FEMA Community Planner

Overview

A Community Planner within FEMA’s Region 3 engages communities regarding risk reduction strategies and provides technical advice and guidance in the development of mitigation strategies through planning to reduce vulnerability to future hazards. The ideal candidate has experience interpreting and applying land use and planning laws, regulations, and policies, conducting reviews of regional, district and/or community plans, and consulting with stakeholders on community planning.

Overview

Open & closing dates: 09/29/2023 to 10/13/2023

This job will close when we have received 100 applications which may be sooner than the closing date.

Salary: $72,001 – $122,459 per year

FEMA-23-TNL-693544-CORE USAJOBS – Job Announcement

• Reisterstown, MD

• Richmond, VA

• Smyrna, DE

FEMA-23-TNL-694638-CORE USAJOBS – Job Announcement

• Harrisburg, PA

• Smyrna, DE

• Charleston, WV

Remote job? No

Telework eligible? Yes—as determined by the agency policy.

Travel Required: Occasional travel – Occasional non-emergency travel may be required.

Job family (Series)

0020 Community Planning

This position is announced under FEMA’s Excepted Service, Stafford Act Hiring Authority for a full-time Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employee (CORE) appointment. After three years of continuous service, CORE employees earn competitive eligibility to apply for permanent full-time positions at FEMA. Veterans Preference does not apply to the CORE selection process.

Duties

In this position, you will serve as a Community Planner, responsible for coordinating and providing technical assistance and training to state and local officials as applicable on the preparation, revision, and updating of hazard mitigation plans to comply with federal requirements, regulations, policies, and guidance. Typical assignments include:

Providing written recommendations for plan improvements;

Tracking assigned plans through all elements of the review process, including data entry and drafting of review and approval letters;

Coordinating with Regional Community and Hazard Mitigation Planners; and supporting other Mitigation activities as required, including Floodplain Management and Insurance, RiskMAP, outreach, and grants.

Providing training and technical assistance.

What else do I need to know?

At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters, and every employee at FEMA has a role in emergency management. Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee’s official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

You must be a U.S. citizen to be considered for this position.

You must successfully pass a background investigation.

Travel may be required.

You must be able to obtain and maintain a Government credit card.

Selective service registration is required for males born after 12/31/59.

To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo, successfully pass, and maintain a background investigation for Public Trust – Moderate Risk as a condition of placement into this position.

Qualifications

All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

Basic Requirements to be considered for this position:

Degree: community planning; or related field such as urban affairs, architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, sociology, geography, economics, political science, or public administration that included at least 12 semester hours in the planning process, socioeconomic and physical elements of planning, urban and regional economic analysis, and development finance.

OR

Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in one of the above disciplines, or a combination of related courses totaling at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the above disciplines of which at least 12 semester hours were in the planning process, and socioeconomic and physical elements of planning, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Note: Applicants with degrees in related fields, such as those listed above, who do not have the 12 semester hours of specified course work must have had at least 1 year of work experience in community planning acquired under the supervision and guidance of a community planner.

In addition to the basic requirements listed above, you must meet the following specialized experience requirement(s) to be considered for the position:

You qualify for this position at the IC-11 level if you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the IC-09 level in the Federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the Federal or Private Sector and must demonstrate all of the following:

1. Applying land use and planning laws, regulations, and policies;

2. Evaluating community planning projects and preparing reports; and

3. Developing, preparing, and/or delivering briefings for stakeholders.

OR

3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

You qualify for this position at the IC-12 level if you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the IC-11 level in the Federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the Federal or Private Sector and must demonstrate all of the following:

1. Reviewing or evaluating regional, district, and/or neighborhood plans for compliance;

2. Gathering, managing, and analyzing data, such as Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) or risk analysis to reduce vulnerability to potential hazards; and

3. Coordinating with external stakeholders such as State, Tribal, or local officials to meet program goals.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Positive Education Requirement: This position has a positive education requirement, as outlined in the “requirements” section. You must submit a copy of your transcripts (unofficial are acceptable) with your online application. Once selected and prior to appointment, applicants must provide official college transcripts.

Education substitution: This position permits applicants to qualify based on education (or a combination of education and experience), as outlined in the “requirements” section. If you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your transcripts (unofficial are acceptable) with your online application. Once selected and prior to appointment, applicants must provide official college transcripts.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. For example, specific courses accepted for college-level credit by an accredited U.S. college or university, or foreign education evaluated by an organization recognized for accreditation by the Department of Education as education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. college or university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. Visit the Department of Education’s Recognition of Foreign Qualifications for more information.

Additional information

The salary range indicated in this announcement reflects the minimum locality pay up to maximum locality pay for all duty locations listed. The range will be adjusted for selected duty location. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages. Please note: first time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.

Deployment travel may be required, based upon agency needs. Deployment expectations can vary and will be discussed with candidates during the selection process.

Benefits

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.

DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including: health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays. Other benefits may include: flexible work schedules; telework; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities.