How to hire an emergency management specialist

How to hire an emergency management specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step emergency management specialist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an emergency management specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new emergency management specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an emergency management specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The emergency management specialist hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An emergency management specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, emergency management specialists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents emergency management specialist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Emergency Management Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Emergency Management Specialist	Emergency management directors prepare plans and procedures for responding to natural disasters or other emergencies. They also help lead the response during and after emergencies, often in coordination with public safety officials, elected officials, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies.	$15-58
   Emergency Preparedness Coordinator	Emergency Preparedness Coordinators work diligently to prepare for, prevent, and somehow lessen a community's hardships if and when they face emergencies. Most residents don't always understand the hard work that goes into maintaining the safety of a community... Show more	$15-55
   Emergency Planner	As an emergency planner, it is their responsibility to assess risks, write and implement safety development plans and reports, organize safety exercises, and train people for emergency response operations in case of a crisis, natural calamities, and accidents may arise. By anticipating these unfortunate events, they could help avoid or lessen the damage that may cost the company's fortune... Show more	$15-52

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Emergency Management
   • DHS
   • Emergency Response
   • Emergency Preparedness
   • Incident Management
   • Federal Agencies
   • Public Health
   • Recovery Efforts
   • EOC
   • Incident Command System
   • FEMA
   • Private Sector
   • Nims
   • Disaster Response

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Identify facilities and personnel resources within the state to achieve rapid effective dispensing of SNS.
   • Provide hazardous materials (HAZMAT) response capability for unknown or suspect incidents.
   • Receive inbound calls and dispatch roadside assistance for AAA customers who need help.
   • Assist FEMA and coordinate disaster response and recovery activities to include damage assessments, and individual assessments.
   • Use HICS system in all drills/real responses.
   • Instruct various first aid and CPR courses for county employees.

   More emergency management specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your emergency management specialist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An emergency management specialist salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, emergency management specialists' average salary in nebraska is 47% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level emergency management specialists earn 74% less than senior-level emergency management specialists.
   • Certifications. An emergency management specialist with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an emergency management specialist's salary.

   Average emergency management specialist salary

   $63,164yearly

   $30.37 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level emergency management specialist salary

   $32,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average emergency management specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Rhode Island	$87,088	$42
   2	New York	$86,804	$42
   3	Massachusetts	$84,955	$41
   4	District of Columbia	$81,558	$39
   5	Virginia	$80,186	$39
   6	Maryland	$78,025	$38
   7	California	$78,018	$38
   8	Pennsylvania	$77,743	$37
   9	West Virginia	$75,529	$36
   10	Delaware	$71,684	$34
   11	Hawaii	$67,853	$33
   12	Oregon	$67,550	$32
   13	Illinois	$65,367	$31
   14	New Mexico	$63,917	$31
   15	Washington	$61,986	$30
   16	Arizona	$61,496	$30
   17	Louisiana	$60,214	$29
   18	Ohio	$59,202	$28
   19	Texas	$58,894	$28
   20	Missouri	$57,730	$28

   Average emergency management specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Piedmont Healthcare	$188,588	$90.67	11
   2	Sanford Health	$153,843	$73.96	44
   3	Boston Medical Center	$136,334	$65.55	20
   4	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$122,681	$58.98	22
   5	Amgen	$121,678	$58.50	9
   6	International Rescue Committee	$112,889	$54.27	1
   7	GBMC Healthcare	$101,539	$48.82	4
   8	HCSC	$99,388	$47.78	5
   9	Control Risks	$99,228	$47.71
   10	Brookhaven National Laboratory	$99,125	$47.66
   11	Asure Software	$98,529	$47.37
   12	California Institute of Technology	$95,891	$46.10	3
   13	University of California-Berkeley	$94,451	$45.41	1
   14	Sierra Nevada	$93,418	$44.91	12
   15	Deloitte	$91,191	$43.84	639
   16	Department of Homeland Security	$89,383	$42.97	4
   17	AmerisourceBergen	$86,023	$41.36
   18	CDM Smith	$85,815	$41.26	782
   19	Huntington National Bank	$84,415	$40.58	54
   20	Jackson	$81,629	$39.24

4. Writing an emergency management specialist job description

   A job description for an emergency management specialist role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an emergency management specialist job description:

   Emergency management specialist job description example

   The Training, Exercise and Preparedness Specialist serves in the Crisis Management and Preparedness division of the University of Kentucky Police Department.
   
   The major responsibilities are Vulnerability and Building Emergency Action Plans (BEAPs), Program Development and Exercises, University Training Compliance, and Professional Development.
   
   Specific duties include creating training plans, conducting and hosting trainings, maintaining training records, overseeing Building Emergency Action Plans (BEAPs), training University officials on BEAPs, supervising, creating and coordinating emergency management exercises for the University, supervising personnel who maintain reporting database and conduct trainings, creating retrospective analyses (after-action reports), creating Event Action Plans (EAPs), maintaining training and continuing education requirements toward emergency management, responding to campus incidents as determined by the campus Emergency Operations Plan.
   
   The University of Kentucky considers the health, safety and well-being of our entire community to be a top priority. In alignment with this priority, all new hires must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination or obtain an approved medical or religious exemption as a condition of employment. For areas that fall under the federal CMS mandate, start of employment cannot occur until two weeks after receiving the full COVID-19 vaccination series or upon obtaining an approved exemption. Only vaccines approved by the World Health Organization can be accepted.
   Skills / Knowledge / Abilities
   
   This position will require candidates to take a polygraph examination as part of the University Police Department's employment process.
   
   Does this position have supervisory responsibilities? No Preferred Education/Experience Deadline to Apply 10/20/2022 University Community of Inclusion
   
   The University of Kentucky is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce by ensuring all our students, faculty, and staff work in an environment of openness and acceptance. We strive to foster a community where people of all backgrounds, identities, and perspectives can feel secure and welcome. We also value the well-being of each of our employees and are dedicated to creating a healthy place to work, learn and live. In the interest of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our students, employees, patients and visitors the University of Kentucky is a Tobacco & Drug Free campus.
   
   As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we strongly encourage veterans, individuals with disabilities, women, and all minorities to consider our employment opportunities.
   
   Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find emergency management specialists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any emergency management specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level emergency management specialists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your emergency management specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit emergency management specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with emergency management specialist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new emergency management specialist

   Once you've selected the best emergency management specialist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an emergency management specialist?