DDD Emergency Preparedness Coordinator - Phoenix Arizona

Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD)
1789 West Jefferson Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85007

Salary: $66,000 - $78,000  

Grade: 23

Closing Date: November 8, 2026

Would you like to be part of an amazing team that helps Arizonans thrive? At the Department of Economic Security (DES), we strengthen individuals, families, and communities for a better quality of life. DES is looking for individuals that are committed to service, community, and teamwork. To learn more about DES please visit des.az.gov; or click on the link here to view ‘Our DES’ video. Come join the DES Team!

The Department of Economic Security, Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), is seeking an experienced and highly motivated individual to join our team as a Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. The DDD Emergency Preparedness Coordinator (Program Coordinator) works in partnership with multiple entities, including the DES Emergency Planning & Preparedness Administration (EPPA), the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs and other state agencies, non-profit organizations involved in emergency response, and advocacy bodies to plan the actions that the Department of Economic Security (DES)/Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) would take to mitigate a real emergency.

Applicants for this position cannot be licensed or certified by the DDD Office of Licensing Certification and Regulation, cannot have a principal interest in or have a spouse or close family with principal interest in a DDD Qualified Vendor Agreement, and cannot be employed or subcontracted by a DDD Qualified Vendor.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Conduct regular testing of emergency response plans and COOP through tabletop exercises, meetings, and other means to meet requirements from DES leadership, EPPA, AHCCCS, and outside entities. This support includes state-operated group homes, Intermediate Care Facilities (ICFs), and office locations.
• Support GIS needs throughout the division by updating and maintaining member and provider geocode reports to use in emergency situations and routine tasks. This will include member residences, provider homes, day treatment locations, and provider places of service.
• Maintain awareness and engagement of internal and external partners. Ensure readiness and make continuous improvements to the DDD emergency response plans and continuity of operations plan (COOP), and keep the DDD Call Tree current and available.
• Represent the division and external stakeholder statewide meetings, planning, projects, training, and exercises. Meet with EPPA monthly to review DDD emergency plans and address any concerns with DDD's emergency preparedness, and to seek guidance as needed.
• Design high-quality digital soft copy, and web maps for deliverables or internal programs. This includes, but is not limited to, standard monthly reports and ad hoc reports. Ensure customer needs and deadlines are consistently met.
• Create, perform tasks and maintain geocodes for DDD's use in Single Address Lookup, Batch/Bulk Geocoding, Batch/Bulk Geocoding utilizing SQL, Tableau, and Visual Studio and other programs and platforms.

Knowledge in:

• Principles and practices utilized in research and planning
• Local planning resources
• Government organization and procedures
• Federal, state, and local emergency response plans and practices
• In-depth understanding of continuity management and governance frameworks
• Continuity best practices and protocols
• Operational risk management methodology
• DDD and DES division and program operations and functions
• Deep understanding of coordinate systems, map projections, and datums
• Familiarity with hosting web maps, dashboards, and cloud-native spatial formats.

Skills in:

• Developing, maintaining, or implementing business continuity and disaster recovery strategies and solutions, including risk assessments, business impact analyses, strategy selection, and documentation of business continuity and disaster recovery procedures.
  Planning, conducting, and debriefing regular mock-disaster exercises to test the adequacy of existing plans and strategies, updating procedures and plans regularly.
• Analyzing documents;
• Relationship management
• Organization and communication, especially related to facilitation, documentation, and reporting.
• Proven leadership, influencing and management skills
• Strong critical and analytical thought processes and decision-making
• Development of complex maps and projections.
• Strong SQL skills, including data validation and relational database management.
• Professional oral and written communication
• Problem solving, conflict resolution, mediation and negotiations

Ability to:

• Act as a coordinator for continuity efforts after a disruption event
• Respond promptly and provide clear and specific directions in an emergency
• Organize groups of people to respond to an emergency situation
• Train responders to manage multiple activities simultaneously in an emergency
• Remain calm under stress; and maintain effective relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Develop presentations and reports for a variety of customers.
• Organize, prioritize and multi-task while managing a very heavy workload, with shifting priorities.
• Ability to find, clean, manage, and validate raw data while avoiding common spatial errors

The ideal candidate for this position will have:

• Five years of exposure to operations within a federal, state, or local government environment, or the Business Continuity Management industry.
• Completion of National Incident Management System (NIMS) / Incident Command System (ICS) training is preferred.

• Driver’s License Requirements: If the position is required to drive on state business, the position will require the possession of and ability to retain a current, valid state-issued driver's license appropriate to the assignment. Employees who drive on state business are subject to driver's license record checks, must maintain acceptable driving records and must complete any driver training (see Arizona Administrative Code R2-10-207.11).
• All newly hired State employees are subject to and must successfully complete the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify).

The Arizona Department of Economic Security offers a comprehensive benefits package to include:

• Affordable medical, dental, life, and short-term disability insurance plans
• Participation in the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) and long-term disability plans
• 10 paid holidays per year
• Paid vacation and sick time
• Paid Parental Leave-Up to 12 weeks per year paid leave for newborn or newly-placed foster/adopted child.
• Deferred compensation plan
• Wellness plans
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Stipend Opportunities
• Infant at Work Program
• Rideshare and Public Transit Subsidy
• Career Advancement & Employee Development Opportunities

Learn more about the Paid Parental Leave program here. For a complete list of benefits provided by The State of Arizona, please visit our benefits page.

State employees are required to participate in the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS), the State sponsored retirement contribution plan and the Long-Term Disability (LTD) program after a 27-week waiting period. The ASRS defined benefit plan provides for life-long income upon retirement. You will also have the option to participate in a voluntary deferred compensation program to take advantage of tax-deferred retirement investments.

On, or shortly after, your first day of work you will be provided with additional information about the available insurance plans, enrollment instructions, submission deadlines and effective dates.

For questions about this career opportunity, please contact Laura Kaspar at 602-390-5549 or LKaspar@azdes.gov.

The State of Arizona is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation such as a sign language interpreter or an alternative format by contacting 602-390-5549 or LKaspar@azdes.gov. Requests should be made as early as possible to allow time to arrange the accommodation.