Management
Emergency management director
Plan and direct disaster response or crisis management activities, provide disaster preparedness training, and prepare emergency plans and procedures for natural (e.g., hurricanes, floods, earthquakes), wartime, or technological (e.g., nuclear power plant emergencies or hazardous materials spills) disasters or hostage situations.
Median pay
$93,330
Growth to 2035
+4%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
1,100
Time to qualify*
5 years
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Emergency management director
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- On-the-job training
- None
- Prior experience
- 5 years or more
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Exposure to disease
Emergency management director: 59% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Consult with officials of local and area governments, schools, hospitals, and other institutions to determine their needs and capabilities in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency.
- Develop and maintain liaisons with municipalities, county departments, and similar entities to facilitate plan development, response effort coordination, and exchanges of personnel and equipment.
- Coordinate disaster response or crisis management activities, such as ordering evacuations, opening public shelters, and implementing special needs plans and programs.
- Prepare emergency situation status reports that describe response and recovery efforts, needs, and preliminary damage assessments.
- Maintain and update all resource materials associated with emergency preparedness plans.
- Prepare plans that outline operating procedures to be used in response to disasters or emergencies, such as hurricanes, nuclear accidents, and terrorist attacks, and in recovery from these events.
- Develop and perform tests and evaluations of emergency management plans in accordance with state and federal regulations.
- Collaborate with other officials to prepare and analyze damage assessments following disasters or emergencies.
Also called: 911 Communications Manager · Emergency Management Coordinator · Emergency Management Director · Emergency Management System Director (EMS Director) · Emergency Manager · Emergency Planner · Emergency Preparedness Manager · Emergency Services Director
Outlook and AI
Emergency management directors held 14,000 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 14,500 by 2035 (+4%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
- Emergency management director vs. Business operations specialists, all other
- Emergency management director vs. Facilities manager
- Emergency management director vs. Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors
- Emergency management director vs. Healthcare administrator
- Emergency management director vs. Management analyst
- Emergency management director vs. Managers, all other
- Emergency management director vs. Forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists
- Emergency management director vs. Occupational health and safety specialists
- Emergency management director vs. Computer occupations, all other