Hazard Mitigation Assistance Specialist III - Louisiana Client Site

IEM is seeking individuals to fill a Full Time- Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Specialist III position.

Primary Location:

• Candidates will primarily work from the client site located in the GOHSEP offices in Baton Rouge, LA, working a hybrid schedule in coordination with the client.
• Preference will be given to candidates that currently live within a commutable Distance to Baton Rouge, LA.

Travel Requirements:

• You will be asked to travel as needed within the state of Louisiana.

Essential Functions:

• Assist in developing mitigation strategies and viable, cost-effective mitigation actions for state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) partners and eligible private non-profit entities for both HMA and PA programs.
• Work closely with SLTTs and federal agencies to identify opportunities to enhance infrastructure resilience following disasters through 406 mitigation measures.
• Collaborate with SLTTs and eligible private non-profits to identify and implement FEMA mitigation measures as part of disaster recovery efforts in the HMA and PA programs.
• Review and assess damaged infrastructure and develop cost-effective mitigation measures to reduce future disaster risk.
• Prepare and submit mitigation proposals in alignment with FEMA 406 guidelines to secure funding through the Public Assistance program.
• Provide technical assistance and guidance to municipalities and state agencies on implementing 406 mitigation measures during infrastructure repair projects.
• Ensure compliance with FEMA regulations and promote resilience in rebuilding efforts.
• Scope projects, compliance reviews, technical research, application development and review, prepare concise responses to FEMA Requests for Information (RFIs), and develop BCAs, BC Ratios (BCRs) and BCA methodologies to ensure project compliance and eligibility.
• Function with limited supervision, working with or managing teams, and interacting directly with Senior staff, clients, and teaming partners.
• The position requires extensive grant management experience with HMA programs and Global Match strategies, such as FEMA's Public Assistance (PA) program, HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) programs (e.g., CDBG-MIT, CDBG-DR), and others.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Five (5) years of experience with FEMA's Public Assistance Program, including strong knowledge of FEMA 406 mitigation measures. Proven ability to assess damaged public infrastructure and develop cost-effective mitigation solutions. Familiarity with FEMA policies and funding processes for post-disaster recovery.
• Five (5) years of substantially continuous experience in FEMA's HMA programs: the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP); Flood Mitigation Assistance Program (FMA); and Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program, formerly the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program (PDM); similar Federal or state mitigation or resilience programs; federally funded disaster recovery programs; or some combination thereof.
• Three (3) years of substantially continuous experience providing direct programmatic and technical assistance, performing program reviews, and project analysis.
• Experience with estimating project timelines and tracking application development, project implementation, and the expenditure of funds for any federal grant/sub-grant.
• Advance to expert-level experience with grants management workflow software and documentation management systems at the Federal, State, or local level; training and experience with FEMA Disaster Systems, including Grants Portal, eGrants, EMMIE, and preferably FEMA GO.
• The ability to speak knowledgably and effectively about the FEMA community lifelines.
• Effective listening and communication skills, including strong writing and speaking skills and extensive public speaking experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree or higher in Planning, Engineering, Architecture, Environmental Sciences, or related fields.
• Relevant professional licenses and certifications, such as Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) or Certified Emergency Manager (CEM).
• Three (3) years of experience working specifically with the FEMA HMGP:




• Conducting applicant briefings.
• Understanding hazard mitigation plans and strategies, including plan development, update, and review.
• Project scoping to develop mitigation actions and applications.
• Preparing amendments, scope change requests, and the like.
• Review applications for completeness and developing clear, concise, and technically accurate Requests for Information (RFIs).
• A clear understanding of the purpose of BCAs, and how to review and incorporate BCRs into project viability and application reviews.
• Proficiency conducting BCAs in the FEMA BCA tool.
• Experience with assessing, documenting, and addressing significant Economic, Environmental, Social, Health & Public Safety, Transportation, and Emergency Access impacts.

Submission Requirements:

• One (1) professional and One (1) personal reference with their response.
• Be prepared to provide two (2) writing samples documenting technical writing skills and experience with Federal disaster grant programs in advance of an interview.

Additional Information:

• Office Locations: Often, these offices are either owned by the client we work with or by IEM. All candidates are expected to follow any rules and regulations of the office in which they are required to work for that project.
• Remote Locations: All remote work environments require the ability to maintain minimum Internet speeds of 25 Mbps upload and 3 Mbps download, as well as a ping rate of 100 ms or less during working hours, regardless of the type and number of devices using your Internet connection. You must also have account privileges and access to your Internet service provider account during working hours for the purposes of maintaining the Internet connection, if needed.

Equal Employment Opportunity. All IEM employment decisions, including recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment, if necessary, are made without regard to an individual's race, color, religion, creed, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship or immigration status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.

Reasonable Accommodation. IEM is committed to providing reasonable workplace accommodations for individuals with disabilities. If you require assistance or reasonable accommodation during any part of the application or employment process, please email IEMhumanresources@iem.com with specific details about the requested accommodation. All accommodation requests are reviewed case-by-case in compliance with applicable law.