Portland, OR – Director, Portland Bureau of Emergency Management

About the Position

The City of Portland is recruiting its next Director of the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM) to lead the emergency-management system of one of the nation’s major metropolitan cities. The Director will build citywide plans, readiness systems, and the Emergency Coordination Center, unite City bureaus and regional partners, advise the Mayor and Disaster Policy Council, lead a 16-position bureau, and steward federal grants for a five-county region.

The Director will strengthen and integrate the citywide system in deliberate stages, starting with essential functions, clear priorities, shared responsibilities, and a strategic plan with practical milestones. Trust and collaboration will be built across Police, Fire, Emergency Communications, Transportation, Water, Environmental Services, and other bureaus, with shared exercise expectations and clear decision rights. Plans will be kept current, readiness tested through exercises and corrective-action tracking, and ECC activation standards developed. The Director will also develop the bureau’s staff, deepen partnerships with Multnomah County, neighboring jurisdictions, state and federal partners, and the Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization (RDPO), and build on Neighborhood Emergency Teams and Basic Earthquake Emergency Communication Nodes with multilingual communications for residents facing the greatest risk.

The ideal candidate is a proven program builder who pairs technical credibility with mature management judgment and can point to measurable gains in readiness. Deep knowledge of incident management, Emergency Coordination Centers, and established doctrine is essential. High emotional intelligence and a low ego define this leader, who listens first, learns local context, and earns confidence through results rather than title. This leader convenes independent agencies and strengthens accountability without command authority, pairing humility with decisive action. Politically astute and grounded, the candidate advises elected and appointed officials while exercising independent professional judgment, develops and holds staff accountable, and delivers results with limited resources and evolving governmental arrangements.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, or a closely related field
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in public administration, emergency management, or a related field, including 3+ years supervising staff
• Incident Command System (ICS) training (FEMA)
• Demonstrated knowledge of emergency-management systems and emergency response
• Availability 24/7 to respond to emergency incidents and ECC activations

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, or a closely related field
• Leadership of complex emergency-management programs, readiness improvements, and Emergency Coordination Center functions
• Demonstrated results working across independent departments and jurisdictions, including grants, intergovernmental coordination, and high-stakes communications.
• Security clearance (DHS)
• Experience managing public safety budgets, navigating politically sensitive situations, and leading change in a complex public organization

The salary for this position is $165,609.60 to $240,739.20 annually, DOE/DOQ, with a $203,174 salary base midpoint.

We encourage interested individuals to apply as soon as possible, as applications are reviewed upon receipt.

For more information on this position contact:

Clay Pearson
Senior Vice President, Executive Recruitment
[email protected] | 817-337-8581

The City of Portland is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Finalists are subject to a comprehensive background investigation and psychological examination.