Emergency Management Directors
Plan and direct disaster response or crisis management activities, provide disaster preparedness training, and prepare emergency plans and procedures for natural (e.g., hurricanes, floods, earthquakes), wartime, or technological (e.g., nuclear power plant emergencies or hazardous materials spills) disasters or hostage situations.
Also called: 911 Communications Manager, Change Management Specialist, Civil Defense Director, Civil Preparedness Officer, Disaster Response Director, Emergency Management Coordinator
Median pay
$93,330
per year, U.S.
Pay range (10th–90th)
$54,210 – $166,430
People employed
13,500
Holland code
ECI
Enterprising · Conventional · Investigative
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Is this career right for you?
These are the things that stand out in this job compared with other U.S. jobs (O*NET 31.0 work context). Answer honestly.
- 1.Are you OK with hours that change?
- 2.Do you want variety, with new tasks often?
- 3.Do you want to lead or coordinate other people’s work?
- 4.Do you prefer a steady pace without constant deadlines?
- 5.Do you enjoy serving customers or the public?
Emergency Management Directors pay by state
Highest-paying states
Annual median pay by state (46 states and DC with published data). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
What emergency management directors do
- 01Consult with officials of local and area governments, schools, hospitals, and other institutions to determine their needs and capabilities in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency.
- 02Develop and maintain liaisons with municipalities, county departments, and similar entities to facilitate plan development, response effort coordination, and exchanges of personnel and equipment.
- 03Coordinate disaster response or crisis management activities, such as ordering evacuations, opening public shelters, and implementing special needs plans and programs.
- 04Prepare emergency situation status reports that describe response and recovery efforts, needs, and preliminary damage assessments.
- 05Maintain and update all resource materials associated with emergency preparedness plans.
- 06Prepare plans that outline operating procedures to be used in response to disasters or emergencies, such as hurricanes, nuclear accidents, and terrorist attacks, and in recovery from these events.
Skills that matter most
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
Knowledge
- Public Safety and Security
- Administration and Management
- Law and Government
- Communications and Media
- English Language
Work styles that stand out
- Achievement Orientation
- Social Orientation
- Self-Control
- Stress Tolerance
- Perseverance
Education and first steps
Share of workers by required education, as reported to O*NET.
How people get started
- Usually needs a bachelor's degree (O*NET Job Zone 4).
- Related work experience: over 4 years, up to and including 6 years.
- On-the-job training: anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month.
- A certification can help.
Most common answers from O*NET 31.0 Education, Training and Experience.
Interest fit (Holland code)
O*NET occupational interest scores, scale 1–7. Take the Free Career Test to compare with your own.
Career changes
Change from emergency management directors
- Security Managers92% · group pay
- Business Continuity Planners90% · group pay
- Security Management Specialists87% · group pay
- Management Analysts83% · +9%
- Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers77% · +15%
Change into emergency management directors
Jobs whose skills carry over best (skill match, their median pay).
- Security Managers92% · $106,660
- Business Continuity Planners91% · $83,050
- Security Management Specialists85% · $83,050
- Logisticians78% · $82,320
- Labor Relations Specialists76% · $95,420
Majors that lead here
- Critical Incident Response/Special Police Operations
- Protective Services Operations
- Homeland Security
- Crisis/Emergency/Disaster Management
- Critical Infrastructure Protection
- Terrorism and Counterterrorism Operations
- Emergency Medical Services Fellowship Program
From the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk.