Director of Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness

Deliverable to residents:

The Director of the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness (NOHSEP) serves as the City’s principal advisor and coordinator for emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. This role oversees the City’s comprehensive emergency management, homeland security, and disaster and risk mitigation strategies and ensures that New Orleans maintains readiness to respond to natural disasters, public health crises, and disaster and security threats in order to protect lives, property, and critical infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities:

• Direct all phases of emergency management—preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery.
• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the City’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) in compliance with state and federal standards.
• Activate and manage the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and serve as incident coordinator during declared disasters or large-scale events.
• Coordinate multi-agency emergency planning and response with city departments, public safety agencies, the Sewerage & Water Board, state and federal partners, and regional authorities.
• Oversee continuity of government and continuity of operations planning to maintain essential city functions during crises.
• Manage the NOLA Ready emergency preparedness campaign and direct public information during emergencies to ensure accurate, timely, and accessible communication.
• Conduct regular emergency training, exercises, and after-action reviews to evaluate and improve city readiness.
• Maintain and execute the Hazard Mitigation Plan and drive the City’s efforts to reduce hazard risk.
• Represent the City in intergovernmental emergency management councils, mutual aid partnerships, and homeland security forums.

• Bachelor’s degree in Emergency Management, Public Administration, Homeland Security, or related field (Master’s preferred).
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in emergency management, homeland security, or disaster operations.
• Strong knowledge of the Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act, FEMA regulations, and National Incident Management System.
• Proven success leading interagency coordination during complex emergency events.
• Experience managing emergency-related grants, budgets, and mutual aid agreements.
• Excellent communication and decision-making skills under pressure.
• Completion of FEMA ICS 100, 200, 700 and 800. Preferred advanced professional training or certification such as Certified Emergency Manager (CEM), graduation from a FEMA National Emergency Management Advanced Academy, or similar. 

• Preferred proven experience responding to a Federally declared Major or Emergency Disaster and experience in the specific challenges of emergency management and homeland security in a similarly sized urban area. 
• Preferred familiarity with planning and execution of large scale special events, including National Special Security Events, SEAR events, and other nationally significant events. 

Benefits information will be available in the future.