State EOC Planning Section Chief

Work for Indiana

Begin a fulfilling career with the State of Indiana by joining one of the largest employers in the state, offering a range of opportunities across 60+ agencies. At the state, you'll find competitive compensation, a robust benefits package and a commitment to work-life balance. Most importantly, you'll have the chance to make a real and measurable impact on the lives of Hoosiers across Indiana.

About the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS):

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) leads Indiana's emergency planning and operations, first responder training, and fire and building safety. The Indiana State Fire Marshal leads the Division of Fire and Building Safety (within IDHS), which oversees the enforcement of building codes and includes a fire investigations unit. The agency certifies and trains thousands of first responders and also hosts state-level exercises each year.

IDHS also supports the state Emergency Operations Center (EOC), which leads response and coordination efforts for large-magnitude incidents.

Role Overview :

The State Planning Section Chief (PSC) serves as a leader within the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), responsible for overseeing all planning activities that support emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation operations. This role ensures that incident action planning, situational analysis, and long-term strategic planning are conducted effectively to support statewide emergency management operations and maintains a common operating picture. The PSC leads the planning efforts for State EOC activities and will assist as the planning liaison for the Response Division to provide support for planning needs and engagements with other sections outside of Response and external partners.

During activations of the SEOC, the Planning Section Chief may work longer hours or additional days above and beyond the normal schedule. The PSC is the lead for development, coordination, and dissemination of Incident Action Plans (IAPs), Executive Summaries, Situation Reports, Weather/Hydrology Reports and other reports as requested. It is the duty of the PSC to collect, analyze and synthesize information from multiple sources to provide accurate situation reports to SEOC leadership, executive leadership, the Governor's Office and stakeholders.

The position is responsible for the recruitment, selection and training of all personnel assigned to work in the Planning Section of the State EOC prior to and during activations. During activations, the PSC will coordinate staffing and supervise all SEOC Planning positions - Planning Section Chief, Situation Unit Leader, Documentation Unit Leader, Advanced Planner and GIS/Mapping roles. The PSC position is key to the success of SEOC activations and day-to-day activities by maintaining situational awareness, creating and disseminating incident documentation, and forecasting future response objectives, identified gaps or operational needs.

In conjunction with the Operations Section Chief, Logistics Section Chief and Finance Section Chief, the PSC will collaborate and assist Local County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Directors and complete county visits annually. The PSC will conduct After-Action Reports following activations and assist the IDHS Exercise Division with planning and facilitating exercises, as needed.

The PSC is responsible for serving as a liaison between the SEOC and IDHS Planning Section planners by assisting with developing and maintaining statewide emergency response and recovery strategies, ensuring alignment with best state practices and federal guidance. The PSC will assist in all Emergency Support Function (ESF) support annex updates on behalf of Response. This position will assist the Staff Meteorologist position with weather-related planning efforts in relation to the Flood Response Annex and Severe Weather Annex to the State Emergency Operations Plan and supports the development and maintenance of the Department of Natural Resource's Drought Plan.

This position is a member of the state's Damage Assessment Team.

This position is responsible for maintaining the earthquake program inventory of outreach materials, assisting with outreach events and scheduling the deployment of IDHS Quake Cottage earthquake simulator. The IDHS Planning Section Chief will work with the IDHS Logistics Section Chief and IDHS Logistics Facilities Manager to store the earthquake simulator trailer ("Quake Cottage") and educational outreach materials. The PSC will coordinate with the State Hazards Mitigation Officer and Recovery Director to ensure that earthquake mitigation projects are aligned with county mitigation plans, State Hazards Mitigation Plan (SHMP), and any gaps identified.

POSITION ASSIGNMENT:
The Planning Section Chief operates within the Emergency Management and Preparedness Division but works with all divisions within IDHS. The Planning Section Chief will report to the Response Director.

Salary…