800 (or ability to complete within the first 90 days)
• Exercise design and execution experience (tabletops, functional, full-scale) aligned with HSEEP.
• Formal project management experience, including managing scope, schedule, and stakeholders across complex initiatives.
• Hands-on experience with alert and warning systems (IPAWS, WEA, EAS, mass notification platforms).
• Experience working across multiple jurisdictions or within a complex multi-agency operational environment.
• Training instruction or curriculum development experience.
• A valid California Driver's License.

 

 

Qualifications

Education and Experience:
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:
 

Education: Bachelors degree from an accredited college or university in business, public administration, emergency management or related discipline.

Experience: One year of experience having responsibility for assisting in program planning, development and budgeting in the public, military, or private organization, preferably related to emergency/disaster planning and management.

How to Apply

To apply for this opportunity, the following materials must be submitted in addition to the standard Employment Application form:

• Resume
• Letter of Interest
• Responses to the Supplemental Questions (attached to the application form)

Tentative Recruitment Schedule:
Final Closing Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2026, by 11:59 PM PST
Application Screening: Week of June 1, 2026
Panel Interviews: Tuesday, June 16, 2026