JOB
Hiring Range: $3,869.38 - $4,325.19 biweekly, with growth to $4,835.31
The City of Sumner is looking for a proactive, adaptable, and responsive Emergency Manager to help keep our community prepared for whatever comes next. From planning for natural disasters and coordinating emergency response efforts to leading training exercises and strengthening community resilience, this is a dynamic role where no two days are the same. As our Emergency Manager, you'll be at the center of it all, building partnerships, coordinating with local, state, and federal agencies, developing critical emergency plans, managing the Emergency Operations Center, and helping ensure the City is ready to respond when it matters most. You'll work across every department, collaborate with regional partners, engage with the community, and play a key leadership role during emergencies, disasters, and major public events. If you're someone who enjoys solving complex challenges, building strong relationships, thinking ahead, staying organized and focused when the unexpected happens, this could be the perfect opportunity. Join a team that values innovation, preparedness, and public service while making a real difference in the safety and resilience of our community. Help us prepare today for whatever tomorrow brings.
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This position is a full-time, Fair Labor Standards Act, exempt position. This is designated as a Safety Sensitive position. The regular work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Hybrid and flexible schedules may be available. This position requires additional availability and extended workdays outside of regular business hours to respond to urgent/emergent situations such as floods, fires, natural disasters, and other emergency situations. The incumbent in this position is not a Civil Service employee or under union representation.
General Purpose:
Reporting to the Deputy City Administrator, the Emergency Manager develops and coordinates the City's Emergency Management and Emergency Preparedness programs. This position works under limited supervision and is primarily responsible for providing oversight, consultation and technical guidance of City activities in all phases of emergency management planning, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery; and performing grant, contract, or budgetary research and analysis. The Emergency Manager uses discretion and independent judgement in determining courses of action over significant matters related to emergency management, and works in close collaboration with the Sumner Police Department and other departments within the City as well as outside emergency management agencies.
About Sumner:
The City of Sumner’s vision is to set the standard of excellence for a progressive small city. In working to achieve that vision, Sumner prioritizes and celebrates diverse perspectives, life experiences and differences. The City actively seeks and encourages people with diverse backgrounds and characteristics to apply and all come together with a goal of continuing to learn and improve to better serve the residents, businesses and visitors of our community. Sumner remains a traditional city of just over 11,000 residents with agricultural roots, known for decades as the Rhubarb Pie Capital of the World. At the same time, its compact, walkable layout aligns perfectly with progressive planning trends, as its classic Main Street becomes repurposed for boutiques, independent restaurants and daily services such as legal offices, financial advisors and doctors. While Sumner retains historic neighborhoods of Craftsman houses and an active high school right on Main Street, it also offers over 16,000 manufacturing and distribution jobs for companies such as REI, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Amazon.com, and Dillanos Coffee Roasters. With a downtown Sound Transit station with buses and trains, it is well connected to the Puget Sound region while striving to be a full-service city with the largest YMCA facility in the state of Washington as well as a link trail system that will connect the Foothills and Interurban trails. Like the community, the city government is large enough to be professional but small enough to be creative. The City has won a variety of awards from the Governor's Smart Planning Award to recognition at the International Association of Chiefs of Police for its groundbreaking police work on victims' assistance. With a strong mayor format, the City has just over 140 employees who operate a cemetery, wastewater treatment facility, accredited police department, animal shelter, parks, senior center, full service public works and administration.
EXAMPLE OF DUTIES
The job duties and responsibilities in this job description in no way imply that these are the only duties to be performed. Employees occupying the position will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by a supervisor. While requirements may be representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills and abilities to perform this job successfully, the employee will possess the abilities or aptitudes to perform each duty with proficiency.
Typical duties may include:
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Serves as the City's Emergency Manager and principal staff resource for emergency preparedness, mitigation, response, recovery, and continuity planning activities.
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Represents the City in regional, county, state, federal and intergovernmental organizations including the East Pierce Interlocal Coalition (EPIC) emergency management group, Pierce County Department of Emergency Management, Washington State Emergency Management Division, FEMA and other partner agencies.
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Develops, coordinates, maintains, and updates the City's Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP), Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), Continuity of Operations (COOP) plans, hazard mitigation strategies, evacuation procedures, and related emergency management policies and procedures.
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Participates in strategic planning, policy development, and organizational resilience initiatives that support the City's long-term emergency management objectives.
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Attends and assists with the planning, preparation, and coordination of large community events to ensure appropriate emergency management considerations, resource allocation, interagency coordination, and public safety measures are incorporated into event operations.
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Ensures City compliance with the National Incident Management System (NIMS), Incident Command System (ICS), and applicable federal, state, and local emergency management requirements.
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Coordinates emergency preparedness, training, response, recovery, mitigation, and resilience initiatives across all City departments and advises department leadership on emergency planning and operational readiness.
