PREP Program Manager

Job Description

The Office of Pollution Response & Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Program is the Commonwealth's primary capability for responding to oil and hazardous materials incidents. Operating under federal authority derived from CERCLA, the Clean Water Act, and OPA 90, and under Commonwealth authority derived from Title 10.1 of the Code of Virginia, the PREP Program receives and triages pollution reports 24 hours a day, deploys to incident scenes statewide, directs responsible parties and state-funded contractors, and coordinates Virginia's environmental response with federal partners including EPA Region 3 and the U.S. Coast Guard.

This effort is accomplished through a combination of regional office staff and program manager who ensure consistent, decisive agency responses. The Manager of the Office of Pollution Response & Emergency Preparedness leads the program statewide and partners with regional offices to deliver the program at the local level. This role combines statewide program governance, on-scene coordination authority, and agency-level emergency management leadership.

The Program Manager is responsible for the doctrine, plans, annexes, policies, training framework, and state and federal partnerships that establish how the program operates statewide; may serve as the Commonwealth's lead State On-Scene Coordinator (SOSC) for complex incidents; and serves as DEQ's designated Emergency Management Coordinator and VEST Liaison Officer under the Commonwealth of Virginia Emergency Operations Plan. This position requires that the selected candidate complete a Statement of Personal Economic Interests as a condition of employment, per the Code of Virginia

• 2.2-3118-2. Please note this position follows a hybrid work schedule to include both in-office and telework. Candidates must be able to work from the assigned work location in Virginia.

Hiring Range: $100,000 - $125,000

Full Time or Part Time: FULL TIME

• Statewide Program Consistency Through Structured Framework and Support. Establishes program-wide standards, doctrine, qualifications, and procedures applicable to PREP staff in all six regional offices, works with Regional Directors to ensure consistent and decisive pollution response activities.
• State On-Scene Coordinator (SOSC) for Complex Incidents. Serves as the Commonwealth's designated lead SOSC for complex oil and hazardous materials incidents, including incidents with multi-regional scope, Unified Command activation, Governor's emergency declarations, and Spills of National Significance. Represents DEQ and the Commonwealth in Unified Command structures with federal partners.
• Federal and State Partnership Coordination. Participates in semi-annual federal partner meetings, contributes to the Regional Contingency Plan and Area Contingency Plan, and represents Virginia’s environmental interests in regional policy decisions.
• Cross-Program Capacity Building Within DEQ. Builds and maintains working relationships with other DEQ media programs (water, solid and hazardous waste, air, land protection, environmental justice, communications, and others) to ensure the agency can mobilize the full range of technical expertise and personnel needed to meet its responsibilities under ESF #3 (Public Works and Engineering), ESF #8 (Public Health and Medical), ESF #10 (Oil and Hazardous Materials, co-lead with VDEM), ESF #11 (Agriculture and Natural Resources), and ESF #15 (External Affairs) under the Commonwealth of Virginia Emergency Operations Plan and the DEQ Agency Support Plan.
• Agency Emergency Management Leadership. Serves as DEQ's Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC) and as DEQ's VEST Liaison Officer under the Executive Order…