Emergency management directors held about 9,900 jobs in 2018. The largest employers of emergency management directors were as follows:
| Local government, excluding education and hospitals | 51% |
| State government, excluding education and hospitals | 14 |
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | 8 |
| Colleges, universities, and professional schools; state, local, and private | 4 |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 4 |
Although most emergency management directors work in an office, they also typically travel to meet with various government agencies, community groups, and private companies.
During disasters and emergencies, directors often work in stressful situations.
Work Schedules
Most emergency management directors work full time. In addition, most are on call at all times and may need to work overtime to respond to emergencies and to support emergency management operations. Others may work evenings and weekends to meet with various community groups in preparing their emergency response plans.
Emergency management directors typically need a bachelor’s degree, as well as multiple years of work experience in emergency response, disaster planning, or public administration.
Education
Emergency management directors typically need a bachelor’s degree in business or public administration, accounting, finance, emergency management, or public health. Some directors working in the private sector in the area of business continuity management may need to have a degree in computer science, information systems administration, or another information technology (IT) field.
Some smaller municipalities or local governments may hire applicants who have just a high school diploma. However, these applicants usually need extensive work experience in emergency management if they are to be hired.
Work Experience in a Related Occupation
Applicants typically need multiple years of work experience, often with the military, law enforcement, fire safety, or in another emergency management field, before they can be hired as an emergency management director. Previous work experience in these areas enables applicants to make difficult decisions in stressful and time-sensitive situations. Such experience also prepares one to work with various agencies to ensure that proper resources are used to respond to emergencies.
For more information, see the profiles on police and detectives, firefighters, police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers, and EMTs and paramedics.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Some states require directors obtain certification within a certain timeframe after being hired in the position.
Many agencies and states offer voluntary certificate programs to help emergency management directors obtain additional skills. Some employers may prefer or even require a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM), Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), or equivalent designation. Emergency management directors can attain the CEM designation through the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM); the certification must be renewed every 5 years. The CBCP designation is given by the Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRI) and must be renewed every 2 years.
Both associations require applicants to complete a certain number of continuing education courses prior to recertification.
Emergency management directors typically have an interest in the Helping and Persuading interest areas, according to the Holland Code framework. The Helping interest area indicates a focus on assisting, serving, counseling, or teaching other people. The Persuading interest area indicates a focus on influencing, motivating, and selling to other people.
If you are not sure whether you have a Helping or Persuading interest which might fit with a career as an emergency management director, you can take a career test to measure your interests.
Emergency management directors should also possess the following specific qualities:
Communication skills . Emergency management directors must write out and communicate their emergency preparedness plans to all levels of government, as well as to the public.
Critical-thinking skills . Emergency management directors must anticipate hazards and problems that may arise from an emergency in order to respond effectively.
Decision-making skills . Emergency management directors must make timely decisions, often in stressful situations. They must also identify the strengths and weaknesses of all solutions and approaches, and the costs and benefits of each action.
Interpersonal skills . Emergency management directors must work with other government agencies, law enforcement officials, and the general public to coordinate emergency responses.
Leadership skills . To ensure effective responses to emergencies, emergency management directors need to organize and train a variety of people.
The median annual wage for emergency management directors was $74,590 in May 2019. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $40,430, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $141,230.
In May 2019, the median annual wages for emergency management directors in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | $106,420 |
| Colleges, universities, and professional schools; state, local, and private | 90,730 |
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | 84,330 |
| Local government, excluding education and hospitals | 67,060 |
| State government, excluding education and hospitals | 64,710 |
Most emergency management directors work full time. In addition, most are on call at all times and may need to work overtime to respond to emergencies and to support emergency management operations. Others may work evenings and weekends to meet with various community groups in preparing their emergency response plans.
Employment of emergency management directors is projected to grow 5 percent from 2018 to 2028, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
The importance of preparing for and minimizing the risks from emergencies will help sustain demand and employment opportunities for emergency management directors. These workers will be needed to help businesses and organizations continue to provide essential services during and after emergencies.
Some local and state governments rely on federal financial assistance to fund their emergency management agencies. Counties may not hire full-time, stand-alone emergency management directors, choosing instead to shift the job responsibilities to the fire chief, police chief, or other government employees.
Job Prospects
Competition for jobs is expected to be strong. Emergency management directors is a relatively small occupation, and only modest increases in state and local government budgets mean that new job openings are likely to be limited.
However, retirements over the next decade may provide some opportunities for jobseekers interested in entering the occupation. Applicants with extensive work experience in an emergency management role will have the best job prospects.
For more information about emergency management directors and their certifications, visit
Disaster Recovery Institute International
National Emergency Management Association
International Association of Emergency Managers
CareerOneStop
For a career video on emergency management directors, visit
Emergency management directors