Job Posting: Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA's Alternative Dispute Resolution Division (in the Office of the Chief Counsel) is hiring for two positions: Full-Time Deployable Field ADR Advisor and Intermittent On-Call Reservist ADR Advisor. Both are assigned to the Washington, DC office. but deployment to disaster locations is routine. Some telework may be permitted.

Here is the full posting:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Office of Chief Counsel (OCC) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Division has several vacancies for full-time Deployable Field ADR Advisor (DFA) and ADR Advisor reservist (RSV) positions, as described below.  The mission of the ADR Division of FEMA is to help people before, during, and after conflict.  Incumbents in these positions will be part of our team of ADR Advisors who deploy to FEMA disaster operations to serve as a professional neutral, providing  a variety of dispute resolution services, trainings, and presentations, as requested, to help FEMA employees and our partners manage, resolve, and prevent conflict. 

1.            Deployable Field ADR Advisor positions.  DFAs may be expected to deploy in support of disaster operations for up to 300 days per year.  The official duty station for DFA positions is at FEMA headquarters in Washington, DC and incumbents will be expected to serve at FEMA HQ in Washington, DC when not deployed.  These positions are in the Cadre of On-call Response Employees (CORE) series of employment at FEMA, which means they are temporary appointments for 2 year terms and they may be renewed.  The is an IC-13 position that currently pays $103,690, (Step 1) including Washington, DC locality pay and the incumbent is eligible to apply for federal benefits available to full-time federal employees.  This position allows for limited episodic telework when not deployed.  Due to current operational requirements, preference will be given to candidates who live in the Washington, DC metro area.  Relocation costs are not authorized.

 2.            Reservist ADR Advisors positions.  As intermittent on-call employees, ADR Advisor reservists (RSVs) are deployed to disaster operations as needed.  Work opportunities are intermittent due to the irregular nature of disasters and reservist employees are not guaranteed regular recurring hours, deployments, or renewal of employment.  ADR RSVs are required to be available to deploy to FEMA disaster operations throughout the US and its territories for 60 days twice per year.  These positions are in the Reservist series of employment at FEMA.  Reservist positions are temporary appointments within the Excepted Service and are for 2 year terms.  The position may be renewed.  The official duty station for RSV positions is at their residence of record.  The is an Incident Management Tier 3 position with a $38.09/hour base pay.  Current hourly salary for those with a Washington, DC duty station is $49.70.  Hourly rate that includes locality pay may be higher or lower based on residence of record as established by the Office of Personnel Management.  FEMA reservists are eligible to enroll in Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) during their first deployment of 30 days or more and can maintain these benefits when not deployed by continuing to pay the employee share of the premium.  The duty station for these positions is the applicant's residence of record.  Due to current operational requirements, preference will be given to candidates who live in the Washington, DC metro area.  No relocation costs are authorized.

Position requirements.  For consideration, applicants must have 300 hours of professional or academic conflict resolution skills training, and five (5) years of professional experience serving as a neutral ADR practitioner or ombuds.  The dispute resolution experience should be varied and involve work with individuals and groups that includes ADR processes such as conflict coaching, listening and problem-solving, ombuds, facilitated discussions, teambuilding, interpersonal and work group conflict resolution, group facilitation, mediation, and dispute resolution training.  An advanced degree in conflict resolution may be substituted for 100 hours of training and two (2) years of experience.  Applicants must also have demonstrated interpersonal skills, excellent oral, written, and presentation skills, and the ability to successfully deal diplomatically in a large organization with bureaucracy, diverse staff, difficult personalities, competing factions, and chain of command, while maintaining a reputation for being a positive, effective, collaborative, and professional employee.  Fluency in both Spanish and English is a plus!

How to Apply.  If you are interested, please send your cover letter, resume, and a one-page professional writing sample on the dispute resolution topic of your choice to FEMA-ADR-Cadre@fema.dhs.gov by COB on Friday, August 27.  The resume should clearly detail the minimum requirements as outlined in this announcement, including professional/academic conflict resolution skills training and experience serving as a professional neutral.  Please indicate whether you are interested in the DFA or Reservist position in the subject line of your email and in your cover letter to ensure your application is routed appropriately.  Application packets formatted as a single pdf document with all attachments contained therein is preferred. 

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