Job Description

Requisition No: 870731

Agency: Division of Emergency Management

Working Title: OPS Engineering Specialist I - 31902444

Pay Plan: Temp

Position Number: 31902444

Salary: $30.00/Hourly

Posting Closing Date: 02/25/2026

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OPS Engineering Specialist

Bureau of Mitigation

Florida Division of Emergency Management

This position is located in Tallahassee, FL

The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) plans for and responds to both natural and man-made disasters. These range from floods and hurricanes to incidents involving hazardous materials or nuclear power. FDEM is the liaison between federal, state, and local agencies. FDEM prepares and implements a statewide Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, routinely conducts extensive exercises to test state and county emergency response capabilities, provides technical assistance to local governments as they prepare emergency plans and procedures, as well as conducts emergency operations trainings for state and local government agencies.

FDEM serves as the lead agency for the State Emergency Response Team (SERT), whose primary goal is the coordination of the state’s efforts during disaster response and recovery. This coordination is conducted within the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Tallahassee. Additionally, FDEM manages the State Watch Office; the 24-hour a day operation tasked with providing situational awareness to stakeholders statewide. After a disaster, FDEM conducts damage assessment surveys and advises the Governor of the State of Florida on whether to declare an emergency and seek federal relief funds. It is against this backdrop that FDEM strives to demonstrate its mission of, “Coordinate, collaborate, and communicate with our community stakeholders for a resilient Florida”, along with our vision of “Leading the Profession in building prepared and resilient communities”.

and Responsibilities:

This position serves as an OPS Engineering Specialist in the Bureau of Mitigation. The bureau manages three federal grants as well as one State of Florida grant to assist in reducing or eliminating the loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters. Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Review project applications, site plans, and engineering designs for consistency, feasibility, and compliance with Hazard Mitigation Programs.
• Collect information for cost benefit analysis purposes.
• Review technical engineering aspects on project agreements.
• Analyze and interpret engineering data, solve problems relating to engineering, and perform technical engineering site visits.
• Verify information on building construction for residential and commercial construction requirements for Coastal A and V-Zones and drainage improvement systems.
• Conduct technical Benefit-Cost presentations to special purpose workshops and seminars.
• Provide technical engineering support to programmatic areas during workshops and seminars.
• Oversee project timelines and provide status reports on respective projects.
• Conduct mitigation assessments by collecting and interpreting data from the field.
• Provide technical assistant to subgrantees on project concerns, including the monitoring of interim and final inspections.
• Conduct damage assessments to identify the severity and magnitude of infrastructure losses due to disaster events.
• Conduct trainings for subgrantees and co-workers on Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

In response to emergency events, FDEM employees may be required to work irregular hours, to work more than 8 hours per day, to work extended periods (including weekends and holidays), to work at locations other than their official headquarters, and to perform duties in addition to those outlined in the employee’s position description. Employees must be able to deploy to emergency sites with limited advance notice.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of residential and commercial engineering and building construction industries, architecture, or other related disciplines as it relates to terminology, principles, and analytical techniques.
• Ability to review grant applications to assure compliance in accordance with federal and state laws related to engineering, building construction for residential and commercial, and architecture policies.
• Ability to coordinate with state and federal agencies on project reviews for compliance of regulations with national and state engineering, building construction for residential and commercial, architecture, or other related disciplines.
• Ability to provide technical assistance on storm and wastewater design, building design, construction, and program related issues.
• Ability to assist with program presentations and training workshops and project good verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively to all levels of government and individuals concerning projects and program issues.
• Ability to conduct mitigation assessments and collect data from the field.
• Ability to analyze and interpret engineering data, solve problems relating to engineering, and perform technical engineering site visits.
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to handle multi-project management.
• Experience using Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook) with the ability to learn and navigate division enterprise business systems.
• Ability to travel overnight, work non-traditional hours during emergency events, and assume disaster related duties, as necessary.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A minimum of three years’ experience in Engineering or Architecture. A post-secondary degree in a similar field may substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis
• Experience using Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook) with the ability to learn and navigate division enterprise business systems.
• Valid driver’s license.

Special Notes:

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

FDEM is committed to successfully recruiting and onboarding talented and skilled individuals into its workforce. FDEM appreciates the service and sacrifices made by veterans and their family members and recognizes the immeasurable value veterans bring to the workplace and is committed to increasing the number of veterans that serve in its workforce.

FDEM is committed to increasing recruitment and hiring of individuals with disabilities and improving employment outcomes. An individual with a disability is qualified if he or she satisfies the skills, experience, and other job-related requirements for a position and can perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation. Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must contact the FDEM Human Resources Office at (850) 815-4177. FDEM requests applicants notify the Human Resources Office in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

Successful completion of background screening will be required for this position.

The State of Florida and FDEM participate in E-Verify. This federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.

In response to emergency events, FDEM employees may be required to work irregular hours, to work more than 8 hours per day, to work extended periods (including nights, weekends, and holidays), to work at locations other than their official headquarters, and to perform duties in addition to those outlined in the employee’s position description. Employees must be able to deploy to emergency sites with limited advance notice.

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.