How to hire emergency management directors
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
$44.87U.S. median hourly pay
$67,910–$126,490Middle half, yearly
13,500People in this job in the U.S.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Collaborate with other officials to prepare and analyze damage assessments following disasters or emergencies. • Consult with officials of local and area governments, schools, hospitals, and other institutions to determine their needs and capabilities in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency. • Coordinate disaster response or crisis management activities, such as ordering evacuations, opening public shelters, and implementing special needs plans and programs. • Develop and maintain liaisons with municipalities, county departments, and similar entities to facilitate plan development, response effort coordination, and exchanges of personnel and equipment. • Develop and perform tests and evaluations of emergency management plans in accordance with state and federal regulations. • Maintain and update all resource materials associated with emergency preparedness plans. • Prepare emergency situation status reports that describe response and recovery efforts, needs, and preliminary damage assessments. • Prepare plans that outline operating procedures to be used in response to disasters or emergencies, such as hurricanes, nuclear accidents, and terrorist attacks, and in recovery from these events. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Bachelor's degree] • Strong speaking, active listening, critical thinking, monitoring, reading comprehension and writing skills • Working knowledge of public safety and security, administration and management, law and government and communications and media • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $44.87 an hour ($93,330 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for emergency management directors
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to collaborate with other officials to prepare and analyze damage assessments following disasters or emergencies. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to consult with officials of local and area governments, schools, hospitals, and other institutions to determine their needs and capabilities in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to coordinate disaster response or crisis management activities, such as ordering evacuations, opening public shelters, and implementing special needs plans and programs. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to develop and maintain liaisons with municipalities, county departments, and similar entities to facilitate plan development, response effort coordination, and exchanges of personnel and equipment. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What emergency management directors do
- Collaborate with other officials to prepare and analyze damage assessments following disasters or emergencies.
- Consult with officials of local and area governments, schools, hospitals, and other institutions to determine their needs and capabilities in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency.
- Coordinate disaster response or crisis management activities, such as ordering evacuations, opening public shelters, and implementing special needs plans and programs.
- Develop and maintain liaisons with municipalities, county departments, and similar entities to facilitate plan development, response effort coordination, and exchanges of personnel and equipment.
- Develop and perform tests and evaluations of emergency management plans in accordance with state and federal regulations.
- Maintain and update all resource materials associated with emergency preparedness plans.
- Prepare emergency situation status reports that describe response and recovery efforts, needs, and preliminary damage assessments.
- Prepare plans that outline operating procedures to be used in response to disasters or emergencies, such as hurricanes, nuclear accidents, and terrorist attacks, and in recovery from these events.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for emergency management directors
- Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
- Experience usually needed to start: 5 years or more (BLS)
- Job outlook: +3.9% over ten years, about as fast as average · about 1,100 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay emergency management directors
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| California | $129,910 |
| Florida | $99,020 |
| Texas | $93,570 |
| New York | $92,570 |
| Pennsylvania | $81,550 |
See emergency management directors pay in every state
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Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.