Strategic Planner

at  State of Iowa

ONLY APPLICANTS WHO MEET THE MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS AND MEET ALL SELECTIVE REQUIREMENTS WILL BE PLACED ON THE ELIGIBLE LIST.

The Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEMD) is seeking a highly motivated, detail oriented, solution focused individual to serve as the department’s Strategic Planner within the Preparedness Bureau.
The Strategic Planner will analyze current long-term goals and objectives, identify opportunities and challenges, and formulate strategies to achieve the desired outcomes.
Who We Are:
The Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management’s (HSEMD) Mission Statement is Enhancing the quality of life for Iowans by preparing our State and building resilient communities.
The person selected for this position will demonstrate actions and behaviors guided by the HSEMD’s four core values:
MISSION ORIENTED - We are resolute in our service to Iowans
INTEGRITY - We conduct ourselves with honesty and are transparent in our actions DISTINGUISHED - We are leaders in our field
ONE TEAM - We collaborate, connect, and share

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

Obtain and maintain a Federal DHS SECRET security clearance
HSEMD is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, consistent with applicable state and federal policies and regulations.

206 HOMELAND SECURITY OR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS:

6 months experience in disaster operations which required knowledge of Homeland Security or Emergency Management activities related to terrorism or natural disaster response, recovery, protection (physical security), detection (intelligence), prevention (protective action recommendations), and deterrence (critical asset assessments). Experience would have also provided the ability to operationalize plans, guidebooks, and procedures in response to Homeland Security threats and natural disasters. OR 12 semester hours in the areas below or in a combination of the areas below:

• Law enforcement
• Health
• Emergency medical
• Fire
• Hazardous materials
• Military
• Emergency management
• Other related disciplines which focus on how to effectively manage resources (personnel and equipment), recommend an emergency response course of action, and protective action recommendations Looking for disaster operations field experience or knowledge dealing with multi-agency coordination of the Incident Command Structure.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification:
1) Seven years of full-time work experience in the administration or operation/execution (i.e., providing consultation and/or technical assistance to stakeholders, research and analysis, or enforcement of program guidelines/policies/procedures) of a program (i.e., the provision of a service or an administrative oversight/enforcement responsibility).
2) All of the following (a, b, and c):
a. One year of full-time work experience in the administration or operation/execution (i.e., providing consultation and/or technical assistance to stakeholders, research and analysis, or enforcement of program guidelines/policies/procedures) of a program (i.e., the provision of a service or an administrative oversight/enforcement responsibility); and
b. A total of four years of education and full-time experience (as described in part a), where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university course work in any field equals one year of full-time experience; and
c. A total of two years of graduate-level education and full-time experience (as described in part a), where twenty-four semester hours of accredited graduate college or university course work in any field equals one year of full-time experience.
3) Graduation from an accredited school of law.
4) Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes nine months of full-time work as a Program Planner 2 or twenty-seven months of full-time work as a Program Planner 1.
For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description (Download PDF reader).

WHAT YOU WILL DO:

You will be an integral member of the HSEMD team by providing subject matter expertise and detailed planning in support of the department’s mission by:

• Coordinating with public and private sector partners to compile, document, and draft reports/plans needed to meet all federal requirements. Reports include, but are not limited to: Homeland Security Strategy, Stakeholder Preparedness Review, Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment, Core Capabilities Assessment and other reports/plans as directed by the Director, Response Division Administrator, or Preparedness Bureau Chief.
• Ensuring all strategic planning efforts are coordinated and accurately represented in the Iowa Comprehensive Emergency Plan. These efforts will be coordinated directly with the Department’s Lead Planner. Individual will also coordinate with Critical Infrastructure Asset Protection Specialist and Planner to coordinate/compile information regarding critical infrastructure in the state to ensure resiliency or critical services and lifelines. Assist with the development and dissemination of internally created products.
• Lead the Homeland Security Advisory Committee (HSAC) on an annual basis to review/revise state priority areas as needed. Coordinate with financial/grants staff to prepare grant(s) announcements and identified areas of focus for grant(s) funding. Assist with preparing the Notice of Intent to documents with focus areas identified. Coordinate with the Director and Response Division staff on evaluation and prioritization of grant applications received. Serve as Project Officer providing leadership and communication with sub-grantees for designated grants management projects. As needed, work with all Department staff to ensure information sharing and coordination, compliance with appropriate procedures and approved scope of work. Projects will support state and national initiatives.
• Serve as the HSEMD liaison to the Iowa Incident Management Team (IMT) and provide administrative assistance to the team.
• Serve as operations officer during activation of the State Emergency Operations Center as requested. Provide information on potentially impacted critical assets and infrastructure and address mitigation measures to protect structures from disaster events. Coordinate with critical infrastructure partners and owners before, during, and after disasters to ensure increased situational awareness and alignment of efforts by all parties. Also, perform other duties as assigned by the Director, Response Division Administrator or Preparedness Bureau Chief.

What We Offer You:

• Competitive pay and benefits package including health, dental, flexible spending, and life insurance.
• Opportunities for professional growth and development
• Paid time off effective immediately (biweekly vacation, separate sick leave, accruals rollover on a yearly basis, and 9 paid holidays per year)
• Iowa Public Employee Retirement System (IPERS) Retirement Package with employer match
• Retirement Investors Club (RIC) (Employer Sponsored Retirement Plan)
• Optional 401A plan with employer contributions Employee Discount Programs from variety of vendors (vision, cellular, fitness, recreation, season passes, travel, counseling; legal, financial)

For additional information on benefits, please visit the Iowa Department of Administrative Services website at https://das.iowa.gov/human-resources/employee-and-retiree-benefits.

6 months experience, 12 semester hours, or a combination of both. Generally, an administrative position (mid to upper level of the management team) is assigned this as one function of their overall job. However, there are some specialists who deal only in strategic planning. Some colleges and universities may now carry this as a major or area of emphasis as part of their business administration or public policy programs. For experience to count, the applicant must have had the responsibility either for coordinating or developing the organization’s strategic plan. Sometimes an administrative assistanttype is responsible for a lower level of coordination, i.e., distributing information to managers, collecting what they develop, and putting it into one document; that is not what is sought here. This has to be experience to the point that the individual knows the following:

• What a good strategic plan looks like
• How to prepare a plan
• How to monitor progress and ancillary planning
• How to speak knowledgably for the organization about the pla