OPS Admin & Mgmt Cost Specialist

Administrative & Management Costs Specialist – OPS

Bureau of Recovery

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 acts as the liaison between federal, state, and local agencies, prepares and implements a statewide Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, conducts extensive exercises, provides technical assistance to local governments, and offers emergency operations training to state and local agencies.

FDEM serves as the lead agency for the State Emergency Response Team (SERT), coordinating the state’s efforts during disaster response and recovery within the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Tallahassee. It also manages the State Watch Office, a 24‑hour operation that provides situational awareness to stakeholders statewide. After a disaster, FDEM conducts damage assessment surveys and advises the Governor on emergency declaration and federal relief funding.

This role supports FDEM’s mission: “Coordinate, collaborate, and communicate with our community stakeholders for a resilient Florida.”

This position serves as an Administrative & Management Costs Specialist – OPS in the Administrative & Management Costs Team of the Bureau of Recovery’s Public Assistance Unit. The team receives, tracks, and manages the use of management costs authorized under the Public Assistance (PA) Program. Responsibilities include developing PA projects, managing the Validate as You GO (VAYGo) process, and performing related duties as assigned.

• Assist with the implementation of recipient reimbursement strategies and administration of FEMA’s Public Assistance Grant Program.
• Perform duties in compliance with applicable federal and state laws, rules, and procedures.
• Analyze, prepare, submit, and maintain data for reimbursement requests on behalf of FDEM.
• Review programs, services, forms, reports, and historical data to identify problems and improvements.
• Compile data in a logical and efficient format.
• Provide comprehensive analysis of findings on a Project‑to‑Project basis to ensure completion and accuracy.
• Consult with federal, state, and local officials on matters related to the reimbursement of administrative and management costs.
• Act as liaison between FEMA and FDEM as needed and support Recovery reimbursement projects.
• Work with PA Grant Managers to recover excess funds paid to applicants by offsetting identified amounts against other PA funds requested.
• Assist with FEMA’s VAYGo Validate as You Go program and with validations of applicant documentation related to the Florida Recovery Obligation Calculation (F‑ROC) program.
• Perform other duties and travel as required, including disaster‑related duties in both declared and non‑declared events.

In response to emergency events, employees may be required to work irregular hours, extend work periods, work on weekends and holidays, be deployed to alternate locations, and perform duties beyond the listed responsibilities. Employees must be able to deploy to emergency sites with limited advance notice.

• Knowledge of FEMA’s Public Assistance rules and policies under the Stafford Act.
• Knowledge of the F‑ROC Program.
• Knowledge of reimbursement of management and administrative costs under FEMA Public Assistance.
• Ability to provide technical assistance on contracts, grants, and payments to state and local governments.
• Ability to develop timelines and deadlines for multiple projects and complete work accurately and on time.
• Ability to collect, analyze, and interpret contract/grant programmatic and financial data.
• Knowledge of basic accounting and auditing principles and procedures.
• Skilled in Microsoft Office, especially Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to utilize problem‑solving techniques and conduct fact‑finding research.
• Ability to plan, organize, and coordinate work assignments.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
• Ability to establish and…