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THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES

The City of Los Angeles is a world-class city with a vibrant, diverse economy and an unparalleled quality of life. Los Angeles is the second-largest city in the United States and has a multi-ethnic population of approximately four million residents. Los Angeles is one of the largest economies, financial entities, and trade centers in the country. It is a trend-setting global metropolis with a fascinating history and a rich cultural heritage. The city prides itself on its ethnic diversity, with an estimated 200 languages spoken. As one of the world's great cities, Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as other international events. The City of Los Angeles is a diverse region with a unique hazard and risk environment. The City's physical characteristics, population, and economy make the City vulnerable to an array of natural, human-caused, and technological hazards.

THE CITY ORGANIZATION

Los Angeles is a charter city, governed by the Mayor and the City Council. The City Council serves full-time and has fifteen members elected by district. In addition to the Mayor and Council, the other two elected officials of the City are the Controller and City Attorney. The City's elected officials serve four-year terms. Volunteer Commissions, consisting of prominent business and community leaders, appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council, oversee several City departments and bureaus. The City has over 40 departments, bureaus, and offices for which funds are budgeted annually by the Mayor and City Council. In addition, the City has three proprietary (enterprise) departments (the Departments of Water and Power, Harbor, and Airports), governed by Commissions, which are financed solely by revenue generated from their operations. As part of a historic new era, Karen Bass began her first four-year term as 43rd Mayor of the City of Los Angeles on December 12, 2022, as the first woman and second African American to be elected as the City's chief executive.

ABOUT THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT

The Emergency Management Department (EMD) is the lead City department responsible for directing and supervising the City's emergency management program, including mitigation, planning, preparedness, response, and recovery activities. EMD is responsible for providing coordination, compliance, assistance, oversight, and implementation of all emergency management activities, including but not limited to emergency plans, exercises, training, community outreach, emergency EOC readiness and response, and City recovery operations. For additional information about the department, its services, programs, and initiatives, please visit: emergency.lacity.org.

ABOUT THE POSITION 

The Emergency Management Department (EMD) of the City of Los Angeles is seeking a highly experienced, strategic, and collaborative leader to serve as the Assistant General Manager (AGM) of Strategic Planning & Policy. Note: This position is one of two AGM positions at EMD. There is an existing Assistant General Manager for Emergency Operations and Recovery. While each AGM will be responsible for managing their specific branch, both will be expected to provide cross-functional support and serve in a backup capacity to ensure organizational continuity and leadership coverage during major events or transitions. 

The AGM of Strategic Planning & Policy will primarily focus on reshaping the Emergency Management policy development, strategic planning, and coordination with elected official offices. Key responsibilities for this position include: supervising staff in the Community Partnerships and Engagement, Administration and Finance, and Climate Resilience Divisions; and leading the departmental coordination and consequence management planning for major special events such as Super Bowl LXI and LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

This role involves developing advanced planning documents, such as on-call emergency contracts to expand capacity for large-scale response and recovery, while ensuring seamless coordination and information sharing with the Mayor's Office of Public Safety and elected officials. Responsibilities also include modernizing emergency management by updating administrative codes, Executive Directives, and City charter language. The position also oversees the creation of the department's strategic plan and annual reports, renewal of policies, MOUs, and other guiding documents to reflect current best practices. 

Policy monitoring is critical, involving tracking legislative changes across all government levels to anticipate impacts on Los Angeles. A major focus is community engagement, which includes leading public outreach campaigns, expanding the Ready Your LA Neighborhood and Ready Your LA Business programs to vulnerable groups, and liaising with the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment and 99 neighborhood councils. Additionally, the role involves supervising the development and tracking of the City's first Heat Action and Resilience Plan (HARP). 

As the EMD Immigrant Affairs Liaison, the AGM updates the Immigration Preparedness Plan and training under Executive Directive 12. They represent the Department on the Mayor's Climate Cabinet and in various working groups as the Departmental Chief Sustainability Officer and Racial Equity Officer. 

Internal management responsibilities include addressing human resources matters with the Personnel Department, managing recruitment, and leading strategic budgeting. Additionally, the AGM supports the City's Emergency Operations Board (EOB) and Emergency Operations Organization (EOO) Working Group, while handling other assigned duties. 

The AGM also provides professional development, performance management, and annual evaluations of EMD staff; tracks internal and public-facing metrics as they relate to EMD's annual goals and objectives; responds to Council motions, media inquiries, and California Public Records Act (CPRA) requests relative to the Divisions supervised; engages in strategic planning to include long-term goals, annual objectives, and key milestones respective to the Divisions supervised; ensures compliance with fiscal requirements, including grant terms, Emergency Operations Fund administration, and EMD budget implementation; and prioritizes divisional needs and develops funding requests through the annual budget process.

QUALIFYING EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• EDUCATION: A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in public administration, emergency management, homeland security, or a related field is required, with a master's degree preferred.

• EXPERIENCE: At least 5-7 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in emergency management, public administration, or a related field. This includes managing teams of various sizes, overseeing complex long-range projects and budgets, and directing interdepartmental coordination. Deep knowledge of emergency management frameworks such as the Incident Command System (ICS), National Incident Management System (NIMS), National Disaster Response Framework, National Disaster Recovery Framework, the Stafford Act, CA Emergency Services Act, and other applicable federal and state frameworks, guidelines, and regulations is essential.

• Candidates must also demonstrate the ability to lead during high-stress, concurrent, and time­ sensitive situations.

The Successful Candidate will demonstrate:

• Expert knowledge of the City of Los Angeles policies, procedures, and political structure.

• Thorough understanding of federal, state, and local emergency management doctrine and processes.

• Extensive familiarity with the geography, demographics, and hazard profile throughout the City of Los Angeles.

• Ability to communicate complex emergency management concepts to unfamiliar audiences.

• A deep understanding of emergency management principles, including preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation.

• Ability to navigate the City of Los Angeles legislative process to codify plans and policies.

• A strong ability to analyze local, state, and federal policy changes and assess impacts on municipal operations.

• Strong collaborative relationships with local, State, and Federal elected officials, outside agencies, and community stakeholders.

• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to track implementation and outcomes over time.

• Strong written communication skills, including drafting policy documents, executive briefings, and public­ facing materials.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills for both internal and external audiences.

• Commitment to serve as spokesperson for the department at conferences, press events, executive-level meetings, etc. (This may include travel out of the city.)

• Ability to lead with cultural competency and equity.

• Ability to think strategically.

• Being politically astute, adaptable, collaborative, and having a deep understanding of how to operate within a complex municipal government environment.

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND EXPECTATIONS

The incumbent is required to maintain availability for non-standard hours, including evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays, particularly during emergency activations.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The salary range for the Assistant General Manager of Strategic Planning & Policy is $148,227 to $216,692 per year.

A highly competitive benefits package includes a defined benefit retirement plan to which both the employee and the City contribute; a multi-option deferred compensation plan; generous vacation and sick leave; 13 paid holidays per year; a flexible benefits plan including multi-option health, dental, and vision coverage; and family and domestic partner leave.