Readiness Coordinator

At RED GATE we do everything we can to serve our clients:

Using the right technical skills, unique methodologies, best practices, and integrated technology, we help clients implement bold solutions. New approaches to emerging and evolving threats. Non-traditional ways to overcome entrenched obstacles. Advantage through opportunity. If you have a serious challenge or problem, we can help you solve it.  The below job description provides details on how this role will help to serve our clients.

BACKGROUND: Created in November 2018 from the former National Protection and Programs Directorate, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is the Nation’s risk advisor, working with partners to defend against today’s threats and collaborating to build more secure and resilient infrastructure for the future. The threats our Nation faces—digital and physical, manmade, technological, and natural—are more complex, and the threat actors more diverse, than at any point in our history. CISA is at the heart of mobilizing a collective defense as it leads the effort to understand and manage risk to critical infrastructure. CISA’s partners in this mission span the public, private, and non-governmental sectors. The cybersecurity, infrastructure security, and emergency communications capabilities and services CISA provides are driven by a comprehensive understanding of the risk environment and the corresponding needs identified by its stakeholders. CISA seeks to help its customers better manage risk and increase resilience using all available resources, whether inherent to their organizations, provided by the federal government, or licensed by commercial vendors.

Within CISA, the Integrated Operations Division (IOD) was created to ensure Agency-wide operational activities are coordinated, collaborative, and transparent to provide stakeholders with an integrated, “whole of CISA” response to their most critical needs. IOD’s Operational Planning, Readiness, and Continuity (OPRC) sub-division play an integral role in this process by developing, maintaining, training, and exercising the operational planning products used to guide CISA operations during Steady State, in support of special events, and in response to all-hazards threats and incidents. OPRC coordinates across the Agency to foster a culture of preparedness that reflects CISA strategy and leadership priorities and incorporates the unique capabilities, roles, and responsibilities of each division and line of business. Red Gate will provide OPRC with expertise in operational planning, training, and exercises; technical writing; and graphic design. The Readiness Coordinator will act as a subject matter expert for all aspects of CISA emergency preparedness training and response exercises, as well as support CISA participation in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and federal interagency exercises.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provides training and exercise support to CISA/IOD based on priorities established by leadership
• Assists in the research, development, maintenance, and execution of training and exercises
• Writes and edits training and exercise plans and related documentation
• Coordinates development and maintenance of CISA multi-year training and exercise plan
• Leads the development of after-action reports on CISA/IOD exercises and real-world operations
• Produces reports, briefings, talking points, and other information products
• Assists other CISA divisions/subdivisions in achieving their training/exercise goals and objectives
• Works closely with stakeholders at all CISA organizational levels to integrate the training and exercise program into routine operations
• Prepares and presents training and exercise products that test and validate CISA and IOD operations plans at the national, Agency, and division levels
• Ensures close synchronization between CISA divisions and mission support organizations, and with DHS headquarters and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, on training and exercise initiatives
• Develops training and exercise annexes/appendices for CISA plans, templates, and standard operating procedures, as well as CISA-specific input to national-level exercise planning documents, to facilitate the integration of all CISA divisions into an Agency-wide training/exercise environment
• Supports CISA incident management activities, as requested (including staffing crisis action planning teams and task forces overnight and on weekends depending on the needs of the incident)

• Bachelor’s degree (emphasis in Communication, Cybersecurity, Emergency Management, English, Government, Homeland Security, Political Science, or Public Policy/Administration preferred)
• At least 3 years of experience as a training and exercise developer, planner, and writer with a civilian government agency or military service, including training and exercise planning process/workflows and development and publication of training and exercise documentation
• Thorough understanding of the guiding principles of exercise and evaluation programs, as well as common approaches to exercise program management, design, development, conduct, evaluation, and improvement planning
• Thorough understanding of standard approaches to curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and measurement of training effects
• Familiarity with federal authorities related to emergency management, national preparedness, all-hazards planning, and federal response and recovery operations (including the National Incident Management System, Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program, and National Exercise Program)
• Knowledge of principles of emergency management, emergency management training and exercise requirements and protocols, and current nationwide trends
• Knowledge of the use of presentation graphics, multi-media devices, and computer-based training and exercise software and applications
• Ability to work independently or collaboratively in a diverse small team environment to produce high quality results under tight deadlines
• Ability to multi-task effectively and manage and/or support multiple projects concurrently
• Strong meeting coordination and facilitation skills
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office software package
• Experience supporting federal government clients (DHS experience preferred)
• Master Exercise Practitioner certification preferred

The Red Gate Group, Ltd. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. The Red Gate Group, Ltd. considers applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or membership in any other group protected by federal, state, or local law.  EEO is the Law