Director of Office of Preparedness and Emergency Management (OPEM

Director of Office of Preparedness and Emergency Management (OPEM)

The Department of Public Health (DPH) is seeking an experienced and strategic leader to serve as the Director of the Office of Preparedness and Emergency Management (OPEM). This executive leadership position is responsible for advancing DPH's comprehensive public health and healthcare preparedness, response, recovery, and resilience capabilities, while ensuring Massachusetts is prepared to respond effectively to all-hazards emergencies. The Director provides strategic leadership for all OPEM programs and operations, overseeing policy development, emergency planning, federal preparedness initiatives, organizational performance, and continuous improvement efforts.

The position serves as the Commissioner's principal advisor on emergency preparedness and healthcare system resilience and represents the Department in executive-level coordination with federal, state, regional, local, healthcare, and community partners. As a member of OPEM's Duty Officer program, the Director shares responsibility for providing executive level emergency response coverage on a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week basis and is expected to respond to significant public health and healthcare system emergencies whenever they occur.

This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced executive who thrives in complex, high-profile environments and is passionate about advancing public health, emergency preparedness, and health equity. The Director will shape critical statewide initiatives, oversee significant federal preparedness investments, and lead initiatives that strengthen the Commonwealth's ability to prevent, respond to, and recover from emergencies. This role offers the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the health and well-being of millions of residents while leading a highly skilled team dedicated to protecting communities across Massachusetts.

Duties and Responsibilities (these duties are a general summary and not all inclusive):

• Provide executive leadership and strategic direction for the Office of Preparedness and Emergency Management, fostering a high-performing organization focused on innovation, accountability, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Direct the Commonwealth's public health and healthcare emergency preparedness, mitigation, response, recovery, and resilience programs, ensuring operational readiness for all-hazards incidents, including infectious disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and other public health emergencies.
• Lead development, implementation, testing, and continuous improvement of the Department's Emergency Operations Plan and related emergency management policies, procedures, and continuity planning activities.
• Oversee the strategic administration of federal preparedness programs and funding, including the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) and Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) cooperative agreements, ensuring strategic planning, fiscal stewardship, grant administration, and performance management.
• Strengthen statewide healthcare system preparedness by providing executive leadership for the Health and Medical Coordinating Coalitions, and fostering collaboration among healthcare organizations, local public health agencies, emergency medical services, and regional partners to enhance coordinated emergency response capabilities.
• Serve as the Commissioner's principal advisor on emergency preparedness, healthcare system resilience, and related policy matters while representing the Department in executive-level discussions with federal, state, regional, and local partners.
• Direct the Department's responsibilities under Emergency Support Function 8 (Public Health and Medical Services), coordinating statewide emergency planning, response, recovery, and continuity activities with emergency management agencies and public health partners.
• Advance health equity by integrating equitable preparedness, response, recovery, and resource allocation strategies into emergency management planning while strengthening partnerships with communities disproportionately impacted by health inequities.
• Provide executive leadership during emergency activations by serving in senior incident management roles, participating in the 24/7 Duty Officer program, supporting continuity of government operations, and directing emergency response activities during significant public health events.
• Build and sustain strong partnerships with healthcare systems, governmental agencies, community organizations, and regional and national partners to advance preparedness initiatives, strengthen resilience, and improve the Commonwealth's ability to respond to future emergencies.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated executive leadership experience in public health emergency preparedness, emergency management, homeland security, healthcare preparedness, or a closely related field.
• Experience leading large, complex organizations or multidisciplinary teams in a governmental,…