Requisition No: 803416
Agency: Division of Emergency Management
Working Title: OPS PREPAREDNESS ATTORNEY - 31902483
Position Number: 31902483
Salary: $38.00 / hourly
Posting Closing Date: 06/07/2023
Preparedness Attorney - OPS
Office of the General Counsel
State of Florida, Division of Emergency Management
This position is located in Tallahassee, Florida
Our Organization and Mission:
The Florida Division of Emergency Management 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. The Division of Emergency Management (DEM or Division) is the liaison between federal, state, and local agencies. DEM prepares and implements a statewide Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, routinely conducts extensive exercises to test state and county emergency response capabilities, provides technical assistance to local governments as they prepare emergency plans and procedures, as well as conducts emergency operations trainings for state and local government agencies.
The Division serves as the lead agency for the State Emergency Response Team (SERT), whose primary goal is the coordination of the state’s efforts during disaster response and recovery. This coordination is conducted within the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Tallahassee. Additionally, the Division manages the State Watch Office; the 24-hours a day operation tasked with providing situational awareness to stakeholders statewide. After a disaster, DEM conducts damage assessment surveys and advises the Governor of the state of Florida on whether to declare an emergency and seek federal relief funds. It is against this backdrop that DEM strives to demonstrate its mission of, “Coordinate, collaborate and communicate with our community stakeholders for a resilient Florida” along with our vision of, “Leading the Profession in building prepared and resilient communities”.
Position Overview and Responsibilities:
This is a professional position located in the Office of the General Counsel. The incumbent is responsible for providing general legal and policy work in support of various Division functions and operations but specifically focusing on the Bureau of Preparedness. Tasks for this position include reviewing, revising, and/or drafting Division policies, procedures, contract and procurement documents, and assisting with Division rulemaking. This position will specialize in the Preparedness Bureau Grants to include, but not limited to, Stone Garden Grant, Emergency Management Performance Grant, Emergency Management Preparedness and Assistance Grant, and State Homeland Security Program.
Specific Responsibilities:
- Provide guidance and technical assistance to Division bureaus, specifically the Preparedness Bureau, in developing, adopting, and/or updating policies and procedures as well as in promulgating administrative rules pursuant to Chapter 120, Florida Statutes.
- Prepare and/or review correspondence, summaries, reports, and memoranda for internal and external audiences.
- Perform legal reviews of various types of written agreements, including grant and subgrant agreements, contractual service agreements, memoranda of understanding, memoranda of agreement, and other contracts. This position will specialize in the Preparedness Bureau Grants to include, but not limited to, Stone Garden Grant, Emergency Management Performance Grant, Emergency Management Preparedness and Assistance Grant, and State Homeland Security Program.
- Provide compliance support relating to the receipt and use of federal and state emergency management grant funds disbursed pursuant to contracts awarded by the Division.
- Develop, review, and implement policies and procedures related to appeals, contract development & management, and compliance.
- Assist in promoting Division-wide awareness of and compliance with public records retention and management requirements.
- Developing, reviewing, and implementing monitoring tools to ensure compliance with state and federal standards and requirements.
- Assist Division personnel in monitoring ongoing audits, including maintaining a log of all active audits and deadlines for responses and other action, as well as assisting in researching and preparing audit responses, as needed.
- Track deadlines to ensure timely submission of rule changes, audit responses, contract reviews, and/or other technical reviews.
- Assist and coordinate with other attorneys within the Division as needed relating to legal or policy matters.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Knowledge of and/or interest in emergency management.
- Knowledge of public contracting and procurement requirements set forth in Chapter 287, Florida Statute (F.S.), and Rule 60A-1.002, Florida Administrative Code.
- Knowledge of the Administrative Procedures Act, Chapter 120, F.S.
- Knowledge of grant management in compliance with Section 215.97, F.S., and Section 215.971, F.S.
- Ability to assist in developing clear, high-quality contractual documents and exhibits, including scope of work, deliverables directly related to the scope of work, performance criteria for each deliverable, and financial or other consequences for non-compliance with contractual requirements.
- Ability to utilize problem-solving techniques.
- Ability to plan, organize, coordinate, and complete work assignments in a timely manner.
- Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
- Ability to develop extensive knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of federal, state and local government entities in response to public emergencies and disasters.
- Ability to work effectively in a team environment and/or individually, whether with internal or external stakeholders, on programmatic issues and/or principles.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.
- Ability to monitor contractor/recipient/sub-recipient compliance with program requirements through review, analysis and processing of financial and program deliverables, including expenditure, budgeting, staffing and progress reports, audits, and requests for payment.
- Skilled in reading comprehension, legal analysis, writing and research, and oral and written communication.
- Skilled in the use of personal computers, Microsoft Office products (PowerPoint, Excel, and Word), the Internet and related technologies, and web-based applications.
- Ability to travel, as necessary, including to assist with Division response and recovery efforts regarding emergency and disaster events wherever and whenever they may occur within the State of Florida.
Minimum Qualifications:
• Attorney in good standing with The Florida Bar.
Special Notes:
The Division of Emergency Management is committed to successfully recruiting and onboarding talented and skilled individuals into its workforce. The Division appreciates the service and sacrifices made by veterans and their family members. Further, FDEM recognizes the immeasurable value veterans bring to the workplace and is committed to increasing the number of veterans that serve in its workforce.
The Division of Emergency Management is committed to increasing recruitment and hiring of individuals with disabilities and improving employment outcomes. An individual with a disability is qualified if he or she satisfies the skills, experience, and other job-related requirements for a position and can perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation. Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must contact the FDEM Human Resources Office at (850) 815-4177. FDEM requests applicants notify HR in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.
The State of Florida and the Division of Emergency Management participate in E-Verify. This federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.
In response to emergency events, Division of Emergency Management employees may be required to work irregular hours, to work more than 8 hours per day, to work extended periods (including weekends and holidays), to work at locations other than their official headquarters, and to perform duties inaddition to those outlined in the employee’s position description. Employees must be able to deploy to emergency sites with limited advance notice.
The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.
Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.
The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.