Emergency Management Planning Officer

About Us

Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office works in collaboration with Nova Scotian Municipalities, other federal and provincial departments, and critical infrastructure partners to strengthen emergency preparedness through planning, training, and exercising. The Emergency Management Office  is responsible for prevention/mitigation of, preparedness for, response to, and recovery from, emergencies affecting the Province of Nova Scotia. 

About Our Opportunity

NSEMO is seeking to add an Emergency Management Preparedness Officer (EMPO) to bolster its ability to engage with Municipalities and emergency management partners throughout the province. 

Reporting to a Manager within the Training and Exercise Branch, an NSEMO Emergency Management Preparedness Officer (EMPO) is frequently a representative of NSEMO and is responsible for supporting all NSEMO emergency management operations. This includes commitment to policies, programs, and procedures for the prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery phases of emergencies which impact, our could impact, the province.

An NSEMO EMPO is heavily involved in training and exercise operations with various emergency management partners throughout Nova Scotia. An EMPO will also work in the Provincial Coordination Centre (PCC) during emergencies, work overtime, and be on standby on a rotational basis.

One (1) permanent opportunity is available supporting emergency management in Nova Scotia.

Primary Accountabilities

An NSEMO Emergency Management Preparedness Officer (EMPO) is responsible for:

• Strengthening local and provincial emergency preparedness, through planning, training, and exercising
• Heavily involvement in training and exercise operations throughout the province
• Development of training programs and exercise planning
• Liaising with stakeholders (provincial departments/ municipalities/critical infrastructure partners, etc.)
• Leading and facilitating stakeholder meetings, and
• Comprehensive operational reports, post-meeting documentation, fact-finding reports, lessons-learned reports, and needs analysis.

Qualifications and Experience

A successful applicant must have:

• Completed a bachelor’s degree in a related field and have a minimum of six (6) years of recent experience in emergency management in a full-time position, or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
• Experience in developing and/or delivering formally structured training to adults.
• Experience involving recognized training standards applicable to diverse adult populations (e.g. NFPA, Transport Canada, Red Cross, ICS Canada, Energy Safety Canada, etc.) is highly desirable. 
• Proficiency and demonstrated experience in Microsoft Office products including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint programs, and the development of PowerPoint presentations with speaker notes and student materials.
• Proficiency and demonstrated experience in research, report writing, and record keeping. 

Desirable assets include:

• Professional experience in adult education, training, and facilitation.
• Instructor Level certification by a recognized association/organization
• Experience in planning, developing, and delivering emergency management related exercises.
• Relevant emergency management qualifications and certifications (ICS, FEMA, NFPA)
• Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) designation
• Incident Command System Training levels 100-400
• Resident in the Eastern Nova Scotia

Applicants relying on education and experience equivalencies must demonstrate such equivalencies in their application.

Benefits

Based on the employment status and Union agreement, the Government of Nova Scotia offers its employees a wide range of benefits such as Health, Dental, Life Insurance, Pension, General Illness (Short and Long Term), Vacation and Employee and Family Assistance Programs. Click here to learn more about our various benefits offering and eligibility criteria.

Working Conditions

This role is in a fast-paced decision-making environment.  You may be working at your computer for extended periods of time. You will be required to travel to remote worksite locations in Nova Scotia, load vehicles, carry and setup equipment in a variety of locations, and travel during inclement weather conditions. 

Your normal work week is 35 hours/week, 7 hours/day, approximately 0830-1630. This role does entail a high volume of work which may require overtime. Due to the multiple spheres of action and scope of responsibilities that this position requires, there is significant mental pressure, requiring resilience.

You must be available to participate in the on-call Duty Officer stand-by rotation, and available to report for extended hours at the NSEMO Provincial Coordination Center in Dartmouth in the event of provincial emergencies.   

This position will be based in a government office on Cape Breton Island. Additionally, these positions will also be deployed to support training and exercising programs throughout the province and work in the Provincial Coordination Centre (PCC).

Additional Information

This position requires the following:

• a valid Canadian Driver's License
• Immediate access to a licenced, safety-inspected, and operational motor vehicle.

What We Offer

• Career development where you have access to career guidance, tools, resources, and ongoing training for every stage of your career
• Engaging workplace: our employees feel valued, respected, connected, and tuned in, we have forward-thinking policies and strategies
• Countless career paths
• Department specific flexible working schedules