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Manages and maintains the City’s Emergency Operation Center (EOC), including readiness assessments, equipment maintenance, operational procedures, resource inventories and activation protocols.
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Serves in a leadership role during emergency incidents, disasters, and planned events; may activate, coordinate, and manage EOC operations and serve as liaison with responding agencies and governmental partners.
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Plans, develops, coordinates, and delivers emergency management training programs, workshops, exercises, drills, and tabletop exercises for City employees, elected officials, volunteers, and partner organizations.
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Coordinates multi-jurisdictional preparedness activities and emergency exercises to evaluate plans, improve operational readiness, and strengthen regional response capabilities.
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Conducts hazard and vulnerability assessments and evaluates emerging threats and risks affecting the City and surrounding region; recommends strategies to improve preparedness and resilience.
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Researches, prepares, administers, and monitors emergency management grants and funding opportunities; ensures compliance with grant requirements and prepares related agreements, reports, and reimbursement documentation.
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Provides technical expertise and professional guidance to City leadership, departments, elected officials, and community stakeholders regarding emergency management best practices, regulatory requirements, and program development. Participates in public relations activities and makes public presentations, as appropriate. Coordinates necessary studies and implementation efforts with appropriate City officials, Council, staff, and other governmental entities.
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Serves as the point person to obtain Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other public assistance grants; tracks and gathers/documents completion of grants for reimbursement.
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Develops and maintains emergency notification, public warning, and crisis communications systems; coordinates public information and community outreach programs to promote emergency preparedness.
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Conducts research on all hazards and threats to the Western Washington region by reading records, plans and documents to include attending presentations and interviews; ensures the City is in compliance with all Federal, State and County requirements for an emergency management plan.
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Provides preparedness presentations to the community on a regular basis; identifies gaps in emergency planning and addresses them as resources as allow.
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Performs other duties as assigned.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
Selection Guidelines:
Formal application, rating of education and experience, oral interviews and reference checks; job related testing may be required.
Background checks may include:
Prior Employment Verification: confirms applicant's employment with the listed companies, including dates of employment, position held and additional information available pertaining to performance rating, reason for departure and eligibility for rehire. This verification will be run on the past three employers or the previous five years, whichever comes first.
Personal and Professional References: calls will be placed to individuals listed as references by the applicant.
Employment Eligibility Verification: Form I-9 is used for verifying the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States.
Educational Verification: confirms the applicant's claimed educational institution, including the years attended and the degree/diploma received.
Criminal History: includes review of criminal convictions and probation. The following factors will be considered for applicants with a criminal history:
The nature of the crime and its relationship to the position.
The time since the conviction.
The number (if more than one) of convictions.
Whether hiring, transferring or promoting the applicant would pose an unreasonable risk to the business, its employees or its customers and vendors.
The following additional background searches will be required if applicable to the position:
Motor Vehicle Records: provides a report on an individual's driving history in the state requested. This search will be run when driving is an essential requirement of the position.
Credit History: confirms candidate's credit history. This search will be run for positions that involve management of City of Sumner funds and/or handling of cash or credit cards.
The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.
Equal Opportunity Employer
The City is an equal employment opportunity employer. The City employs, retains, promotes, terminates and otherwise treats all employees and job applicants on the basis of job-related qualifications and competence. These policies shall be applied without regard to any individual's sex, race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, age, marital status, sensory, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation including gender expression and identity, genetic information, domestic violence victim or other basis prohibited by law.
Persons needing assistance in the application process may call the Human Resources Office, at 253-299-5595 or email
[email protected]. If you are invited to participate in the selection process and need ADA accommodations, please notify HR before you are scheduled for an interview or testing.
Drug Free Workplace
The City of Sumner is a drug free workplace. The City is committed to ensuring a safe and healthy work environment, free from employees whose job performance may be impaired by the use of prescription, nonprescription, over-the-counter drugs, illegal controlled substances, marijuana and alcohol.
General Hiring Process Information
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Candidates must submit any required documents outlined in the job announcement in order to be considered.
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Submitting a cover letter and resume is not required but is recommended.
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Applicants must provide professional references with accurate phone numbers and email addresses. References will only be contacted for applicants who progress past the interview process.
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If multiple applications are received for the same candidate, only the most recently submitted, complete application will be considered.
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Applications received by the review date will be screened for minimum qualifications and then submitted to a Subject Matter Expert to select which candidates will be invited to interview. Personally identifiable information is removed from the applications during the screening process.
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Applicants who are invited to interview will receive notification by email and are typically provided at least one weeks' notice prior to the scheduled interview date.
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Applicants who are not invited to interview will be notified by email.
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Remote interviews may be available for candidates unable to participate in person, remote interviews are held through an online meeting platform such as Microsoft Teams.
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Applicants who pass the interview process may be invited back for a second interview with the department leads or for a walking interview through the department.
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Applicants who did not pass the interview process will be notified by email.
